To Post or Not to Post...That is the Question

I saw an interesting post on my friend David Avrin's Facebook page where he talks about about receiving a message from someone he doesn’t know who challenged his wisdom of posting trivial things such as the breakfast cereal he likes, strange people he sits near on a flight, or funny comments about his kids. "You are an international business marketing expert," this person wrote. "This makes you look like an amatur!"

David’s response was: "Speaking and consulting is not who I am, it is what I do. And while I would never want to do anything to harm my reputation, I believe that people do business with people they like and people they trust. Social media can really 'humanize' someone that you may only know from their books or presentations. As I teach in my work: 'If you want people to be interested, you have to be interesting.' I try to keep my connections 'connected' by mixing it up. Besides, I have fun with it."

I couldn’t have said it better myself. We are people first and speakers second, and we engage with others through our personality. Whether I’m speaking, coaching or whatever, I am true to myself…it’s called “authenticy”. 

I am who I am.

And that phrase reminds me of the occasion of my “21st" birthday party this year when my dear Michael Allosso (below) and his equally fabulous wife Peggy created and sang their customized rendition of “I Am What I Am” from La Cage Aux Folles aka The Birdcage movie with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. And to quote myself, “If I wasn’t born a girl, I would be a drag queen today.” It all just seems appropriate.

To the tune of "I AM WHAT I AM" (La Cage aux Folles) if you can’t hum it, go to YouTube!

She is what she is

Queen of show biz

Warmly contagious

Glitz with a big brain

Never mundane

Always outrageous

It's her night: we're her minions-

Mikki's presence gels us

Her night! So we'll wear whatever clothes

She tells us

Part Mame, Part Les Mis'

We all enjoy that Mikki is what she is

She is what she is

Every a.m. and every p.m.

She bangs her own drum,

Telling us all to carpe diem

And so what if she's raunchy,

Likes it in the trenches?

We know she's one of Chicago's 

Biggest mensches

Chair, speaker, a whiz

We're proud to say "Hey, world,

She is what she is!"

She is what she is, 

Likes what she likes,

All right, she's picky

Go look at her place; 

Watch her perform

All right she's shticky

Be loud!

Don't just say your words.