An idea…

My son, the philosopher, said the desire to become President of the United States automatically disqualifies the candidate in his eyes, noting that the characteristics and compromises required to win reveal the depth of ego and insincerity one must develop.

Candidates are coached, speeches and debate answers carefully scripted and practiced, hoping to create a perfect image that no one can dislike. It usually leads to bland, inauthentic, robotic caricatures that very few love, much less like.

Often, on-air, we strive for our idea of perfection — one where we don’t fumble words or mispronouce names or hit the wrong command key.

And the more successful we are at that, the more we mimic the voice-tracking machines we despise.

Whatever you think of Hillary Clinton, she seemed the most attractive, as a candidate, when she lost her carefully coached composure at an early morning breakfast in New Hampshire in the 2008 campaign. Answering a question, her voice cracked, her eyes welled up, and she stopped speaking. Remember?

We all seek authentic connection. We yearn to meet another who “gets” us, just the way we are, imperfect and insecure.

Very few of us are attracted to emotionless perfectionists.

So today, when you do your show, stop worrying about your flaws and focus instead on the person who’s listening.

The more human you are, which is another way of saying the less perfect, the more apt you are to slice through what separates you from her.

It may feel paradoxical, but the more flawed your on-air persona, the more human you become.

The more open your heart, the closer we feel to you, the person.

The more vulnerable you become, the closer we are drawn in. If this doesn’t come naturally to you, consider taking The Power of Vulnerability by Dr. Brené Brown. It’s an affordable online class to get you started.

Ironically, you may even like yourself more, and that’s never a bad thing.