Culture of Character versus Culture of Personality

I've been thinking a lot lately about the trend for personal branding. If you have any kind of professional role today, you have to invest some of your time and effort in your personal brand. At a minimum, you need to have a polished LinkedIn profile. Beyond that, you might need to develop a distinctive social media presence. I'm glad that my career-building days are over. I understand the need for personal branding in today's hyper-connected world, but I still find it vaguely disturbing.

In her wonderful book Quiet:The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cain attributes the over-valuing of extroversion in our society, at least in part, to the transformation in the early twentieth century from a Culture of Character to a Culture of Personality.  She cites the work of Warren Susman, a cultural anthropologist, who describes the migration from the small town (where everyone knows your name and your character) to the big city (where you need to find a way to stand out).  The traits that were important in a small community are no longer sufficient to guarantee your success in the more anonymous urban world.

Cain draws a striking, somewhat stark, comparison between the attributes that are highlighted in self-help books in the two "cultures":

Culture of Character	Culture of Personality
Citizenship	Magnetism
Duty	Fascinating
Work	Stunning
Golden deeds	Attractive
Honor	Glowing
Reputation	Dominant
Morals	Forceful
Manners	Energetic
Integrity

The comparison seems a bit loaded, but also unfortunately fairly accurate. And it exposes the root of my discomfort with self-branding. When is self-promotion OK and necessary? When it is self-aggrandizement and just over the top? It is a balancing act. I admire the personal brands created by several people that I "follow" -- Dan Rather, Bill Moyers, Gretchen Rubin, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink are just a few examples. But each of them sometimes ventures over the line (in my opinion) because self-marketing is so necessary today. Contrast them with someone I've come to dislike because his personal brand is excessive -- James Patterson. And yet, his net worth probably exceeds everyone on my first list combined.

It's hard to see how we get back to a society where character is once again valued, a la David Brooks, but I certainly hope we make some progress in that direction.