In a rapidly changing world, who defines what new role you should play?
High-growth organizations intensify the challenge, with roles needing to change every few months, volatility and uncertainty as the norm, and fires cropping up constantly.
I think about this question in terms of two archetypes: Actors and Authors.
Here’s a stark way to consider which mode you’re in:
When you start work each day, where’s the first place you look: your goals or someone else’s messages?
Really what this question is asking is, Are you creating your life or reacting to it?
Actors are driven by Fear away from Problems, re-acting with outdated habits to avoid discomfort and uncertainty. They stay stuck in their ways, waiting for others to give them direction.
Authors are continually rewriting their own job descriptions. They drive from Presence towards Purpose, responding to what’s in front of them in service of their desired results. They place their focus on what matters most.
This 5-min video illustrates the difference between Actors and Authors.
Here’s a quick summary table of how Actors and Authors differ. See if you can identify a moment yesterday or today when you were in each mode.
What if you're more in the Actor column than you'd like to be?
The overarching theme of my work, and what we focus on in all our coaching and in ManagerGPT (next cohort beginning Tuesday, 10/21/25), is establishing the essential habits, tools, and systems to make Author mode our default.
Book here for 15-min calls about coaching or the course.