I'm a "personality hire"

and it's taken me years to realize that might be my greatest strength....

We got our leadership feedback scores this week.

I took mine, uploaded this year’s along with every previous year, and asked Notebook LM to:

“Tell me the most important things that others see and value about me that I’m overlooking or under appreciating.”

This was the first point it gave me:

And then, after reflecting on my leadership feedback, I read this LinkedIn post from University of Texas women’s basketball player Sarah Graves:

That’s it.

She captured it.

The thing I haven’t really understood or appreciated.

I’m a personality hire.

Even though my boss has always been generous in recognizing my energy and appreciating it—I’ve often dismissed the praise because I couldn’t pin it to a specific outcome, metric, or project.

It didn’t feel measurable.
So I undervalued it.

It’s worth saying early that we shouldn’t mistake “personality hire” for “only energy.”

Sarah is a D1 athlete for a reason.

Her skills got her onto the team.

Her skills qualify her to be in the room.

But it’s her energy that has made her indispensable.

She knows she’s not the most talented player on the roster.

But she also knows she can bring something that elevates every single person around her—even if it doesn’t show up as points next to her name on the scoreboard.

That level of self-awareness is inspiring.

Value is value.

And the sooner we develop the self-awareness to see where we actually create value, the sooner we can lean into it—instead of trying to be something we’re not.

What if Sarah just sat on the bench frustrated that she wasn’t getting playing time?

Who benefits from that?

Now, can you just hire anyone to sit there and cheer from the sidelines?

No.

You actually need someone who belongs in the room. Someone who has earned their way there. Someone the team respects.

There are two pieces here:

First, earn your way into the room with your skills.

But once you’re in the room?

You have a choice.

You get to decide:

What type of energy am I bringing?

You can’t control how your teammates show up.
You can’t control the competition.
You can’t entirely control how quickly you upskill.

But you can control the energy you bring every. single. day.

This is a choice.

Does that mean you need to be jumping up and down like Sarah in your next meeting?

No.

Energy doesn’t have to be loud.

It might look like quiet strength.
It might be steady optimism.
It might be thoughtful preparation.
It might be a calm, grounded presence when everyone else feels chaotic.

One of our former senior leaders here was known for his zen-like energy. You could feel it when he walked into the room.

Now that he’s gone, I’ve noticed the absence.

Energy leaves a mark.

So, what energy do you want to bring to the situations you face?

Because regardless of the chaos…
Regardless of the pressure…
Regardless of what’s out of your control…

You still get to choose how you show up.

And once you ask that question, you’re reminded of something powerful:

Control isn’t just about the tangible outcomes listed next to your name.

It’s about energy.

And that part?

That’s entirely up to you.

Keep Asking,

Kyle