1121: The Profile Pic mistake

Yesterday, I tried to take a new profile photo. Huge mistake. Huge lesson. "Just be casual", I told the grizzled guy staring back at me. "All you have to show is that you’re approachable, intelligent, creative, experienced, responsive, dependable, funny, understanding and amazing at what you do." 30 minutes later, I abandoned the effort when it (finally) reminded me of a decision I made years ago. Back in spring 1999, I was getting ready to phone my biggest consultancy client. He was one of the dot-com pioneers and he was paying serious money. But the work was going slowly. So there I was, lining up my excuses and marshalling my arguments. Figuring out how to keep my reputation. And then this thought crashed into my head. Stop trying to look good. Be good. However long it takes. That’s the path. Which is why, yesterday, I decided to stick with what I have. I’m not a huge fan of the grey hair or the wrinkles around my eyes. But I’ve earned every one. ------------------- The Stories Mean Business podcast with Nick Warren. One Idea A Day, Every Day. Get deeper into business storytelling: https://storiesmeanbusiness.com/storybusiness/ https://storiesmeanbusiness.com/podcast