Be, Do, Have
Adopt the identity, practise its behaviours, then pursue the outcome
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
Dawson frames transformation in the order be, do, have rather than have, do, be. First define the identity or role you want, such as becoming a professional golfer. Next practise what that person repeatedly does and enter environments where the standards, language, and behaviour of the role are visible. Presentation may be adjusted to fit the environment, but the main mechanism is repeated action: practising golf, building a skill, and collecting outcomes that support the identity. Only then does the desired result or recognition follow. Dawson adds an ethical boundary: looking, dressing, or acting the part should not compromise one's moral code. The framework is strongest when “being” means adopting standards and habits, not falsely claiming an achievement before it exists.
Origin
Extracted from The Diary of a CEO
Core principles
- 01Identity and behaviour precede the desired result
- 02Environment supplies models and expectations
- 03Appearance can reinforce an identity but cannot replace practice
- 04Identity change should not compromise personal ethics
How to run it
- 1
Define who to become
Name the future role precisely and describe its standards. Avoid defining it only through possessions or status.
Pro tip Choose one identity shift rather than twelve competing ones.
Watch out Do not claim qualifications or results you do not yet have.
- 2
Study the environment
Spend time in rooms, communities, or settings where the target role is practised. Observe what competent people actually do.
Pro tip Separate functional behaviours from superficial status signals.
- 3
Do the recurring work
Practise the highest-leverage behaviour consistently. Dawson's golfer example makes practice, not clothing, the primary route to progress.
Pro tip Track an outcome that demonstrates improving competence.
Watch out Looking the part without doing the work reverses the mechanism.
- 4
Align visible signals
Where useful, adjust dress, communication, and conduct so they support the role and its environment. Keep those changes within your ethical boundaries.
Watch out Assimilation should not require abandoning your moral code.
- 5
Let evidence create the result
Use accumulated skill and outcomes to earn the position, identity, or result. Update the identity as real evidence changes what is possible.
In the wild
Dawson asks the listener to imagine a student who wants to become a professional golfer. The fastest route is to practise golf intensively, enter that environment, and begin acting in line with its standards rather than waiting to possess the title first.
→ The desired identity becomes a guide for present behaviour rather than a reward required before action.
Common mistakes
Starting with possessions
Waiting to have the rewards before adopting the behaviours prevents the process from starting.
Performing the costume
Dress and manner can support identity, but they do not replace the repeated work that produces competence.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for identity-led changes where the desired role has observable behaviours that can be practised.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when imitation substitutes for competence or when access depends on pretending to hold credentials one has not earned.
From the transcript
“I'm a huge believer in the process of be, do, have.”
“the first step really is becoming that”
From the episode
The Woman Who Makes Millionaires: Only 1% of People Do This! The PPF Framework Will 10x Your Income!