Is it you ... or someone else?

In April 1969, Robin Knox-Johnston became the first man to circumnavigate the world non-stop and single handed. Throughout the '70s his exploits continued to raise his profile. At about the same time, his brother, Richard, was making a name for himself as a speaker.

He was booked for an event that I attended. Like many others in the room, I had heard of Robin but not of Richard, and he knew that. His opening line was, "Hands up anyone who was expecting Robin." At the time, I wondered if the event organiser raised his hand!

The American motivational speaker, Les Brown, tells of the time he was invited to speak at a venue that featured Pat Boone as the main attraction. The place was packed. And when the MC announced him, the applause rang out. Les walked on stage and the applause died! The audience was expecting Les Brown and his Band of Renown.

Les says, "I didn't say anything. I just walked around for a bit, then I said, "Surprise!"

Another time he was invited to speak to an audience of people with endless degrees in psychology. He himself has had no college education and in fact was labelled Educable Mentally Retarded at school. "But," as he put it, "they invited me. And I accepted."

The event's chairman introduced him as "Dr Les Brown", and Les interrupted him, saying, "I'm not Dr Les Brown." The chairman then suggested he introduce himself. So he told the audience, "Not only am I not Dr Les Brown, but I am Educable Mentally Retarded!" There was a thud as the chairman's head hit the table. But Les soon had his listeners humming.

I've also been mistaken for someone else. In the days when I had a high profile in the newspaper business, I was contacted by a trade delegate from a Far Eastern embassy in London. He invited me and my wife to dinner. As the dinner progressed, it became clear to me that he thought I was my elder brother, who was then a prominent financial journalist. But I enjoyed the dinner all the same.

My point about mistaken identity is that we should not make the mistake about ourselves. If we accept the impression others may have of us and try to fit the mould, we'll be uncomfortable and likely to fail. I believe we should start by being clear about who and what we are, make it our business to let others know, and aim to succeed as the persons we are, not as the persons they may want us to be.

Phillip