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Know who you want to impress, and what impresses them

Last Updated:

November 11, 2025

Table of Contents

TODAY’S TAKEAWAY

Know what matters to those who matter.

Career success is all about knowing who you need to impress—and what they will be impressed by.

TODAY’S TAKEAWAY

Know what matters to those who matter.

Career success is all about knowing who you need to impress—and what they will be impressed by.

THE STORY

Apple knows its iPhone Pro audience

You’ve probably seen ads for Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro. You may have even gotten one yourself.

And, if you’re like me, the first thing you may have noticed about the 17 is the color: Unlike the iPhone 16 Pro’s neutral palette of silver and black, the 17 comes in a sleek blue and bold orange.

*Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro comes in blue, orange, and silver.*

Feeling validated that Apple would release iPhones that mimic the color of my book, The Unspoken Rules, I decided to ask some friends for their perspective.

“It’s fire,” said a guy friend. (Fire = awesome in slang.)

“They look so masculine,” said a girl friend. “It feels like I’m looking at the truck version of an iPhone!”

“Is Apple trying to copy the Harry’s shaving cream color palette?” my own wife wondered.

*The iPhone Pro 17’s aesthetics were quickly compared to Harry’s Shaving Cream and the Ram TRX.*

Intrigued by the gender split by my admittedly-not-at-all-scientific polling experiment, I decided to dig into the data—and I was surprised by the findings:

According to a 2022 study by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, men are more likely to buy iPhone Pro models than women, with 41% of men opting for the “Pro” models compared to 33% of women.

Then, I asked myself: With iPhone 16 sales lagging, could it be that Apple is doubling down on what’s silently working?

If so, could it be that Apple is subtly trying to attract…

Men to the 17 Pro (with its “masculine” aesthetic)
Women to the 17 (with its “feminine” aesthetic), and
Everyone with the Air (with its neutral aesthetic)?

After all, look at these ads and decide for yourself if there’s a gender skew:

THE UNSPOKEN RULE

Know who you want to impress—and what they are impressed by.

Everything I shared above is merely a theory.

Nevertheless, success isn’t about pleasing everybody.

It’s about understanding who the real decision makers are and what they care about—and then giving them what they’re looking for.

Before your next big move—whether it’s a presentation, pitch, or job interview—take a minute to define who you want to impress and what actually impresses them by asking yourself 2 questions:

Who is the real decision-maker in this situation?
What do they most want to see?

Cheatsheet!

1. Your “decision-maker” is likely…

The board of directors (if you’re looking for the top job)
The CEO (if you want a C-suite role)
The SVPs (if you want a VP role)
The VPs (if you want a director role)
The senior partners (if you’re in professional services)
The senior managers (if you want a manager role)
The hiring managers (if you’re looking for a job)
The admissions committee (if you’re looking at college or grad school)
The selection committee (if you’re looking at an award or scholarship)
The investors (if you’re trying to get funding for your idea)
The budget holders (if you’re trying to sell a product or service)

‍
2. Things your decision-maker might want to see…

Skills (e.g., fundraising)
Knowledge (e.g., supply chain operations)
Networks (e.g., journalists)
Experience (e.g., leading a $X P&L—defined here)
Reputation (e.g., founder with a prior exit—defined here)
Background (e.g., military veteran)
Results (e.g., greater than $X MRR—defined here)
Features (e.g., SOC 3 compliance)

Before long, you’ll realize that you don’t have to be perfect at everything to succeed. You need to be excellent across some dimensions, yes, but you merely need to be enough in others.

Here’s how I put it in The Unspoken Rules, page 112 (Chapter 8 — "Take Ownership”):

*Tap* *here* *to access the first chapter of my book*

WHAT I’M READING

Here are 3 articles that I found interesting recently (no paywalls, although it may depend on your cookies):

“How have funding cuts affected early-career scientists’ futures?” (The Transmitter)
“Research Highlights How Your First Job Can Define Career Trajectory More Than Your Major” (Investopedia)
“How to live well for less: Hacks for new grads and the rest of your life” (The Washington Post)

MORE OF MY WORK

Every newsletter is free and a fraction of my work. Here are 3 of my paid offerings that may interest you:

1. Keynote speaking: If your organization is looking for speakers for your internship program, new hire orientation, new student orientation, manager training, all-hands meetings, recruiting season, year-end performance evaluation season, or something else, let's chat!

2. How to Say It: Flashcards that teach you to know what to say in every high-stakes professional setting via hundreds of fill-in-the-blank scripts (just like the examples above). Free shipping on all orders over $40.

3. The Unspoken Rules: My Wall Street Journal Bestseller that Arianna Huffington calls “a blueprint for anyone starting their career, entering a new role, or wanting to get unstuck.” Used by top companies and MBA programs.

STORY SOURCES

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