In marketing, a common prospect profiling tool is the
persona. (And yes, we use them here at the Foundation.)
“So, what is a Persona?” you may ask. The short answer: it's a prospect profile. For example, marketing professionals may create a persona, using the socio-economic traits of their best clients or customers, so they can customize marketing efforts and messaging to more accurately speak towards others who fit that same persona.
Which could beg the question: what may be your persona (and what might be the problem)?
Well, your persona is made-up many things, and we've identified the key factors in the visual above. Uniquely, every
person, when born, lacks one crucial central element:
character. Meaning,
no one is born with a strong character. This must be built over time.
Concurrently, as we have observed previously, your
temperament is based on your biology.
Here’s what I think: at the
core of your persona, are your
temperament and
character. If you want to achieve your best self, you have to strengthen your persona’s core. Makes sense?
The process I’m going through to strengthen my core is transitioning
from instinctively, naturally leading with my temperament,
to practice leading with my character, building a habit.
I think my best route to make this transition, solve my persona problem and achieve my best self is to continue to
learn about my temperament and build my character with the help of feedback from family & friends.
This is a natural first step...if you would like to continue the journey, we are here to help!
This article was last modified on February 14, 2024 .
Darren Smith
Darren Smith is Co-Founder of the Authentic Leadership Institute. He is a native Texan and a graduate of Dallas Jesuit and Texas A&M University. Over the past 25 years, Darren has visited 35 countries and led 100 strategy programs. He and his wife have five children.
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