How Do You Live And Lead From Essence?

As a coach, my working existence lives at the intersection of many of my professional passions and skills. My favourite of those intersections is where my marketing mindset hops in beside my superpower in developing people and we go for a spin.

In recent times, I’ve been up to my armpits in some emergent and intoxicating work…The Personal Brand Wayfinder. It’s a proprietary framework and process that helps unlock your brand essence, so that you can live and lead out of it. It’s part of the path to becoming the creative leader you are fully capable of. 

The core idea here is that everyone has an essence. And when you are able to work from that essence as a leader, you are able to make meaning of your work and your life in previously unimaginable ways. Working from that essence is how we effortlessly create the impact in the world that we want. It’s how we operate with a sense of vitality and authenticity that is too often rare. But if we’re curious, courageous and committed, each one of us can get there.

But what is essence? Here’s a definition to get us started:

Essence is the most essential you. It’s all the things that make up your identity and brand. It’s your way of being in the world where you create and contribute, most naturally and meaningfully.

• It’s how you’re most of service to the world around you.

• It’s how you generate value and impact without any thought or even breaking a sweat.

• It’s what flows out of you almost effortlessly.

Essence is at the heart of any brand, be it a product, company or person. And when we talk about brand, we’re speaking about all the components that make up an identity; it’s made up of the values, purpose, attributes, and benefits. It also includes how others see and experience these elements of the brand. Brand Essence is umbilically connected to the soul of a brand. It’s not just part of it…it is it.

I started working around the idea of my own take on personal brand many years ago when I was still working at Electronic Arts.  It’s been present in my leadership coaching since I made the move to this chapter of my working life. It’s been a massive unlock for many creative leaders I’ve worked with. But I also knew that this work needed more work.

And then I found the perfect tag team partner in Lance Odegard to make it better. He came off the top rope with his powerfully creative mind and eternally curious questions. He’s connected this work to the creative soul it needed so badly.

As we were jamming on this work, Lance came up with (another) great and multiplying insight:

“This is kind of an anti-influencer approach to personal brand, isn’t it?”

Damn right, Lance. That’s exactly what it is. Tell me more, my friend. ;)

The Influencer Approach to personal brand is all about applying a coat of paint that layers on veneers and spin. It has little/no curiosity and wants to rush to the answers through some new-fangled hack or app. It’s obsessed with what others are doing and constantly scanning the Interweb for inspirations and copy/paste opportunities. It wants to craft the narrative of an actor in some low-budget production of life. It starts with the outside world and then tries to manufacture its own image as a reflection of what they think the world needs.

Ick.

The Wayfiner Approach reframes all of this.

It’s a deep work approach, where you dig in to find out what makes you, you. It gets curious to explore, reflect and examine who you are at your core. It’s something that is completely authentic…because you are the only person who can claim your own identity. It’s being willing to dare to live into yourself. And most important, it comes from the inside of you, building the amazing story of leadership and essence that you will go tell the world all about.

Doing this work isn’t easy. It takes a level of curiosity, wordwork and vulnerability that doesn’t often get the space in our hectic lives. But think of the reward you can claim if you choose to do this work. I leave you with a few questions to rumble with as you start a journey to discover your essence:

When you are being the best version of you, who are you being?  

How could you do more of this—more often, consistently, and authentically?

What might be possible if you were able to live and lead from your essence?