Still no more
"The virtue of authenticity is that it doesn't change in the course of time."
At the tender age of seven, Gillian was a precocious child. She was restless and payed little attention to her studies. So much so that her teachers and her mother worried that she might have a learning disability.
So, one day her mother took her to see a specialist. During the session, Gillian sat on her hands while the doctor and her mother talked about Gillian’s “condition.” Then, after a while, the doctor told Gillian that he needed to speak to her mother in private.
At that, Gillian’s mother and the doctor exited the room. But not before turning on a small radio to keep Gillian company while she sat in the office alone.
Upon exiting the room, the doctor instructed Gillian’s mother to keep an eye on her daughter through the window. Within a few moments, Gillian began to move and was soon up on her feet moving freely with the sound of the music that filled both the room and her soul.
The doctor then looked at Gillian’s mother and said, “Your daughter isn’t sick. She’s a dancer. Take her to a dance school.”
And she did.
Gillian quickly became recognized as a true talent and eventually went on to become admired as a dramatic ballerina for the Royal Ballet. Later, she became a renowned director and choreographer for the Royal Opera House, Royal Shakespeare Company, Broadway and the ever popular Muppet Show. Her work appears in several Andrew Lloyd Webber productions, including Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. She’s brought pleasure to millions, and is a multi-millionaire.
Today, it’s likely that the “specialist” would have put Gillian Lynn on medication and told her to calm down. But instead, the doctor she and her mother visited saw beyond the idea of who she “should” be and recognized who she really was.
In today’s world, it is easy for us to buy into and become crippled by what we think we’re supposed to be. Or how we’re supposed to look, act and sound as advertisers. When, instead, we would do well to take notice of what comes naturally to the organization and how it relates to the rest of the world. Then, translate that relevant value in a creative way to the market segment that appreciates what is inherent in our brand.
Authenticity is the tree that bears the sweetest fruit.
Is your brand true to itself? Or is it medicated and pretending to be something it’s not?
No Comments Yet
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
