When we assume a role of authority, whether that’s a teacher, a CEO, or a parent, we often believe that authority=I am always right.

The teacher teaches.

The students learn.

Not the other way around!

We believe that admitting our mistakes will diminish us in the eyes of our subordinates.

In fact, The opposite is true.

The leaders who gain the most loyalty and love from their teams emphatically admit that they were wrong, and quickly.

When building brands, or building anything, the tendency is to reach for familiar, generic ideas.

Perhaps there’s an effect you saw on someone else’s website. Or a concept you grabbed from a competitor’s socials.

In our copywriting, in our design, in our videos… the pull towards the status quo is ever-present. The tools we use by default pull us towards mediocrity and sameness.

But if we can take something generic and turn it into something that’s ours, we change from a brand to THE brand.

A 3D particle cloud swirling around? Pretty cool.

A 3D particle cloud swirling around in the exact shape of your logo? World-class.

A well-worn expression? Useful, but uninspiring.

Creating a new vernacular, style, or punctuation just for your brand? Now we’re talking.

When you reach for something—anything—take the extra step to turn every generic thing into a specific thing, and you’ll stand far above the competition.

Perhaps you’re carrying last season’s Chanel bag. How dare you!?

Or maybe your belt isn’t the right flavor of Hermès.

Your nails are dirty. Your cufflinks… You don’t have cufflinks!?

The wealthy pick up on all kinds of subtle cues to quickly assess whether a stranger is in the club or not. This is nothing new.

The rest of us are giving off “I’m not rich” signals constantly, that we don’t even realize we are broadcasting.

The same will soon be true of AI-generated content.

You think: “I’m building a website that looks great using AI—no one can tell the difference!”

You think: “My presentation that was made entirely with AI has them all fooled!”

In reality: AI-generated assets broadcast to the world AI signals. They (re)use clichés and tropes that we will all be increasingly familiar with.

AI-generated walls of text signal: “Don’t read me. I’m not important.”

Investors know. Customers will know.

At least you should also know.

When you’ve had hundreds of conversations advising tech companies over twenty years, you recognize patterns.

Almost everyone I’ve ever worked with has 1–3 competitors that they really want to be like.

But that obsession can become a problematic north star.

Meticulously copying someone else’s work will guarantee that you never surpass them.

The advice I give most often?

Lead, don’t follow. Forget what others are doing. Don’t think about what you “should” be doing. Take chances. Focus on things that inspire you. As legendary music producer Quincy Jones said, “Leave space for God to walk into the room.”

Get comfortable with the idea that others will soon start copying you.

Because when you lead? It will happen. Expect it.

You can only push people so far.

Today is very nearly the 10-year mark of me running my design and branding agency, Aloa.agency.

And I’ve had to manage many people along the way, with a team as large as 14 at times (and now at about 9).

When we judge companies, we judge them by their work quality—by their output.

But every business owner knows about the very real human side of running a company.

People get sick, family issues come up. And also? People get bored, frustrated, and tired of beating their head against the wall.

Human beings are not machines. There’s only so far you can push them. You can’t keep grinding people into the ground and expect them to be happy and productive.

You can’t be negative or overly demanding and expect them to deliver great work. Yes, as a business owner, you are helping people out by providing a livelihood. But they are helping you out just as much by building your company.

They don’t owe you anything. And quite possibly, you owe them more than you think you do.

If you are paying someone millions of dollars with stock options, you have every right to expect the world of them. But if you are paying someone at or below market rate for their services, you should expect them to do what you’ve paid them to do, no more and no less.

If you don’t heed this advice? People will quit. Or worse, quiet quit.

Always keep the dignity and financial situation of your team in mind. And gratitude goes much farther than condemnation.