My name is Hod Fleishman. I am an entrepreneur, innovator, and creator. I have established, launched, and managed various technology-driven businesses throughout my career, and worked with C-Suite executives and entrepreneurs to design and execute technology solutions. In this series of posts, I will be sharing my experience and insights into the world of entrepreneurship.
In Part 1, we left off with the three critical pillars an entrepreneur must be able to spell out if they seek to create a fundamental change in a system. It can be a change within a business, social, or personal system. These pillars are:
- You have to be able to describe with precision who you are. Not your job title, age, or marital status. Who are you on the inside? What are your unique superpowers? What drives you?
- It would be best if you defined what it is you want. What is the thing you desire that will power your motivation through a long and arduous journey? A journey of change.
- Many different paths or platforms can carry you from an unsatisfying present to a fulfilling future. Which is the right platform for you? If you know who you are and what you want, it’s time to identify and prioritize the best platform for you.
Tell Me Who You Are
Let’s start with the first pillar. Think of a recent business meeting. Strangers sit around the table or share space on a computer screen, and the meeting organizer asks everyone to introduce who they are. The first person mentions they are from India and are leading the local billing team. The second says she is calling from Seatle early in the morning. She is a former Olympic athlete and a strategy team member. We hear similar descriptions from the rest of the participants.
These individuals just shared not Who they are but What they are. One is an executive; the other is an athlete. If they were to share Who they are, the descriptions would sound surprisingly different. It may differ from what you would expect in a business meeting. While “what they are” pertains to professional or functional roles, describing “who they are” is about personal identity and individual characteristics.
In describing Who he is, our colleague from the Billing team could have said: “I’m an introvert. I excel in ambiguous conditions, but highly structured environments stress me out. My instinct is to help people, even if it comes at a personal expense.” In describing Who he is, this person shared his personality type, work preferences, core values, and instincts.
When faced with the “what’s next” question, especially if we seek to create change in our lives, we must first understand Who we are because, at that level, there are endless opportunities. We should not limit our thinking to What we are, as these descriptions narrow our scope of possibilities.
Show Me Your True Face
A famous Zen Koan asks, “What did your face look like before your parents were born?” In other words, what is left if you remove everything that describes you; if you remove all the “What you are” descriptions (including who your parents are)? What is your true self?
Imagine how you described yourself in your last business meeting. You mentioned your name, professional history, current role, age, and where you are from. Let’s challenge ourselves and answer the Koan above: who are you if this was not your name? If you did not have this professional history, who are you? If this was not your age, who are you? If these were not your parent, who are you?
As you remove all those things that describe What you are, Who is left? At the core, Who are you? This core is your internal foundation and strength; regardless of what you do, it will still be who you are.
A famous mountain climber, one of those dedicated enthusiasts who climb the world’s highest peaks, was asked what it felt like to be on Mount Everest. His answer was, “Wherever you go, there you are.” Even on top of Everest, it was still him, with his anxiety regarding his next flight and homesickness when he was away from his spouse. Regardless of What he does, it’s still Who he is that travels with him to all the highest peaks.
If you ask two different people to do the same job, you will see that each does it differently. One is more of the manager type that focuses on people’s performance. The other is more visionary and leads. The What is the same, but the Who determines the unique Way each of the two solves problems and, ultimately, who will succeed.
Take A Few Minutes, It’s Important
It’s difficult to remove all the tags and badges we carefully acquired from age zero to where we are now and ask ourselves Who we are. Even when you think you’ve got it, let me assure you, there’s more work to do. It takes honesty and integrity to look in the mirror and see who we are, not who we wish we were.
However, establishing this foundation is critical for any entrepreneurial journey. We must align Who we are with what we want and how we will achieve it.
As you can see, Who we are is defined and will not change. We have more freedom on What it is we want to achieve. But even there, sometimes it’s a calling that is stronger than us. We have the greatest freedom on “the way” (the how) we choose to achieve these objectives. And by aligning these three stars, we can increase our chances of success and, more importantly, our satisfaction through the process.
If we don’t, and I am sure you met such people, you will be out of place. Your internal strengths will align poorly with your objective, and the environment in which you try to achieve your goals will work against you, not for you. The result is frustration, loss, and dissatisfaction with what you do.
So find a quiet corner. Put your phone away, and grab a coffee, tea, or a beer. Spend time with yourself, and ask yourself, “Who am I?”
I hope you found this explanation beneficial to your journey.
Next week, let’s discuss how to identify the “Want.” The thing you must achieve that will also motivate and fuel you through a long journey of change.
