Look Dynamic — or Actually Be Dynamic
By Tom Kagy | 23 Sep, 2025

The difference between movie dynamism and actual dynamism is the difference between failure and success.

Dynamism is a universally admired quality, linked to a high level of effectiveness and success.  Yet it's probably the most misunderstood of human qualities precisely because it's so externally appealing that most people confuse the appearance of dynamism with actual dynamism.

Many people have the appearance of dynamism down cold — constantly on the move, spouting ideas, suggestions, pats on the back, wise comments, stern dictates, grand pronouncements.  It's all very telegenic, which is why B movies love to infuse its leads with that brand of dynamism.  And it seems many Americans have fallen under its spell — to the nation's woe.

Actual dynamism?  It's far fewer and farther between.  For one, to be actually dynamic requires much time invested in learning, thinking and planning — work best done in solitude.  That's why actual dynamism isn't at all telegenic.  And it's difficult to boot.  But compare the long-term results of apparent dynamism with the products of actual dynamism and the conclusion is inescapable: real dynamism is the way of achievers;  apparent dynamism is for scarecrows.

There are a slew of reasons why people who focus on the appearance of dynamism rarely achieve much.  To the contrary, they generally disrupt without providing anything better.  In effect they strive to make themselves look good at the expense of those who are actually doing good.  They interfere with efficiency and become impediments rather than agents of progress.

Let's look at how to become a true dynamo instead of a sparkler, a punk.

Know What You Know and Don't Know

The biggest difference is that the fake dynamo talks first and often, rarely taking time to listen to others better placed to identify problems or solutions.  The fake dynamo sees achievement in terms of what he can show off rather than the steps he's taken to achieve key objectives.  As a result most of what the faux dynamo says and does comes to be perceived as unrealistic or irrelevant.

True dynamos, on the other hand, understand that power comes from knowledge, and make a point of acquiring at least enough knowledge to know what they don't know.  That's why truly effective people spend most of their purposeful interactions listening.  They know people don't automatically open up with the truth, especially to someone who seems more interested in holding forth.  They also understand that anything they say is as likely to distract and disrupt as to assist.  So they quiet themselves to make it easier for others to share their views. 

The quiet seeker of truth isn't as telegenic or cinematic as the witty, know-it-all but she's far more likely to come away with useful information on which to build her vision because, at heart, dynamos are visionaries who know more and see more than any other person around them.  

Take Resistance and Negativity in Stride

While a dynamo makes a point of noting what others think or think they know, she doesn't become concerned about their resistance or negativity.  In fact, she expects it, understanding that skepticism is actually a testament to the originality and significance of her objective.  She knows that acceptance follows success, not the other way around.

When Washington braved eight difficult years to defeat the world's leading military power, when Mao took 22 years to assemble peasants in the hinterlands to defeat Japanese invaders and the Nationalists, when Ghandi donned a loincloth for the Salt March that kicked off a two-decade campaign to end British rule, they were seen by members of even their own class and their adversaries as harmless loons.  Only after they had succeeded in their quests were they recognized as dynamic visionary leaders.

The same evolution of perception plays out with every visionary, be it Nikola Tesla, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jensen Huang or any executive or entrepreneur who undertakes a difficult objective.  The lesson is that the true value and impact of a dynamic leader isn't at all apparent for months, years or decades.  If the outcome were obvious to all, their achievements wouldn't have been visionary and their dynamism would have been unnecessary.

Be Confident

The soul of a dynamo is confidence.  The source of that confidence is knowing that his superior knowledge is pitted against the prejudices, spotty knowledge and spurious opinions of a world who can't possibly share his vision because they don't know what he knows.  That confidence makes it easy for a dynamo not to be discouraged by the resistance or negativity of others.  In fact, he learns to take their skepticism in stride as inevitable.

Be Flexible and Humble

Practically by definition a dynamic person is flexible.  That's because she undertakes meaningful, difficult or even obscure objectives for which roadmaps simply don't exist.  The twists, potholes and dead ends on the road to success demands flexibility.  Solutions often come from the most unexpected source.  

During the 1830s construction of a pioneering railway in England, engineers were faced with the problem of efficiently transporting heavy loads of rail and ties across rugged terrain to the construction site.  As engineers were debating using an intricate pulley systems and costly machinery, a humble farmer overheard and suggested using the kind of sturdy wooden oxcarts he used on his farm.  The idea proved simple, affordable and reliable. The railway was completed on time thanks to the willingness of the brightest minds of the day to listen to a humble farmer.

In 2017 Elon Musk was facing production hell at Tesla's Fremont plant.  His plan to automate the assembly line into an "unstoppable alien dreadnought" capable of producing 5,000 Model 3 EVs in a week proved overly ambitious.  Countless technical bottlenecks resulting from ill-considered attempts at automation slowed actual production to as few as 3 cars per day.

It wasn't until early 2018 when Musk began listening to humble humans assembly workers that he understood the problems caused by his overly ambitious efforts at automation.  He began de-automating the lines and quickly doubled the number of workers from 22,000 to 48,000.  By July the plant was meeting the goal of 5,000 cars per week.  Within three months Tesla posted a $312 million profit, pulling the company back from the brink of insolvency and ensuring its survival and unparalleled success. 

These are just a couple of examples showing why a dynamic person doesn't place himself above, or out of reach of, anyone, and always positions herself to learn from anyone, no matter their rank or job title.  

Avoid Being Trapped into an Image

As mentioned, perhaps the biggest obstacle to becoming a dynamic person are the silly movie images purporting to depict dynamism.  The belief that dynamic people are action figures always on the move is simply an impossibility.  Dynamism is cultivated in the stillness and quiet of a scholar at study to learn enough to understand how a worthwhile objective might be achieved.  It's played out as ideas meet reality, forcing him to reconsider and listen quietly to anyone who might be able to contribute a useful perspective toward solutions.

Certainly such activities aren't cinematic, but they're the only path to actual dynamism and the inspiring successes they can build.  That can never happen to people who trap themselves into the quest to become a movie-style perpetual motion machine.