WHY YOU EMBRACE & RESONATE THE HIDDEN LANGUAGE
“The language people use to describe their work can often give a good insight into what really matters in a way that simply asking for advice can’t.” — Cal Newport
There’s a shortcut in language experts have in their work. A shorthand in explaining the basics, so they can expound their new, deeper insights.
There’s a shorthand in evaluations. After you write and read a few dozen, certain words to jump out. Certain ways of describing what you and others in like you do — jump out.
There’s a shorthand in resumes. That’s why that boilerplate resume never works — There’s a subtext in how your experience should be communicated.
But like a secret handshake — all of those subtexts carry a hidden narrative that’s a cost of entry into the position or community you serve.
WHAT SUCKS ABOUT BEING OUTSIDE
There’s a hidden language of the military. An implicit understanding between those who have served. It’s easy to fall back into the comfort and conformity of that hidden language — but eventually, those who’ve worn the uniform meet the day where they no longer can stand in formation. All that hidden, supportive subtext falls away.
Service is who we are — not what we wear. That’s important because there’s a deeper narrative in why people choose the service of arms. There’s a deep understanding of sacrifice, purpose, and intent. Yet that understanding transcends any banner you serve under. That’s what you have to embrace now, before you get out. Not after you get out; not after you’ve lost the major shaping force of your identity.
WHAT MARVEL GETS RIGHT
The public has fallen in love with comic books.
And it’s not just the characters they’ve fallen in love with — it’s the narrative behind what those characters represent. When Wolverine swaggers out — it’s his anti-hero status. Being the good guy, but being able to do the dark things to be good. Same as Batman.
In the Daredevil reboot — the Punisher is held together by a ravaging, hidden military narrative. He isn’t shocked by his past — his past is fuel for vengeance, penance, and forgiveness. He never forgets the one moment he wasn’t most prepared to protect those he cared about.
A $4 billion buyout by Disney can’t be wrong!
Marvel’s intellectual property is a treasure trove for Disney. Disney bought a bunch of inked characters and stories — they bought the heart of Stan Lee’s work. But what they couldn’t buy — and what you’re eagerly watching — is the internal story of why those characters work. Why they resonate.
WHAT DO YOU RESONATE WITH?
Culture is resonance.
Those inside jokes, that internal perspective you’ve shared with those around you for so long. Resonance is being understood. It’s being respected — it’s being challenged and served at your best. Implicitly, without expectation or reservation.
When you listen to your mentor, advisor, or coach — you’re listening to the. But you’re feeling the space where resonance allows a hidden narrative to take shape. When you leave an organization, a relationship, or a community — and you can’t feel why — it’s the hidden narrative at play. You can’t define it — but you know something is amiss.
And when you find what calls you home — you know you can’t miss.
A fighter who goes into camp before the big fight — lives in perfect resonance. Challenged to their limit, recovered and resurrected, then challenged again. Over and over again — until their defining moment arrives. The racer who prepares year after year, season after season — the waves of breakdown and build up. The time comes because it’s part of their narrative.
Their anointed time has no choice but to come.
What is the hidden narrative you have found in your work? Does it resonate with you? Does the hidden narrative of your team, community, or culture empower you? How will you test a new narrative?
