The ‘Don’t Be Cool’ Strategy

This is the Minute Business Riff (MBR). Quick takes. Big swings. Leadership riffs you can read in less time than it takes to scroll LinkedIn aimlessly.

One minute. One idea. That’s it.

Today’s word count: 283

It took me 1 min 02s to read this.

A product leader I know used to hide the best parts of himself.

Big gamer nerd. Loved obscure jazz. Built Excel trackers for his fantasy football league. (Color-coded. Naturally.)

But you’d never know it.

In meetings, he was all business. Neutral tone. Corporate lingo. Not a joke in sight.

Why?

Because he thought being “cool and polished” was the path to credibility.

But he felt stuck.

His team respected him - but didn’t really know him.

And his ideas never seemed to land with punch.

Then one day, during a demo, he slipped.

Instead of his usual intro, he opened with:

“Think of this as the Mario Kart of features - not the smoothest ride, but it gets you over the finish line fast.”

The room cracked up.

And something clicked.

He started weaving his real self into his leadership.

Weird analogies. Nerdy references. Zero filter on enthusiasm.

The more “him” he became - the more they leaned in.

Here’s the truth…….

We spend so much time trying to be liked that we forget what makes us memorable.

Being cool is forgettable.

Being weird is sticky.

People don’t connect to polish - they connect to personality.

And your weird?

That’s the signal they’ve been waiting for.

Tactical Takeaway:

Next time you lead a meeting or send a note, sneak in a little “you.”

A weird analogy.

A hobby reference.

A GIF that feels slightly off-brand.

Because when you show up as you, not the résumé version of you - People stop nodding politely… and start following for real.

Think this was a banger? Think I’m full of it?

Either way, hit reply and drop some truth bombs.

I read every email 😁

Great leaders are made in minutes. Not meetings.