I’m proud to admit it: I am one of the hundreds of millions of Tim Tebow Fans. Since his days at University of Florida, he has wowed me by his talent, tenaciousness and his steadfast resolve in his core beliefs. It’s not that he believes so much in himself, but hat he believes in a higher power to always get him there. But that’s another story for another posting.

Tim's #1 in my book.

Tebow is the Real Thing.

What I like about Tim Tebow and what everyone on his team and those who have interviewed him will say, is that he is real. He really is humble. He really does believe in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He really does want to contribute to the team. He really does just want to get better as a quarterback. What others strive to be, comes naturally for Tim Tebow. He’s not famous because he wants to be, he’s famous because he just is who he is.

Only Apple can be Apple.

Brands are a lot like that. Strong brands are strong because they’re honest with themselves. They know what they are and what they aren’t. Their customers love them because they fulfill the promises they say they will deliver and respect them for not promising anything they can’t.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met companies who want to be the “Apple Computer” of their industry. Really? Are you innovative—I mean, truly innovative? Do you incorporate planned obsolescence into your product development? What is the single, most important thing you do for your customers and how do you express it in a simple way? When you get to the core of what these companies mean by being “Apple,” what they mean is that they want their marketing materials just to look like Apple’s. They don’t actually want to deliver on a similar promise.

To thine own self be true. 

That’s stealing and lying. You’re stealing the equity of another brand and lying about the promise you actually deliver. This will get you into trouble. Because if people think you are the Apple of your industry, they may have a higher set of expectations than you are ready or willing to deliver. If you’re not ready for the scrutiny, then you need to find out what your unique promise is. It’s okay not to have fast delivery—as long as you don’t promise it. It’s okay not to have the best product on the market–as long as you explain what unique value it actually does deliver.

Honest is always the best policy. Just ask Tim Tebow.