Whether you’re running for president—or leading a business through today’s relentlessly challenging environment—the first job is simple: Define yourself.

This is not a branding exercise. It’s a strategic imperative.

If you don’t define yourself, others will. Your competitors will. Your critics will. The marketplace will. And once they do, you’ll spend the rest of your time fighting someone else’s narrative instead of leading your own.

Great leaders understand this instinctively.

They define not only what they decide, but how they decide—the values, judgment, and character that guide their leadership and shape the culture around them.

For young and rising leaders, this is even more important. Throughout history, one of the most powerful forces driving human achievement has been self-identity.

If you truly believe you are a leader, chances are you will lead.

If you truly believe you will succeed—and act accordingly—your chances of succeeding rise exponentially.

In my books, and in my “CEO as Candidate” model, I often talk about “The Brand of You.” This is the discipline—and the responsibility—of taking control of your own narrative: your identity, your values, and the leadership story you tell the world.

Importantly, this is not about reciting a list of accomplishments. It’s about something far deeper. It’s about telling people who you are.

Because as a leader, you are more than a job title. And you are certainly more than the corporate brand you represent—even a brand as powerful as Nike. Which is why a remarkable keynote by my former client at Nike—whom we sadly lost last July—caught my attention. Steve Miller, who recently served as CEO of Agassi Graf Holdings, delivered a powerful address to his alma mater, Bradley University. In it, he spoke about defining yourself—not by your title, and not by the logo on your business card—but by the character, purpose, and values that drive you.



Steve spoke with the clarity, charisma, and motivational force of a hall-of-fame coach—after all, he’s a member of five hall of fames.

So, above all—define yourself. And take a few minutes to listen to and remember my extraordinary and inspirational client and friend Steve Miller here.



—David