Clarity in Motion

Clarity In Motion

What follows is a series of short articles I posted recently on LinkedIn about my journey in coming to terms with the phrase "personal brand" and identifying what that theme is for me. I hope you enjoy the read.

Personal what?

If I’m being honest, I’m one of those people who, when I hear people say they need to define their “personal brand”, I find it, well, an off-putting term. It seems too ego-centric and more flash than substance. I've seen a few occasions where executives made a decision more in line with supporting their personal brand than for what's in the company's best interest. To say that doesn't sit well is an understatement! 😡

Do major corporations need a brand? Absolutely! It gives the company a unique identity and usually outlines or provides a promise to its customers (now, whether they deliver on that is another question).

But as an individual? 🧑‍💼

I’ve always taken the approach of “let my results speak for themselves,” much like when setting goals. That worked as an employee, but now, my perspective has changed slightly as a solopreneur. Clients need to understand and see that value and promise before committing (or at least most do; those close in your network already have that comfort level).

Your personal brand isn’t about crafting an image (which sounds like a type of “black magic”) 🪄 ; it’s about clarifying your impact ⚒️ . It’s the combination of how you think, what you value, and where you bring the most meaningful results to others. All of this does add up to what makes you “unique”, or in some cases, your unique value proposition. 💡

Especially as a solopreneur, having a clear brand isn’t just about standing out; it’s about staying anchored. ⚓ It helps you say no to the wrong work and yes to the work where you can genuinely move the needle.

Now that I’ve had the chance to engage with others and do some self-reflection to figure all of this out (marketing has never been a strong suit), it's time to share where I landed on the topic.

From Reluctance to Resonance

Having moved past my dislike for the term “personal brand” and uncovered a meaning, or maybe a philosophy, that I could actually be comfortable with, be it my thinking, my approach, my values, or my uniqueness.

So, what was next?

For most of my career, I focused on doing good work and staying grounded. Whether I was deep in building systems, managing KPIs 📊, or leading a new initiative 🚀, I was driven by a quiet focus: creating structure through data and processes to help teams move faster and be smarter.

Still, whenever someone asked me to describe what I do or what makes me different, I fumbled.

Not because I didn’t know. But because I didn’t have the language for it.

My interests were a mix of analytical obsession and grounded leadership. My work spanned industries. My values, humility, drive 🏎️ , and “smarts” 🧠, showed up in the background, but I hadn’t named them out loud. It felt disjointed.

So, I did something I’d never done before.

I asked a few trusted colleagues to help me apply the same process I often use with businesses… to myself.

We treated it like a strategy problem. We refined my ikigai:

-What’s the purpose?

-What’s the value I create?

-What do I want to be known for?

That led me down a winding path, from my early love of physics (and its obsession with how the world really works) ⚛️, to my sports fandom (the Flyers and Seahawks keep me humble), to my leadership style (low-key, one-on-one, data-first, action-oriented).

It also meant accepting that some patterns in my life weren’t random; they were me in motion. Just ask my wife about our many moves across the country. Or ask me about my love of cars. 😊

And slowly, one phrase kept circling back:

Clarity in Motion is the result.

Why?

It clicked because it brought together the two things I’ve always chased:

• Clarity: Through data, structured thinking, KPIs, and strategy, I bring order to chaos.

• Motion: I move fast. I lead change. I help teams execute, not just theorize.

But it wasn’t just a theme or tagline, it described me. It reflected how I work with clients. It's tied to my passions, my strengths, and even my values.

Those core values, humility, drive, and smarts, yes, adopted from Patrick Lencioni’s work, keep me centred. They guide how I show up, whether I’m helping a business align its operations or stepping into a new industry, I bring speed, but not at the cost of control. I bring structure, but never for the sake of bureaucracy. I bring clarity while staying in motion.

Small and mid-sized businesses often grow fast or hit complexity walls. Founders and executives care deeply about their people and their performance. They’re ready to invest in structure, but the kind that fits who (and where) they are, not a corporate template.

That’s where a Business Operating System comes in. It's not a silver bullet, but a proven way to align strategy, deploy it meaningfully, and execute with discipline without losing culture in the process.

Books like Lencioni’s The Advantage and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team taught me that organizational health is the multiplier. BOS gives it the structure to scale.

The Path Ahead

So what’s next?

I’m leaning into Clarity in Motion as the theme behind everything I build: a client BOS framework, a blog series, or even how I show up in conversations. It’s helping me sharpen my message, connect the dots across industries, and tell a clearer story about the value I bring.

And while I’m not about to shout from the rooftops with this new brand (that will never be my style), you’ll see it nevertheless in our interactions.

I do have some open capacity right now. So, if you’re building, scaling, or just trying to lead with more clarity through better KPIs, a revamped team structure, establishing a faster cadence, or a complete BOS design, I’d love to hear where you’re at.

Clarity in Motion: Structured thinking. Fast execution. Grounded leadership.