Scott Monty

The Common Denominator of Success

<p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_iNDZvAXaNo/YZVKxzgiscI/AAAAAAABXjE/chIuiAXe5C8QGSilgLW0_LWdRzPt98nygCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Alexander%2BBuchan%2B-%2BA%2Bview%2Bof%2Bthe%2BEndeavour%2527s%2Bwatering%2Bplace%2Bin%2Bthe%2BBay%2Bof%2BGood%2BSuccess%252C%2BTierra%2Bdel%2BFurgo%252C%2Bwith%2Bnatives.%2BJanuary%2B1769.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1280" height="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_iNDZvAXaNo/YZVKxzgiscI/AAAAAAABXjE/chIuiAXe5C8QGSilgLW0_LWdRzPt98nygCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h500/Alexander%2BBuchan%2B-%2BA%2Bview%2Bof%2Bthe%2BEndeavour%2527s%2Bwatering%2Bplace%2Bin%2Bthe%2BBay%2Bof%2BGood%2BSuccess%252C%2BTierra%2Bdel%2BFurgo%252C%2Bwith%2Bnatives.%2BJanuary%2B1769.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Endeavour%27s_watering_place_in_the_Bay_of_Good_Success,_Tierra_del_Fuego_-_Drawings_made_in_the_Countries_visited_by_Captain_Cook_in_his_First_Voyage_(1769),_f.11_-_BL_Add_MS_23920.jpg">A view of the Endeavour's watering place in the Bay of Good Success</a></em><span style="text-align: left;">, by Alexander Buchan, 1769 (public domain — Wikimedia Commons)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><blockquote><p><em><strong>“It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment.” </strong>— Marcus Tullius Cicero</em></p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Do you know what success is? It of course depends on your perspective — where you sit, who you are, and what matters to you.</p><p>More importantly, do you know what it takes to be successful? That is, what do you need to do to achieve success as you define it?</p><p>There’s a variety of leadership traits that we can identify in successful people. Things like <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/s/timeless-leadership/p/wisdom">wisdom</a>, <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/s/timeless-leadership/p/communication">good communication</a>, <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/s/timeless-leadership/p/humanity">humanity</a>, and all of the other topics we cover on the <em><strong>Timeless Leadership</strong></em> podcast. (<a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/s/timeless-leadership/archive?sort=new">Episode Archive</a> | Follow on your <a href="https://pod.link/timeless">favorite podcast platform</a>)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pod.link/timeless" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6DqiIWuC7yQ/YZVLHwHC1cI/AAAAAAABXjM/K1Ha4_mq30sotz44DRW-FvOU6mgJ1uYXQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/Timeless%2BLeadership%2BBold%2Btransparent.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><p>Those virtues are admirable and worthy of pursuit. But they’re lofty and may take years to master, particularly as you’re awaiting that first opportunity to lead people. Without the requisite position, some of them are difficult to practice.</p><p>But the common denominator of success — one trait that’s practical and practicable — the secret of every successful person is: forming the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.</p><p>What did Thomas Edison do? He achieved fame and greatness for his many patents as the electrical age came into focus. But for every invention or refinement he made, he had an exponential number of attempts.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p><em><strong>“I have not failed. I have just found 9,999 ways that do not work.”</strong> — Thomas Edison</em></p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre><pre class="text"><br /></pre></div><h2><strong>Success Boiled Down in One Speech</strong></h2><p>In 1940, Albert E.N. Gray, an executive at Prudential Insurance gave a speech to the National Association of Life Underwriters. While it was delivered to insurance professionals, it applies equally to anyone seeking success in any aspect of their life.</p><p>Gray’s “<strong>The Common Denominator of Success</strong>” speech has some points worth repeating here. I have updated some of the language to be more inclusive.</p><blockquote><p>Of course, like most of us, I had been brought up on the popular belief that the secret of success is hard work, but I had seen so many people work hard without succeeding and so many people succeed without working hard that I had become convinced that hard work was not the real secret even though in most cases it might be one of the requirements.</p><p>And so I set out on a voyage of discovery which carried me through biographies and  autobiographies and all sorts of dissertations on success and the lives of successful people until I finally reached a point at which I realized that the secret I was trying to discover lay not only in what they did, but also in what made them do it.</p><p>I realized further that the secret for which I was searching must not only apply to every definition of success, but since it must apply to everyone to whom it was offered, it must  also apply to everyone who had ever been successful. In short, I was looking for the common denominator of success.</p><p>And because that is exactly what I was looking for, that is exactly what I found.</p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>It’s worth pausing here to reflect on the <strong><a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/intentionality">intentionality</a></strong> behind Gray’s pursuit. It’s akin to what we saw Sherlock Holmes say when he found something no one else had:</p><blockquote><p><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">“It was invisible, buried in the mud. I only saw it because I was looking for it.”</span></i></b></p></blockquote><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{"id":42525836,"url":"https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/leadership-dog-night","publication_id":28922,"publication_name":"Timeless & Timely","publication_logo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6b0b5664-8343-4c87-a050-1a89626389ec_1280x1280.png","title":"Leadership Can Be Like the Dog In the Night-Time","truncated_body_text":"“You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.” — Arthur Conan Doyle, 1891 Timeless & Timely has audio versions of the posts for you to enjoy. They are available to Premium subscribers. This one is available here:","date":"2021-10-13T12:33:35.678Z","like_count":5,"comment_count":0,"bylines":[{"id":429,"name":"Scott Monty","photo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9ea180a7-4ad6-4937-b37a-52810591c920_2717x2531.jpeg","bio":"Strategic communications and leadership advisor inspiring people to be better communicators, leaders, and humans. First executive at Ford to lead digital communications. Soothing voice available for hire.","profile_set_up_at":"2021-04-25T06:21:53.329Z","publicationUsers":[{"id":1595,"user_id":429,"role":"admin","public":true,"is_primary":false,"publication":{"id":28922,"name":"Timeless & Timely","subdomain":"scottmonty","custom_domain":"www.timelesstimely.com","custom_domain_optional":false,"hero_text":"This is a time machine. Jump ahead of the leadership curve by learning from the best from throughout history.","logo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6b0b5664-8343-4c87-a050-1a89626389ec_1280x1280.png","author_id":429,"theme_var_background_pop":"#2879af","created_at":"2020-02-02T20:45:53.185Z","rss_website_url":null,"email_from_name":"Scott Monty","copyright":"Scott Monty Strategies","founding_plan_name":"Timeless Supporter","community_enabled":true,"invite_only":false}}],"twitter_screen_name":"ScottMonty","is_guest":false}]}"><br /></div><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{"id":42525836,"url":"https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/leadership-dog-night","publication_id":28922,"publication_name":"Timeless & Timely","publication_logo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6b0b5664-8343-4c87-a050-1a89626389ec_1280x1280.png","title":"Leadership Can Be Like the Dog In the Night-Time","truncated_body_text":"“You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.” — Arthur Conan Doyle, 1891 Timeless & Timely has audio versions of the posts for you to enjoy. They are available to Premium subscribers. This one is available here:","date":"2021-10-13T12:33:35.678Z","like_count":5,"comment_count":0,"bylines":[{"id":429,"name":"Scott Monty","photo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9ea180a7-4ad6-4937-b37a-52810591c920_2717x2531.jpeg","bio":"Strategic communications and leadership advisor inspiring people to be better communicators, leaders, and humans. First executive at Ford to lead digital communications. Soothing voice available for hire.","profile_set_up_at":"2021-04-25T06:21:53.329Z","publicationUsers":[{"id":1595,"user_id":429,"role":"admin","public":true,"is_primary":false,"publication":{"id":28922,"name":"Timeless & Timely","subdomain":"scottmonty","custom_domain":"www.timelesstimely.com","custom_domain_optional":false,"hero_text":"This is a time machine. Jump ahead of the leadership curve by learning from the best from throughout history.","logo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6b0b5664-8343-4c87-a050-1a89626389ec_1280x1280.png","author_id":429,"theme_var_background_pop":"#2879af","created_at":"2020-02-02T20:45:53.185Z","rss_website_url":null,"email_from_name":"Scott Monty","copyright":"Scott Monty Strategies","founding_plan_name":"Timeless Supporter","community_enabled":true,"invite_only":false}}],"twitter_screen_name":"ScottMonty","is_guest":false}]}"><i>Read more: <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/leadership-dog-night?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web" target="_blank">Leadership Can Be Like the Dog in the Night-Time</a></i></div><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{"id":42525836,"url":"https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/leadership-dog-night","publication_id":28922,"publication_name":"Timeless & Timely","publication_logo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6b0b5664-8343-4c87-a050-1a89626389ec_1280x1280.png","title":"Leadership Can Be Like the Dog In the Night-Time","truncated_body_text":"“You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.” — Arthur Conan Doyle, 1891 Timeless & Timely has audio versions of the posts for you to enjoy. They are available to Premium subscribers. This one is available here:","date":"2021-10-13T12:33:35.678Z","like_count":5,"comment_count":0,"bylines":[{"id":429,"name":"Scott Monty","photo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9ea180a7-4ad6-4937-b37a-52810591c920_2717x2531.jpeg","bio":"Strategic communications and leadership advisor inspiring people to be better communicators, leaders, and humans. First executive at Ford to lead digital communications. Soothing voice available for hire.","profile_set_up_at":"2021-04-25T06:21:53.329Z","publicationUsers":[{"id":1595,"user_id":429,"role":"admin","public":true,"is_primary":false,"publication":{"id":28922,"name":"Timeless & Timely","subdomain":"scottmonty","custom_domain":"www.timelesstimely.com","custom_domain_optional":false,"hero_text":"This is a time machine. Jump ahead of the leadership curve by learning from the best from throughout history.","logo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6b0b5664-8343-4c87-a050-1a89626389ec_1280x1280.png","author_id":429,"theme_var_background_pop":"#2879af","created_at":"2020-02-02T20:45:53.185Z","rss_website_url":null,"email_from_name":"Scott Monty","copyright":"Scott Monty Strategies","founding_plan_name":"Timeless Supporter","community_enabled":true,"invite_only":false}}],"twitter_screen_name":"ScottMonty","is_guest":false}]}"><br /></div><div class="embedded-post-wrap" data-attrs="{"id":42525836,"url":"https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/leadership-dog-night","publication_id":28922,"publication_name":"Timeless & Timely","publication_logo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6b0b5664-8343-4c87-a050-1a89626389ec_1280x1280.png","title":"Leadership Can Be Like the Dog In the Night-Time","truncated_body_text":"“You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.” — Arthur Conan Doyle, 1891 Timeless & Timely has audio versions of the posts for you to enjoy. They are available to Premium subscribers. This one is available here:","date":"2021-10-13T12:33:35.678Z","like_count":5,"comment_count":0,"bylines":[{"id":429,"name":"Scott Monty","photo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9ea180a7-4ad6-4937-b37a-52810591c920_2717x2531.jpeg","bio":"Strategic communications and leadership advisor inspiring people to be better communicators, leaders, and humans. First executive at Ford to lead digital communications. Soothing voice available for hire.","profile_set_up_at":"2021-04-25T06:21:53.329Z","publicationUsers":[{"id":1595,"user_id":429,"role":"admin","public":true,"is_primary":false,"publication":{"id":28922,"name":"Timeless & Timely","subdomain":"scottmonty","custom_domain":"www.timelesstimely.com","custom_domain_optional":false,"hero_text":"This is a time machine. Jump ahead of the leadership curve by learning from the best from throughout history.","logo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6b0b5664-8343-4c87-a050-1a89626389ec_1280x1280.png","author_id":429,"theme_var_background_pop":"#2879af","created_at":"2020-02-02T20:45:53.185Z","rss_website_url":null,"email_from_name":"Scott Monty","copyright":"Scott Monty Strategies","founding_plan_name":"Timeless Supporter","community_enabled":true,"invite_only":false}}],"twitter_screen_name":"ScottMonty","is_guest":false}]}"><br /></div><h2><strong>Successful People Don’t Mind Not Liking Things</strong></h2><p>Gray continued:</p><blockquote><p>The common denominator of success — the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful — lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do.</p><p>The things that failures don’t like to do are the very things that you and I and other human beings, including successful people, naturally don’t like to do. In other words, we’ve got to realize right from the start that success is something which is achieved by the minority of people, and is therefore unnatural and not to be achieved by following our natural likes and dislikes nor by being guided by our natural preferences and prejudices.</p><p>We don’t like to call on people who don’t want to see us and talk to them about something they don’t want to talk about. Any reluctance to follow a definite prospecting program, to use prepared sales talks, to organize time and to organize effort are all caused by this one basic dislike.</p><p>Perhaps you have wondered why it is that our biggest producers seem to like to do the things that you don't like to do. They don’t!</p><p>But if they don’t like to do these things, then why do they do them? Because by doing the things they don’t like to do, they can accomplish the things they want to accomplish. Successful people are influenced by the desire for pleasing results. Failures are influenced by the desire for pleasing methods and are inclined to be satisfied with such results as can be obtained by doing things they like to do.</p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h2><strong>Why Successful People Do What Failures Don’t</strong></h2><blockquote><p>Why are successful people able to do things they don't like to do while failures are not? Because successful people have a purpose strong enough to make them form the habit of doing things they don’t like to do in order to accomplish the purpose they want to accomplish.</p><p>Every single qualification for success is acquired through habit. People form habits and habits form futures. If you do not deliberately form good habits, then unconsciously you will form bad ones. You are the kind of person you are because you have formed the habit of being that kind of person, and the only way you can change is through habit.</p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>This is reminiscent from that scene at the beginning of <em>Lawrence of Arabia</em> when Lawrence puts out a match with his bare fingers, and William Potter, a junior officer, attempts the same thing, burning his fingers in the process:</p><blockquote><p><em><strong>“Ooh! It damn well ’urts!”<br />“Certainly it hurts.”<br />“What’s the trick then?”<br />“The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.”</strong></em></p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre><pre class="text"><br /></pre></div><h2><strong>Success Comes From Continued Habits</strong></h2><blockquote><p>But before you decide to adopt these success habits, let me warn you of the importance of habit to your decision. I have attended many sales meetings and sales congresses during the past ten years and have often wondered why, in spite of the fact that there is so much good in them, so many people seem to get so little lasting good out of them. Perhaps you have attended sales meetings in the past and have left determined to do the things that would make you successful or more successful only to find your decision or determination waning at just the time when it should be put into effect or practice.</p><p>Here’s the answer. Any resolution or decision you make is simply a promise to yourself, which isn’t worth a tinker’s dam unless you have formed the habit of making it and keeping it.</p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h2><strong>Habits Are Formed Through Purpose</strong></h2><blockquote><p>And you won’t form the habit of making it and keeping it unless right at the start you link it with a definite purpose that can be accomplished by keeping it. In other words, any resolution or decision you make today has to be made again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and the next, and so on. If you continue the process of making it each morning and keeping it each day, you will finally wake up some morning a different person in a different world, and you will wonder what has happened to you and the world you used to live in.</p><p>Here’s what has happened. Your resolution or decision has become a habit and you don’t</p><p>have to make it on this particular morning. For the first time in your life, you have become master of yourself and master of your likes and dislikes by surrendering to your purpose in life.</p><p>That is why behind every success there must be a purpose and that is what makes purpose so important to your future. Your future is not going to depend on economic conditions or outside influences of circumstances over which you have no control. Your future is going to depend on your purpose in life. So let’s talk about purpose.</p><p>First of all, your purpose must be practical and not visionary. But in making your purpose practical, be careful not to make it logical. Make it a purpose of the sentimental or emotional type. Remember needs are logical while wants and desires are sentimental and emotional.</p><p>Your needs will push you just so far, but when your needs are satisfied, they will stop pushing you. If, however, your purpose is in terms of wants and desires, then your wants and desires will keep pushing you long after your needs are satisfied and until your wants and desires are fulfilled.</p><p>And if it’s an honest purpose, you will be honest and honorable in the accomplishment of it. But as long as you live, don’t ever forget that while you may succeed beyond your fondest hopes and your greatest expectations, you will never succeed beyond the purpose to which you are willing to surrender.</p><p>Furthermore, your surrender will not be complete until you have formed the habit of doing the things that failures don't like to do.</p></blockquote><p> </p><div><hr /></div><p><br /></p><p>There are finer points, more details, and other directions in the full speech. But it identifies the core of what we need to commit ourselves to if we want to achieve success.</p><p>Gray’s work is as timely and inspirational as when it was first delivered, and is available in a booklet if you’d like to read the entire thing. (<em><strong><a href="https://amzn.to/3nj81lu">The Common Denominator of Success</a></strong></em> | Amazon)</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><p><br /></p><hr style="background-color: white;" /><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members receive an additional related essay plus curated links, stories, and audio and book recommendations every Friday.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join the club by signing up below:</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><iframe data-dashlane-frameid="2643" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-height: 450px; max-width: 100%;" width="480"></iframe></div>

The Common Denominator of Success

A view of the Endeavour's watering place in the Bay of Good Success , by Alexander Buchan, 1769 (public domain — Wikimedia Commons) “It...

Manufacturing Fame

<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFmzycZtZj8/YYy5pKft7aI/AAAAAAABXew/IhcCXa5fagYPB9zXRM0XPyDuwsgdTjHoACLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Guillaume-Alphonse%2BHarang%2BCabasson%2B-%2BApotheosis%2Bof%2BNapoleon%2BIII%2B1854.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="1280" height="508" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFmzycZtZj8/YYy5pKft7aI/AAAAAAABXew/IhcCXa5fagYPB9zXRM0XPyDuwsgdTjHoACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h508/Guillaume-Alphonse%2BHarang%2BCabasson%2B-%2BApotheosis%2Bof%2BNapoleon%2BIII%2B1854.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apotheosis_of_Napoleon_III.jpg" target="_blank">Apotheosis of Napoleon III</a></i> by Guillaume-Alphonse Harang Cabasson, 1854 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><p><em></em></p><blockquote><em><strong>“Two centuries ago when a great man appeared, people looked for God's purpose in him; today we look for his press agent.” </strong>— <em>Daniel Boorstin, 1961</em></em></blockquote><p></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>When he delivered the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln self-deprecatingly said, “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here.”</p><p>And yet his 274-word speech has become one of the most lauded pieces of rhetoric in history.</p><p>Lincoln chose his words carefully not because he knew he was becoming an inextricable part of the American story, but because he knew the moment required words that would inspire.</p><p>He rose to the occasion, delivering a speech that has withstood the test of time and has been part of what has contributed to our assessment of the greatness of Abraham Lincoln as a leader.</p><p>How much inspiration do you get from what flashes in front of you every day? How many influencers are chasing fame?</p><p>In an age when <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/video/youtube-stars-influence/" target="_blank">YouTube stars are more influential than traditional celebrities</a> and <a href="https://www.linqia.com/insights/the-state-of-influencer-marketing-2021/" target="_blank">68% of marketers plan to use TikTok</a>, the desire to attract an audience is stronger than ever.</p><p>In 19th century Paris, theatres hired a claque, a group of professional applauders who would supply reactions to ensure a performance was received well in the media: applause, cheers, stamping feet, and such. Like a laugh track, claques helped to buoy the mood at the performance, but didn’t guarantee critical success.</p><p><br /></p><div><hr /></div><blockquote><p><em><strong>“There’s not a thing on earth that I can name<br />So foolish and so false as common fame.” </strong>— John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, 1679</em></p></blockquote><div><hr /></div><h2><strong><br /></strong></h2><h2><strong>Fame Over Greatness</strong></h2><p>The rise of what Daniel Boorstin called the “Graphic Revolution” — newspapers, radio, television, and all associated media — gave us the ability to manufacture fame. Mass media gave us the ability to share the same message, the same voice, and the same face across vast amounts of the population.</p><p>What does that get us, though? Not greatness, but fame.</p><p>He was clear that fame ought not to be confused with greatness:</p><blockquote><p>“We can fabricate fame, we can at will (though usually at considerable expense) make a man or woman well-known; but we cannot make him great. We can make a celebrity, but we can never make a hero.”</p></blockquote><p>Heroes are granted monuments, and there are fewer monuments being built these days.</p><p>Another 50 years beyond Boorstin’s writing drops us square into the Digital Revolution (same concept, new technology). Now our markers of fame are likes, clicks, views, and follows as we build monuments to ourselves under the auspices of a “personal brand.”</p><p>It’s a race to online celebrity as we take a shot at digital immortality. And yet, the meme mausoleum is littered with viral stars that have since gone supernova and have burned out.</p><p>I was thrust into the spotlight when I was an executive at Ford leading digital communications and social media during the rise to social media. It was a byproduct of the work I did, not the goal. But I used my position to share what I learned working within a Fortune 10 company, building my expertise along the way.</p><p>And yet, I saw (and still see) the self-styled “gurus” online who are hustling their hearts out, attempting to convince you that they know how to run a global enterprise because they can push buttons, buy fans, or make bots in their attempt to achieve fame and build their personal brands.</p><p><br /></p><div><hr /></div><blockquote><p><em><strong>“Perceptions of the world furnished by the camera substitute montage for narrative…the camera doesn't think.” </strong>— Lewis H. Lapham, 2011</em></p></blockquote><div><hr /></div><h2><strong><br /></strong></h2><h2><strong>Being, Not Becoming</strong></h2><p>Social media gives us our fair share of Hollywood celebrities and their legions of fans. But it has also birthed thousands more YouTubers, Instagrammers, TikTokkers and the like, who dazzle us with their creativity nonstop. So much so that <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/02/forget-law-school-these-kids-want-to-be-a-youtube-star.html" target="_blank">one-third of children want to grow up to be YouTubers</a>.</p><p>The unending parade of content is an assault on our senses that doesn’t give us time to recover. The infinite scroll keeps our thumbs moving while our brains are at rest, passively consuming whatever is presented to them.</p><p>It’s what allows us to have celebrities who are famous for being famous. Zsa Zsa Gabor was probably the first of this kind who eventually gave way to the likes of the Kardashians and Paris Hilton. [Incidentally, Zsa Zsa was Conrad Hilton’s second wife (he was the second of her nine husbands); Paris Hilton was Conrad’s great-granddaughter. The circle is complete.]</p><p>And who can blame erstwhile fame-chasers? The accidental viral success of mere nobodies is enticing alternatives to actually doing the work. Of course shortcuts to fame seem preferable. Celebrity is about being, not becoming, and that sums up the skewed priorities that the world seems to reward.</p><p><br /></p><div><hr /></div><blockquote><p><em><strong>“Men are more generally pleased with a widespread than a great reputation.”</strong> — Pliny the Younger, c. 110</em></p></blockquote><div><hr /></div><p><br /></p><p>So we have online personalities (I refuse to call them “influencers”) who see the fame, think it’s easy to achieve, and chase after it with willful disregard for how they’re perceived by those who are paying attention. Or at least by those who are paying attention and can understand the difference between aspiration and raw, greedy ambition.</p><p>In pursuing their unbridled passion for digital dominance (followers, likes, views), with their own personal claques in tow, they may be sacrificing their reputation along the way. Or perhaps they’ll simply further demonstrate who they are — they’ll have a reputation, alright.</p><p>With so much content out there and limited space on the platforms, it’s harder to get noticed. In an age of content deluge, <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/culture-character-etiquette-and-reputation">we ought to think more about reputation</a>. Rather than pursuing fame, perhaps we should pursue excellence. Or competence. Or helpfulness.</p><p><br /></p><div><hr /></div><blockquote><p><em><strong>“If you are ever tempted to look for outside approval, realize that you have compromised your integrity. If you need a witness, be your own.”</strong> — Epictetus</em></p></blockquote><div><hr /></div><p><br /></p><p>What you have to live with every day, and the legacy you leave—particularly to those who care most about you—is your integrity, your character, and your reputation.</p><p>Put your efforts into leading with integrity and character, and greatness will follow.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{"url":"%%share_url%%","text":"Share","class":null}"><br /></p><p>Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><p><br /></p><div><hr /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The related episode of </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><strong>Timeless Leadership</strong></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> (released every Thursday) is now available. Our guest is Jason Falls, author of <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3qqXNSi" target="_blank">Winfluence: Reframing Influencer Marketing to Ignite Your Brand</a></i>. Listen to it below or <a href="https://pod.link/timeless" target="_blank">wherever you get podcasts</a>.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="170px" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" src="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/timeless-leadership/influence-M5JxOPSo4l8/embed/" style="min-width: 100%; width: 1px;" width="100%"></iframe><p><br /></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></p><hr style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members receive an additional related essay and the audio version of it, plus curated links, stories, and audio and book recommendations every Friday.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join the club by signing up below:</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><iframe data-dashlane-frameid="1631" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-height: 450px; max-width: 100%;" width="480"></iframe></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure style="text-align: left;"><br /></figure></div>

Manufacturing Fame

Apotheosis of Napoleon III by Guillaume-Alphonse Harang Cabasson, 1854 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons) “Two centuries ago when a grea...

Who Is Your Éminence Grise?

Who Is Your Éminence Grise?

L ’ Eminence Grise by Jean-Léon Gérôme (public domain — Wikimedia Commons) “Be courteous to all but intimate with few, and let those few be...

Scott Monty - Strategic Communications & Leadership Advisor

The Common Denominator of Success

Manufacturing Fame

Who Is Your Éminence Grise?

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