Welcome to the self-reflection edition of the Revenue Diaries.

I will blame Yuval Harari for this “self-reflection” edition of the Revenue Diaries. If you haven’t started reading his new book, Nexus, I highly recommend it. The book discusses the transformative role of artificial intelligence and how AI is evolving into an independent agent capable of generating ideas and making decisions. 

The world is a-changin, my friends. 

Diving deep into the future impact of artificial intelligence on humanity has me reflecting on what it means to be… human. 

Your fellow human,

❤️ kyle

On Failing as a Parent

I’m the father of two beautiful boys, and there isn’t a day that goes by I don’t feel like I’m failing them in some way.

It’s exhausting trying to manage ongoing head trash: “I should have said this and taken a breath,” “Why did I yell? That was stupid,” or “I’m raising a psychopath. They will scream at their friends and teachers because of ME!”

Take a breath. It’s okay. 

Instead of shaming yourself and moving to the next thing on your calendar, be a few minutes late and reflect. 

Why did you yell? Why are you stressed? What was the trigger? 

First Hint: It wasn’t your six-year-old not having socks on even though you asked him five times. 

Second Hint: You probably shouldn’t have scheduled a meeting during school drop-off, Kyle. 

Taking a couple of minutes to reflect on the trigger and what you will do better next time has helped me immensely over the last year. 

It sounds simple, but it’s super hard to reflect. It’s important to try. If you don’t learn from your mistakes and take the time to evolve, you won’t enjoy the end result of raising well-adjusted and secure humans.

You have to show up and evolve with your kids.

David Willans from BeingDads said it best, 

You will find yourself being one of the first people they turn to when, as a child, they’ve fallen and hurt themselves, when, as a teenager, they’ve screwed up, and as an adult they are having a wobble. You will have earned an exceptionally rare and special position, one that only a few people in the history of the world will ever earn. You will be the recipient of unconditional love and trust from the person you’ve raised.

You could get all of these things, but only if you actually put the time in, instead of staying in the office. Only if you fully show up to what being a dad really means, instead of hiding behind someone else’s idea of what dad does. Only if you take the time to reflect and learn from your mistakes, instead of filling your mind and time with other things.

Real talk. Parenting isn’t about perfection - it’s about presence and reflection. It’s about recognizing that the moments you feel like you’re failing are actually opportunities to learn with your kids. 

My kids don’t need flawless parents; they need ones who show up, listen, and keep trying.

So, give yourself grace, embrace the learning moments, it will be worth it.

On Self-Worth and the JOB

Now that we’ve talked about parenting. Let’s be honest: a significant part of my self-worth is tied to my job and career."

And yes, I balance it reasonably well with being a reflective and present father.

But let’s break it down.

I was back in Boston this week, speaking at the MarketingProfs B2B event. I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel moderated by Michael Barber, and joined by Phoenix Harvey and Tarah Neujhar Bryan. It was a closed session where tweeting, linkedin-ing, facebook-ing, emailing, and recording were prohibited.

The event wasn’t just about marketing tactics—it was also a space for raw conversations about the personal challenges of leadership.

Said another way, it was time for some real talk.

Clearly, I’m not going to share the panel's content, but I do want to cover a topic that was brought up during Q&A. 

I don’t remember the specific question, but it concerned how much self-worth one places in the job, titles, and career success. 

My answer wasn’t nuanced. My career defines a large part of my self-worth. It’s always been that way. Granted, it has become more balanced as I’ve found a life partner and became a father, but it’s still a strong part of my identity.

I can’t pinpoint exactly where it started but I’m the first-born of baby boomer parents, take that for what you will. Hard work was deeply ingrained in me from a young age, and leisurely weekends weren’t part of our family values.

There was always a project to complete at the house.

I had a mowing business when I had a friend old enough to drive.

I attended networking events with my father. We even traveled to Chicago to attend a DISC conference when I was in high school.

And I always felt the need to prove myself.

And that’s okay.

When I admitted this back in present-day Boston, I could hear the audible gasp in the room. “What did he say? He cares about the title and the career?” “That poor man, he needs to meditate.” “I could never…”

That’s okay. It’s not for everyone, but if you are one of the millions who have placed an unhealthy amount of your self-worth in your job, I’m just here to say it’s okay.

Self-awareness is the first step.

Should you work to be more balanced? Sure. 

However, the drive and desire to succeed are superpowers—when you learn to wield them responsibly. They’ve been the foundation of growth in my career and how I approach life.

Now, as a parent, I realize that same drive is something I want to model for my kids—not as a burden but as a gift they can learn to balance as they find their place in the world.

On the Story of Brand

I couldn’t help but laugh after reading this description of brand from Yuval Harari’s new book, Nexus. 

"Convincing billions of people to associate a certain concoction of flavored water with fun, happiness, and youth (as opposed to tooth decay, obesity, and plastic waste)."

I’ve been talking about building brands for a long f**king time, and this is one of the better descriptions I’ve read. 

"A brand is a specific type of story. To brand a product means to tell a story about that product, which may have little to do with the product's actual qualities but which consumers nevertheless learn to associate with the product." 

"For example, over the decades, Coca-Cola has invested tens of billions of dollars in advertisements that tell and retell the story of the Coca-Cola drink. People have seen and heard the story so often that many have come to associate a certain concoction of flavored water with fun, happiness, and youth (as opposed to tooth decay, obesity, and plastic waste). That's branding."

Thanks to Harari, the definition of branding has been stripped bare. It’s all about storytelling, storytelling that transcends a product's qualities.

It’s a strong reminder to marketers that positioning and messaging deeply shape the buyer’s perception, for better or worse. 

Accept the responsibility to own the positioning. You wield the power to create the brand story that transcends the product and drives growth.