Identity crisis
Is your venture self-conflicted?
In a word, what is your venture’s core identity? If I took a look, would I give the same answer?
In the past two weeks, I have found myself talking about core identities with nearly a dozen change-makers. Each started with a list of symptoms shared with me. Each was confronting. And each brought palpable relief.
Identifying the core: what must not drop?
All of us – and our ventures – are more than one thing. We are children and parents. Partners and friends and siblings and pet parents. Leaders and neighbors and engaged citizens and mentors and change-makers. On a perfect day, all of these identities come together in seamless synergy. On a good day, none drop, and we live up to a few. It is the bad day that’s the test. On that day, what are you, even if at the cost of all else? What must not drop?
While not commonplace, such self-awareness exists. However, I rarely meet change-makers with this level of clarity about their venture. This leads to overwhelm and burn-out for them and sets their ventures up for ineffectiveness and mediocrity. All – avoidable.
If you have ever had to unravel headphone cords or teared up during a deep tissue massage, you know tangles. When a muscle cannot flex as intended but rather as part of a confused bundle, overcompensation leads to a knot. A single misaligned disk can cause suffering. Energy doesn’t get to its destination. Simple things get complicated. The same happens in a venture.
Case study: what a split-identity means to a venture
This came into clear focus with an industry association that was run off its feet busy and still struggling. Taking a closer look, we isolated out not two or three but nine identities. Nine coexisting operating models with distinct value propositions. Nine identities competing for headspace, goodwill, and funding earmarked for one. No wonder they were exhausted! The new strategic plan was built on reflectively choosing one – just one! – core identity.
Mediocrity: inevitable and avoidable. You choose.
The most common symptom of an identity crisis is mediocrity. Few ventures set out to be mediocre, but that is exactly what they become if they maintain multiple competing models for prolonged periods. So, if mediocrity is your worst fear, you must choose! Read on.
Abundance is a fact. Don’t hedge.
When it comes to regenerative change-making, you have more options than you can handle. Take that from me. There are always several ways to address a problem. Each can be a thriving, world-changing venture! That’s great news. So, don’t fret. Identify several, pick one, and set it up to thrive.
Scarcity thinking is a liability.
Fearing that your model is not enough before you even give it a chance is so common that I would almost say, it is, sadly, the norm. Fear of letting go of activities is just as bad. However, this leads us to horde and make other bad decisions.
Alignment is what we’re after.
Don’t tell me about your priorities. Show me your calendar. Your budget. Your credit card statement.
For energy – aka time, goodwill, money, headspace, etc. – to be directly converted into output, it must have no obstacles. So, we’re after alignment. Whatever your identity, methodically align your budgets, marketing, impact model, KPIs, staff capability, marketing collateral, donor base, etc. Bask in the ease of your machine running smoothly.
A thought-leading organization should make room for discovery. Its staff should be curios and constantly absorb a wide range of views. I would expect an educator to demonstrate a commitment to pedagogical innovation and a pathway for its qualifications to be recognized far and wide. At the front of a venture that identifies as a convener would be grounded people aptly facilitating dialogue. I expect standardization and systems of continual improvement to feature prominently for a doer. Sadly, what I see more frequently are ventures that profess leadership without ever taking a bold step; educators stuck in networking events followed by Happy Hour; representative organizations ill-equipped to address the elephants in the room; and doers habitually failing to learn from completed projects. What would become possible if we realigned those models?
Why are you hedging your bets?
I have experienced many reasons for people to avoid choosing an identity. Here are three.
You doubt because you never pressure-tested your model. Then, do that right now! Save yourselves a whole lot of strife. A past blog and the whole of Section 3 of Change-maker’s Handbook is dedicated to vetting an idea.
An experience made you question your chosen model. Again, pause now and figure out whether that was an outlier or a truly valuable piece of feedback that warrants refinement. Whichever the conclusion, make a choice and commit.
The identity crisis may be the result of growth. Remember when you thought your new place had too much storage? We accumulate stuff over time. If I didn’t have work, I wouldn’t have to type so much, and my shoulders and arms wouldn’t be so knotted. Similarly, your identity knot may be a compliment to your success. So common. Ventures are opportunistic, and before you know it, they absorb a bit of this and a bit of that until they get cluttered. You have options of how to untangle. Brand extensions and M&A may allow you to pursue more than one loved identity. But untangle you must.
Vital decisions are hard. But you wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t a pro at this.
Need help?
Change-maker’s Handbook is your resource for envisioning, building, running, and existing from world-changing ventures. This idea is illustrated on the case study of the industry association, woven through Change-maker’s Handbook.
My practice, Vivit Group Worldwide, is here for you if you need to get this right in one go. If you don’t trust yourself to leave no stone unturned within a deadline, you could have identity clarity within a week and a revamped financial, operating, and impact model within three. We can expertly bring your staff, board, members, and investors on the journey.
What happens if you don’t attend to your identity crisis?
Pick any metaphor I have introduced, and you’ll know that the answer is, nothing good.
The sky may not fall tomorrow if you fail to choose today. However, you know if your model is cluttered. And you know that can sabotage your legacy. So, take a minute and put yourself in the best possible position to make hard choices because you’re the world’s best chance at remaking itself for the better, and we can’t afford to have you despairing or burning out or – frankly – feeling anything less than elated with your impact.