Or listen direct on Spotify

---

Oh what a relief

With Fathers Day coming up here, let’s consider the important topic of authenticity via the medium of dad energy.

It’s been a gripping month for anyone who cares about US politics. And we all should care, given its effect on the rest of the world.

Like many, I’ve been disturbed by the tribal madness that’s been consuming the USA. A musty gerontocracy, voters forced to choose between two guys better suited to the front row of an Andre Rieu concert. With a strong whiff of Old Spice and toe fungus.

I’m so relieved by the new energy that VP Harris has injected. It feels like unboxing your fresh new iPhone 15 Pro. To replace your Ricoh combo phone fax answering machine.

And I’m loving her choice of deputy, Governor Tim Walz.

Americans have a strange international brand image, because the crazier, more ignorant and more belligerent ones are natural global media fodder. I’ve worked a bit in the US, and have family there, been there a lot. Americans, in person, are almost always gracious, hospitable and generous.

It helps that they seem to love Australians just for being Australian, when there is no good reason for that assumption. But it is appreciated.

Next-level dad energy

Tim Walz, an ex-schoolteacher and football coach, is the embodiment of that essential American decency. He is a tremendous male role model, the antidote to the strange woman-phobia infecting many men right now.

And his dadness is so strong that it’s spawned a torrent of one-liners, in a way not seen since the Chuck Norris material from the dawn of the Internet age.

“Tim Walz is so dad-coded he’s going to New Balance the budget.”

“When state agencies submit their budget papers, Tim Walz just says what’s the damage?”

“Tim Walz points the stud finder at himself and says ‘found one!’ when it beeps.”

“Tim Walz put a note in my lunchbox to say he was proud of me.”

His social presence is next-level dad stuff, like this old get-out-and-vote video.

And it’s not just whimsical handy-dad material. He does stern dad well also, with his “mind your own damn business” line about government interference in personal choices.

It’s quite the shock to hear someone in these positions speak like a normal, interesting human. You feel that Walz is saying what he believes to be right, rather than whatever focus groups told him will pay off best at the ballot box.

Most governments are less interested in governing than in setting themselves up for the next election. Walz, who has achieved a lot as Governor of Minnesota, has the motto: you don’t get elected to get re-elected. Do the things you believe are right, now, and own the future electoral results.

A product you only buy once

Here in Australia, you can’t help comparing him with a similar-looking dad who served as Australia’s Prime Minister for three years. I’ve written before (a product you only buy once) about the damage Scott Morrison did to my own profession of marketing, already a mildly-embarrassing job before Scomo drove it down to sub-carny levels of prestige.

Likewise, his Daggy Dad persona was clearly a thin layer of scripts and inauthenticity. Visibly planned marketing strategy from a transactional, calculating hustler. Everyone could tell, and whatever your politics, everyone was relieved when he was moved along.

Walz was largely unknown a month ago. His level of cut-through is a reassuring reminder that people relate to realness.

A chance to stand out in a flood of inauthenticity

Authenticity has never been in such short supply. It has never been easier to stand out, just by being unapologetically yourself.

There are so many ways to be inauthentic now.

There’s the sterile corporate-speak of CEOs who you know would have your whole department fired if it boosted their bonus. Talking in passive sentences like it’s nothing to do with them:

“As part of our ongoing resource-balancing with market demand, decisions were reached that will affect the career viability of certain groups of team members.”

These people have had their every word for years run through three or four departments for sign-off.  So there’s no legal, PR or governance rough edges that might come back to bite them later. It’s the safest way to do it, and produces the blandest, least-inspiring results.

There’s the straight-up fakery of half your Insta and LinkedIn feed.

The outright lies aren’t nearly as much fun as my favourite LinkedIn genre: guys posting on “lessons” from their recent purchase experience.

The importance of the personal touch, true customer service, attention to detail and so on.

What was he purchasing? Oh look, it’s a Porsche!

I would have so much more respect if he just said: “Check out the Porsche I just got! I worked hard and I really wanted one.” Rather than pretending that it’s about bringing us useful business insights.

Mate do you ever get lesson-worthy service experiences buying socks or insurance?

Then there’s the homogenised blather of people who use generative AI as a substitute for thinking. It turns you into the average of everyone else. And people can tell, at an animal instinct level, just from the number of times you use the word “delve” or “embark”.

In the same way they knew Joe Biden was cooked the moment he threw in that Depression-era zinger in the presidential debate: “You have the morals of an alleycat!” People just stop listening.

The glorious freedom to be yourself

The freedom to be yourself is one of the absolute best things about having your own business. I really do enjoy being able to say whatever I feel like, here and in person, without fear of reprisals from the C-Suite or the HR department we will never have.

And if you’re enjoying yourself, people relate to that. It percolates right through our staff.

The nicest thing a client ever said to me was from someone whose job involved sitting at the back of conference rooms  with our crew. She said “the best thing about your people is they can all hold an interesting conversation that’s not about their work or product.”

So much of the corporate world works on crushing any trace of individualism, because they view it as a risk to be controlled.

And that’s great, because there’s so much opportunity in not being that. I don’t write as a marketing exercise for our business. But if a potential customer is a reader, they have a clear idea of what we are, what we stand for, and what we aren’t. We’re not for everybody and that’s absolutely fine by us.

Compare Walz vs Scomo relatability with these two posts:

Compare the Walz family dog to one of Scomo’s famous “curry at home with the family” posts. The one with the raw-looking Chicken Korma.

“Nice to have a night at home. So curry it is. Sri Lankan Tamarind Eggplant and Okra Curry and a classic Chicken Korma. Strong curry. Strong economy. Stronger future.”

Like Scott, I’m a keen curry cook. I’m not an expert, but I’ve spoken to a few of those. And I’ve never heard strength mentioned as any kind of yardstick for curry quality.

“Great Dal Makhani, Ananya, it’s so … strong.”

“Nobody makes it stronger than me.”

And using family dinner as a clunky metaphor about the economy: no thank you.

Authenticity: 1.5/10.

You can’t change your essential nature, so you may as well double down and own it. There will be rough edges and mistakes, but people actually find that endearing. When your career’s over, do you want to look back and go: I did a passable impression of someone else they wanted me to be?

Or: I was my best self and took some risks do do that?

If you’re in doubt maybe ask your dad. I know what mine would have said.

---

Got a comment? Be a legend and drop it on this story on LinkedIn.

Also I write a story each Tuesday, drop your email here to get it in your inbox.

My book was the #1 customer-review rated biz book at Booktopia for a couple of years. Sadly Booktopia is off the air for now but you can still get it at Dymocks , Harry Hartog , Abbeys , and Readings. Or Amazon but come on, support local book stores.

Here’s a review from reader Sue. Be like Sue and buy the book. And a copy for your nieces and nephews who are thinking about starting their own business. Thank you!

“I expected a business book, this is so much more than that.

I loved this book, and laughed a lot. I expected a business book but this is so much more than that. While it’s written for people thinking about starting their own business, there’s so much essential information about work and life in general. If you know young people about to enter the workforce or start business studies, they should read it. It shows how to tell the difference between good employers and bad ones, which is a vital part of anyone’s career path. It explains the moral choices you make in business, and how you can succeed without being a cliched greedy boss. I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying reading it, it’s an easy read and really funny. And even though it’s written by a man, it doesn’t talk down anyone like so many ‘success’ books do. You won’t regret buying it.”