Finding My Voice
Welcome to the 110th edition of “In Touch”. As always, I would love to continue the conversation so please hit reply and let me know what you think.
Story of the Week: “Finding My Voice"
In 2019, I was invited to give a keynote at Google in the context of the ‘Talks at Google’ series. To this day, it remains a career highlight but something that happened behind the scenes left an even deeper impression.
After my address, Michalis Solomontos, my right-hand person at the time, gave me a piece of advice that very few would have had the courage to deliver, especially in the words he chose to use.
“You need to let your father die,” he told me.
It came as a shock, though not for the reason you might think – my father had passed away two years earlier. Michalis was referring to the fact that I had referenced my late father and mentor over 30 times in that particular keynote. And, drawing on our friendship as well as his honesty and genuine affection, he added: “Google didn’t hire your father. They hired you.”
He was right. My father was no longer alive but I was still leaning too heavily on his voice and not enough on my own.
That day marked the beginning of a new chapter in my professional career – I would not be leaving my father behind but I would learn to carry his precious wisdom in my own voice.
It’s easy to stay in the shadow of those we admire. But growth begins when we honour their lessons while stepping forward with our own. I once read that “Imitating the best makes you good. Identifying your own style and voice is what makes you great.”
And while imitation and repetition have their place, originality is what captures hearts and minds. What the world needs is your own unique perspective, not another version of someone else’s.
It goes without saying that I’m still proud to carry my father’s values. But today, I carry them in my own special way.
Words of Wisdom
“Originality does not consist in saying what no one has ever said before, but in saying exactly what you think yourself.” James Stephens
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.” Judy Garland
A Question to Ponder, dear friend.
Is there an individual that you admire so much that you sometimes have to stop yourself from quoting them? Who and why?