On individual identity

In an age where brands strategically construct evocative identities, we forgot to talk about how people define themselves.

Corporate storytelling forgot the individuals

Today’s market dynamics value differentiation and daring ventures. Brands, in response, have moved away from mere transactional interactions to embrace the age-old allure of storytelling. When you hear names like Apple, Tesla, and Amazon, they don’t just represent companies; they represent experiences, emotions, and entire narratives. They’ve become the protagonists of modern corporate folklore. Whole governments embraced the move, with for example the Loi Pacte in France, including an incentive for companies to define their “raison d’être” (purpose).

But what about individuals within corporations? While organizations, as collective entities, are rigorously molding their stories, many individuals within them float adrift, uncertain of their personal narratives. Yet, to drive people to change, moving identities is one of the most effective methods.

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

 Saint-Exupery

Managers tend to be good at setting directions. The employees often know the destination (the goal), the why (“to save the princess and the company’s margins”), and the tempo (“before the dragon eats our profits”). But who are they in the party, and what’s expected of them? Are they the warrior, the mage, the healer? If you are the mage, do you cast spells on the small-but-many goblins or do you focus on the so-much-HP dragon? What are you gonna do during an improvised fight? Are you the one that protects your party, or are you the one that helps it clear monsters faster? There are many ways to be a mage, and it all depends on your identity.

Identity for the people you manage

Identity is who someone is when you’re not around. It’s how people behave when the direction isn’t clear. It’s what shape the direction of the 35000ish decisions someone takes every day 1.

If you’ve read anything about the “science of building habits” you may have noticed that one of the best ways to create a durable habit is to change how you think about yourself. Thinking of eating that burger? Tell yourself you’re the “kind of person that’s always good-looking and energetic”. And I bet you won’t eat that burger.

So, do you know what your teammates would do faced with a mountain of burgers? Have this little conversation with them: ask each member to tell you in a maximum of 2 sentences what it means to be “[job] at [company]?”. Most of them will give you a 3-minute explanation, correcting themselves as they talk, and ending their answer by listing the quarter’s objectives.

• [Manager] “So Franck, for you what’s an Account Manager?”
•  [Account Manager] “Good question! I think my goal is to have great relationships with our clients. Well, hmm… Not only a relationship but a real partnership. I need to guide them and be their referent on anything technical. If I can I’ll do some upsell and cross-sell. For example, I need to do 120k€ of upsell this quarter. And achieve an NPS > 60. I need to be energetic, product-driven, and nice. Email communication is a must for Account Manager. Oh, and one day, I want to become Sales, as it’s the promotion policy in this company”

 If the manager was a psy, he would label his patient as “unclear split personality”

It’s more than just a job description—it’s about the essence. Almost no one takes the time to think about who they need to be. And as such, almost no one has a clear, ready-to-use understanding of how to behave in case of uncertainty. What you should expect from someone who understood his role is an immediate two-liner: “As a Manager, I’m the one that helps my team grow so they can deliver the best customer experience there is”.

There is no right or wrong identity, but each embodies something different from the other. If a customer support tells you that his goal is to “solve customers’ problems”, it’s different from “providing our customers with solutions”, and it’s different from “helping our customers find solutions”. While these statements may seem similar, the subtle differences will lead to very different behaviors. Based on how he perceives his role, he might prioritize efficiency and expertise, or lean towards collaboration and fostering relationships.

Depending on your company, some identities are more relevant than others. A salesperson who defines himself as someone who “shows the best option to a prospect” is more adapted to an SMB-focused/many-features type of company, while a salesperson who views his role as “helping the client think about his problems” is more adapted to a B2B complex selling process.

Identities are useful because they are biased

Identity isn’t set in stone. Just as an individual’s environment and role dictate their self-conception, so too can changing circumstances nudge them to adopt new identities. Picture someone entering Goldman Sachs versus another stepping into the shoes of a high school teacher; though they may begin with similar foundations, the identities they cultivate will be starkly different (but chances are that both will end up in burnout..!).

The trick is that you can change your identity as challenges emerge. Is your company facing dwindling growth? Time to don the cloak of a relentless sales leader for a few quarters. Any quality problem? Invoke the precision and dedication of a master craftsman. Why does it work? Because it’s all cliché, and we all love a good cliché.

Identities that we define for ourselves are often stereotypes. And that is why they work. They embody a few traits that we don’t have naturally. They push us towards a non-natural path. There are dozen of ways to be a great CEO, but when you think of a CEO you most likely think of a charismatic leader, who’s taking quick and strong-willed decisions, showing the way, and taking risks for the greater good of its people. And of course, it’s a gray-hair 50 years old man. In reality, the most effective CEOs are often closer to nerdy Bill Gates than workplace Schwarzeneggers. But it doesn’t matter when you embrace the CEO identity. Picturing this viril-cliché-CEO image will push you to have more confidence, act strongly, and speak up more than you would have done if you were stuck with an “I’m an Engineer” identity.

So use those biases. “Dress like George Clooney” can’t harm your style, even if you don’t have George’s bank account.

The perils of a unique external identity

Be careful when your identity is coupled with external factors. Many anchor their identities to external facets. The “husband and father of 3” have a tougher time after divorce. Athletes are coupled with medals. Pop stars are coupled with Spotify charts’ position. Etc. Founders often see themselves as inseparable from their startups. When they have a successful company exit, they become rich, they “made it”, and yet… Most fall into depression. They hit rock bottom. The reason is that they lost a part of their soul. Worst: they sold it. “Cofounder of X” was their main identity and was thus fated to rise and fall with their startup. Their social status was Mister CEO. Their purpose was the company’s mission. Their enemies were the competitors. The tempo was 9 am-9 pm. And now all are disappearing at the same time. Competitors congratulate you, big corp doesn’t care about your mission and no one complains if you leave the office at 5 pm.

So what do many CEO who just exited do? They embark on a world tour with their family, trying to find a new spark of passion. But piña coladas on the beach don’t build new identities. So they often find their salvation in an environment that matches their past identity: a new startup, a new “high-velocity” philanthropist venture, etc.

Don’t be defined by your identity, and don’t stick to a single one. Use them to push you where you want to go. Don’t let one identity truly define who you are. Because if you do, it will enslave you into a set of behaviors that aren’t truly aligned with your whole. I tend to doubt people that define themself first by only one attribute, such as “leftist”, “liberal”, “Christian” or “vegan”, etc. Often, it shows that they lack a deep understanding of all the nuances that exist in the identity they claim. “Leftist” for example doesn’t mean much today. Yes, it gives a few directions: fight inequality, success as a group achievement and not an individual aim, etc. But what about one’s position on nuclear? About universal income? Etc. When you define yourself as only one identity, you end up following a cult, not your ideas. Identity is a cursor you move in one or another direction, not an on/off button you flip.

Crafting identities

One must know oneself. If this does not serve to discover the truth, it at least serves as a rule of life, and there is nothing better.

Blaise Pascal

Pascal says it all. Our identity is not the truth. But it’s useful to follow a lighted path. Challenging people on their identity takes time. But that’s how you unlock durable results. As I transitioned from CEO to President of Supermood, I had to reinvent my job, and my identity. It’s embracing the fact that I can have multiple identities, one after the other or in parallel, that made me do my best work.

So what are your identities? Do your identities propel you to the stars, or have you chained your essence behind bars?