I am not as polarizing as Alan Weiss.
“I poke people because people need to be poked if you’re on a plateau, even if you’re happy with that plateau. All plateaus erode because of the laws of entropy. The only way that you’re going to be successful is to continue to grow. And the secret to continued growth is innovation“– Alan Weiss, speaking to me on The Recognized Authority
Being polarizing isn’t something that comes naturally to me, at least not in a business context. (Outside of business, I’m probably a bit more polarizing).
But I have been thinking about the value of being polarizing – it’s a topic that comes up often in my conversations on the podcast with experts.
There are pros and cons to being polarizing. On the pro side, it can help distinguish you, make you more memorable, generate engagement, and attract a loyal audience by taking a stand.
On the con side, you can alienate people who disagree and end up in an echo chamber only talking to those who agree. (I think Elon Must is probably in one of those echo chambers right now).
So I probably need to firm up my positions on certain things. For example, I’m pretty clear about my pro-specialization and anti-referral stances, and maybe I should embrace these more fully.
At the same time, I realize other things like email frequency can be polarizing too. If you’re on my email list you may have noticed I’ve increased to a daily cadence. That has has increased unsubscribes. I’d prefer if people didn’t unsubscribe but it’s also increased replies and started some interesting conversations and even some sales talks. That’s a huge positive. It’s polarizing: attracting and repelling.
What do you think about polarization? Does it come naturally to you, like it does for Alan Weiss? Hit reply and let me know.
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Authority Accelerator is all about creating an authority-building and lead generation platform that will attract a consistent flow of high quality leads. There are only 2 spots left, significantly discounted for feedback and case studies. Your commitment is around an hour a week for the first 60 days. Interested? Hit reply to learn more. Act fast, doors close soon!
