What do you really stand for, and how could knowing the answer transform your business?
In this episode of The Life-First Solopreneur, Carly and Joe sit down with Paul Ingram, a 30-year faculty member at Columbia Business School and author of What Do You Really Stand For? (Harvard Business Review Press). Paul makes the case that authenticity, not niching, is what makes a personal brand compelling, and that authenticity flows directly from Clarity about your values.
Paul doesn’t just talk theory. He walks Carly through a live “laddering” Exercise, using something as simple as summer plans with her kids to surface her real values, all the way up to her “chief executive value.” Along the way, he shares research showing that leaders primed with their own values were rated as more authentic and more worthy of trust.
In this episode:
Whether you’re wrestling with your calendar, your pricing, or which platform to pour your energy into, this conversation offers a concrete tool for cutting through the noise.
Grab Paul’s book What Do You Really Stand For? wherever books are sold, and find him by searching “Paul Ingram Columbia Business School.”
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