Welcome to Issue 39 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about how to use storytelling to grow your brand. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.)

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Hello Reader,

You know those people who confidently take the lead when navigating?

They just start walking, full stride, head high like they know exactly where they’re going. And everyone else just follows along, assuming this person knows the way.

But they don’t.

I had one of these blind navigators unintentionally leading our group of 10 astray in our walks through Mexico City during the business retreat I hosted last week. She’d go out in front and just keep going until someone (usually me) yelled from the back: “You missed the turn!”

I hate to admit it, but I’m usually one of these people.

You’ll often find me leading the way without knowing the final destination. My confidence fills in the gaps, and my pace convinces people I must know where I'm going. And usually, they follow.

It’s the same way I lead so much of my life and work. I just jump straight into action before fully thinking through where I’m headed.

Sometimes it works out, and the journey shapes the destination. But sometimes I get lost (and lose others along the way).

Sheer confidence and an orientation toward action are what I believe initially attract us to most people, especially online. They have the answers and can show us the way.

But eventually, if we stick around long enough, we realize that they might not know where they’re going, either. Or maybe they do, but we're not on the same path.

I’m going to make a big, potentially unfair assumption here and say that sometimes you’re probably that person, too. Faking it until you make it, hoping no one notices you’re figuring it out as you go. Maybe you’re projecting clarity you don’t fully feel or offering a solution you’re only half convinced will work.

(No judgement, I’ve been there.)

But I’ve been paying attention to the ones who do keep people around. The ones who actually move us. The ones who build real trust and influence with their stories, insights, point of view, and voice.

These people don’t just have a healthy dose of confidence. What they have is something different.

They have conviction.

A Good Perspective

President Obama’s former senior speechwriter, Terry Szuplat, backed me up on this idea earlier this week.

He was speaking on a webinar that I serendipitously stumbled upon in my LinkedIn feed as part of a publicity tour for his new book Say It Well. In one hour, he broke down how highly influential figures like Obama and Clinton use words to move people to action.

Number one? Conviction.

Szuplat said that before you can get people to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself. And in order to do that, you have to understand where you come from, what you truly value, what you believe in, what you stand against, and what your goals are. You also need a clear vision of the future you’re building if you want your audience to come along for the ride.

In short: Persuasive communication starts with knowing yourself and speaking from a place of deeply held beliefs.

So if confidence is how you carry your message, conviction is why you’re carrying it in the first place.

When you lead with conviction, Szuplat says, your storytelling gets sharper because you stop mimicking what works for others and start saying what’s true for you. And an audience can sense this deep alignment because your words become an extension of your core being.

Confidence might attract attention, but conviction holds it by signaling honesty and a commitment to the message—it's the solidity of your 'why'.

A Good Takeaway

Most days, I have an overabundance of confidence in who I am and what I’m doing. I think it’s one of the reasons people are attracted to my work.

But confidence isn’t clarity. And lately, I’ve been feeling the gap.

Creating more meaningful human connection through storytelling, offline and online communities, and encouraging entrepreneurs to show up more courageously make up the three prongs of my core purpose, which is built around my values and beliefs.

But what I feel is missing is my clear vision of the future and more of the backstories that have shaped my point of view.

I’ve spent a lot of time guiding others through this process—both through my storytelling cohort and the retreat—but I hadn’t taken the time to revisit it for myself. (The classic case of the cobbler has no shoes.)

For instance, I talk about my background as a journalist, but haven't explained how it shapes this work.

I haven't mentioned that I’m annoyed by internet trends because they lack substance, and I crave meaning. Or that I don’t want to repeat what I know is popular because what's more important to me is what's true, even if the idea is messy or still forming.

Maybe it's obvious, but I don't talk enough about the fact that I do this work because it challenges me to be more honest with myself and others. And honesty is easier to define and achieve than authenticity.

The only way to get clear on these things—and therefore have more conviction in your storytelling—is to take time for self-reflection. (No getting around it!)

If you, like me, are leading without really knowing your destination, these questions can be your compass:

1. Who am I? Where do I come from? How do your unique identity, personal history, and lived experiences specifically shape the perspective you bring to what you're building and the reasons you were drawn to it in the first place? What distinct advantages or insights does your background offer this work?
2. What am I working toward? What’s important to me? What specific vision are you striving to realize through this work? Beyond general goals, what key outcomes or impacts are most important to you, your audience, or your field?
3. What are the values that guide me? What do I believe? Why do I do the work I do? How do your core personal values translate into the non-negotiable principles for how you operate and make decisions? What fundamental beliefs about the world, your industry, or the people you serve are at the very heart of this work?
4. What are my fears and disappointments? What are my hopes—what am I trying to achieve? What anxieties or worst-case scenarios about this work reveal what’s truly at stake? How have past setbacks or disillusionments informed your current approach and strengthened your resolve for what you're creating now?
5. How does my life or work reflect a larger story that might inspire or connect others? What universal themes, human struggles, or aspirations does your journey with this specific work tap into? How can the narrative of why you started, what you're learning, what you're overcoming, and where you're going become a bridge for genuine connection and inspiration for others?

If you want to have more conviction, it starts with more introspection. I promise it's a worthwhile exercise.

With more conviction, your voice gets stronger, more nuanced, more grounded, more resonant, and—perhaps most importantly—more true.

Because it’s one thing to walk like you know where you’re going. It’s another to actually know and bring others with you.

A Few Good Resources

1. Freelance writer extraordinaire Liz Heflin is hosting the Resilient Freelancer Conference next week. It's all virtual, and I'll be giving a talk on story-first freelancing to turn experiences into opportunities.
2. Like me, Josh Spector doesn't ask AI for content ideas, he asks for questions. This is excellent advice and a solid prompt.
3. Supercommunicators was one of the best books I read last year. This interview with the writer is the next best thing to reading it.

Hope you have a good one,
Renee