MarkAustin

I diagnose Strategic Friction™: the blind spots that turn business operations into a complex personal struggle. Download The Brief:

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I had a diagnostic session this morning. The woman sitting in the virtual chair told me that the solution to her business problem was that she needed to improve at social media and work on creating 'viral' content.

She made it clear this wasn't enjoyable for her, that she lacked experience in this domain, but she was willing to give it her all.

She would do more, post more and be more consistent in her social media strategy. She was convinced that this only way for her to grow.

All sounds sensible, right?

But then, as I asked more questions she said, almost as an aside, "The funny thing is, I am much more of a 'chat to people' type of person. I love going to businesses, networking events, giving presentations and meeting people."

She was about to turn the conversation back to her social media strategy when I stopped her.

"So you're naturally brilliant at direct conversation and making connections face to face. Correct?", I asked.

"Yes, I'm really good at it" was her reply.

I continued, "And you think the best way to build your business is by sitting in a room on your own, creating content you think an algorithm might reward?"

Silence.

That moment of silence happens almost every time.

The moment of realisation that the current strategy the person thinks they 'have to implement' requires a version of themselves that doesn't exist.

And, even worse, that they are disregarding the very things that play to their strengths and what they actually enjoy and are good at doing.

In the client's case, she had a gift for walking into a room, bringing energy to conversations and quickly building rapport.

But she had been convinced that she had to turn herself into a content creator, even though it was draining her completely.

She didn't want to do, she believed she should do it.

There are probably some 'shoulds' driving your current strategy too.

If so, it would be a good idea to ask yourself if the strategy requires you to build your business as someone else?

If it does, that strategy is probably wrong. Not wrong in itself, but wrong for you.

The best move would be to swap it for an approach that fits who you already are.

[MarkAustin @MarkAustin]

Steven Bartlett’s recent post noted: “Entrepreneurship is oversold, self-awareness is undersold”. His comments are getting a lot of engagement and much agreement, but I suspect it will most likely still leave people where they are.

Steven went on to say that most people would be happier with a good salary than with a successful start up and that social media pushes people towards livest hey don’t actually want. After a quarter of a century in the game, I find it hard to disagree.

The message is clear: think hard before you leap.

But while that advice is vital for those standing on the threshold, what about those who already took the leap years ago?

The business owners I work with aren’t wondering if they should start, they are already on the field, giving it everything. Their struggle isn't a lack of self-awareness; they can explain their patterns, their ADHD, and their "why" beautifully.

The problem is that knowing why you do something doesn’t mean you know how to do it differently.

Knowing what you are not suited to doesn’t necessarily lead to knowing what you are suited to. We all know entrepreneurship comes at a cost, but knowing the price tag doesn't bring clarity on which costs we can personally sustain.

Steven is refreshingly honest about what drives him. He doesn’t fully know. Trauma, ADHD, perhaps issues around self-esteem? He’s also clear that while his path carries real costs, choosing differently would be torture.

Not because there’s something wrong with the alternative approach, but simply because it wouldn’t be a fit for him.

That is profound self-awareness. But let me offer a different framing. What if our task is not just to “know thyself,” but to address the question that follows: “Now that I know, what do I do?”

Most of my clients aren’t lacking self-awareness. In fact, they can explain their patterns with relative ease. They know what drains them. They know what they are avoiding and they’ve had plenty of "moments of clarity" along the way.

Yet, they remain stuck, circling the same situations and issues.

Why? Because insight doesn’t equal permission. And clarity doesn’t automatically translate into action.

There’s a gap. And that’s where most founders actually live.

They’ve done the reflection. They’ve done the therapy or the coaching. They can describe their patterns precisely, but they just can’t seem to change the output.

What I’ve observed is that the shift doesn’t come from more self-knowledge. It comes from getting surgical about where the mismatch actually sits between the person and the business they’ve built.

It’s not: “I need better boundaries.”

It’s: “I’ve built a business that makes boundaries structurally impossible. Here’s the specific flaw.”

It’s not: “I’m undercharging because of low self-esteem.”

It’s: “Here’s the literal gap between my pricing and my delivery costs and here’s the fear that’s blocking me from closing it.”

When you can see it that clearly, you don’t need more motivation or another mindset framework.

You need an adjustment.

The diagnostic session I offer isn't just about helping people understand themselves better.

The session helps them see where their business and who they actually are have come apart.

Once this has been revealed, they can finally do something about it.