Where some seem to take great pride in wearing their brand (school, job, etc.) visibly, I am equally proud to wear mine invisibly. As an example, I am a proud alum of the United States Naval Academy, yet I was deliberate in not rushing to share that fact throughout my career. In fact, I took great satisfaction when Sailors were surprised when they ultimately learned of my commissioning source. Generally speaking and deserved or not, academy graduates have a reputation for being less than humble. Given the value I place on confident humility I wanted to make sure I was not pigeonholed by the assumption that I was anything but that. As I navigate my second year in Career 2.0, I continue to take great satisfaction when people are surprised to learn that I spent over 30 years in uniform. It’s not that I am not proud of the amazing adventure I enjoyed, it’s that I refuse to allow that to be my identity. 

We all come from somewhere. We have all done something. We are all someone. Each statement is mind-numbingly obvious, and each of us tends to amplify one statement much louder than the others: where we are from, what we have done, or who we are. I choose to mute the first two as much as practical. 

Two months ago, I began to pay specific attention to how people present themselves professionally on social media. There are those who thoughtlessly parrot the propaganda their employer asks them to push from an online persona indistinguishable from the company that pays them. There are those who left military service years ago yet hold onto their rank or their veteran status so tightly that it is clear to all that they are unable to see themselves as anything but who they used to be. Or, they simply lack the confidence to stand on their own and truly reinvent themselves. And there are those who seem to be authentically human: no overt evidence of where they were credentialed; no constant reminders of professions they once had or ranks they once wore; and no regular pushing of the talking points from corporate. Those are the people I seek out, learn from, and advocate for. They stand as they are, where they are, and as a reflection of who they truly are as they continue to evolve with the times, focused squarely on the present. No clinging to the past. 

Our past is in our past. Though most of our past ought to give us reason to be proud and all of it certainly shaped who we are, it’s not something we should allow to define us. Unfortunately, we currently live in a time where many would like to define us first (and sometimes only) by our sex, gender, race, and skin color. We hold ourselves back when we further exacerbate things by defining ourselves by things we are no longer (past professions) or will someday outgrow (current employer). I cringe when I see people market themselves with pictures in uniforms they are no longer authorized to wear or boasting about titles they once held. 

Far be it for me to quote Queen Elsa from Frozen, but she has some sage advice for many, “It’s time to see what (you) can do, to test the limits and break through.” Be proud of your past, but don’t self-limit. Let the world see you for who you are, not who you once were or as merely an extension of your company’s marketing department – “let it go!”

Our past is what equipped us for the present, and it is the present (not our past) that will help us grow into the future. Keep going, keep growing…

  • What does your social media presence say about you, the human?
  • What are you too tightly holding onto?
  • Are you afraid of being valued for who you are?

8 thoughts on “Presenting Thyself

  1. Very happy to see these posts return. I relied on them for many things for many years and anticipated each one. Mixing the right ingredients to create positive anticipation is an art. I and others appreciate the anticipation being back.

  2. Something to unpack here. While I can think of many colleagues who fit the bill of not letting go, I might be accused of this apparent trait from time to time. Still there are private aspects of my persona that I keep in reserve, as you suggest, and pleased when it is discovered.

    My point is, there is a place for both. Bona fides are a quick way to establish legitimacy in a conversation when slow roll is not appropriate.

    It is wholly appropriate to have a business profile where you do business and a personal profile for other settings. That is not to say one or both are a mascarade, any more that a photo in a suit or pair of board shorts defines you.

  3. Sean,
    You always give me a lot to think about in your gentle challenges. I’m not sure sometimes who I am out of uniform, as so many of my habits and routines are service oriented. But some day soon I shall have to put away my uniform and try on khakis of another cut. I should consider my “brand development” as I make my transition. Thank you, and be well!

  4. Great points Sean. There is something I’ve always enjoyed about a genuine conversations between two souls that leads to learning versus rushing straight to the background of where we’ve been. Glad you shared this. It’s an important reminder for the ones who are reinventing themselves (still, after all these years).

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