Authenticity at work
I was in a reflective mood today and was thinking about characteristics I admire. Charateristics that I think are inherent to the Slacker@Work. There are three that came readily to mind: authenticity, humility and grace. I know, it sounds kinda new-agey or something. Bear with me because if you’re prone to philosophical navel gazing, I think you’ll dig it. And if you do dig it, chime in on the comments…I’m curious to know where your head is at with this stuff.
Authenticity gets a lot of play these days. Seems like everyone talks about it, especially in terms of blogging. “Good bloggers gotta be authentic–gotta have an authentic voice.” I don’t dispute the truth there, but I think the concept of authenticity is getting diluted. Philosphers go on and on about what constitutes authenticity, but I like this definition from the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s ethics glossary:
Authenticity: The character trait or virtue of authenticity is that of being genuine, honest with oneself as well as others. Therefore “authenticity” connotes not only candor, but an absence of hypocrisy or self-deception.
The way I see authenticity coming into play as a Slacker@Work is pretty simple and it plays well with that last definition. Authenticity says “this is me, who are you?“. Authenticity is neither passive, nor aggressive. It seems like a lot of what gets passed off as authenticity these days is more along the lines of “this is me and if you don’t like it, screw you.” Maybe you’re thinking, “Yeah, but that’s really who I am–I don’t care what other people think.” Great, not caring about what other people think can be a really useful trait. But not caring is passive and saying “screw you” is aggressive. Authenticity is neither–it is what it is. You may be have an aggressive personality, but don’t confuse your personality with your ability to be authentic. Authenticity isn’t aggresive, even though you might be. From my perspective, authenticity comes packaged with inquiry, but not challenge. Authenticity seeks to know others as much as it seeks to have others know oneself. It’s perfectly okay for us to say “this is me” and it’s perfectly okay for another to not like what they see in us. Authenticity erodes a bit when we start to throw up our defenses rather than accept the criticism and find the truth in it. Maybe even assimilate it into our lives. Too much of what passes as authenticity these days seems more like a a closed fist than an open hand. Pry open the hand. Give and receive freely.
At work, authenticity comes in really handy. Sure it’s useful in the easy times, but I think the utility of authenticity is maximized when things get rough. I know everything I said above just sounds so soft and wishy-washy. How does a manager reconcile being “hard-minded” with authenticity? Truth is, I don’t really see a conflict between the two. As a manager, it’s part of my job to be hard-minded. I’ve got to pay attention to the business and I can’t turn a blind eye to poor results. That’s good and that can even be authentic, provided that paying attention to results is really what I’m interested in. If I’m paying attention to results because that’s what my boss expects, or because that’s what I think other people want to see me doing, then that’s inauthentic. It’s externally motivated rather than internally motivated. It gets tricky then, doesn’t it? What if my internal motivation is to be externally motivated? No problem–I’m frequently that way. For instance, my physical inbox doesn’t get processed very regularly. I know that I’ll wait until I just can’t stand the sight of it any longer. I know that in order to process my inbox, I need some external motivation, and that knowing is authentic. It would be inauthentic for me to say, “well, I just a have schedule of cleaning my inbox and only I know when I need to do it” rather than acknowledging my actual external motivation. Being an authentic manager then, is both knowing yourself and acknowledging your motivations.
I guess that’s enough rambling for one night. Next up, when I feel the muse, is humility.
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POSTED IN: best of, looking inward, management
10 opinions for Authenticity at work
Brandon
Sep 12, 2005 at 3:45 am
Authenticity, what a great word. I think it’s pretty close to what I most pride myself on, and may hit the nail on the head.
Originally, way back when, I started becoming compulsively honest not through any desire to be a better person, but rather because I was just plain lazy. Honesty facilitates laziness in a way that dishonesty never can. Second, I became compulsively open, which, in combination with honesty, lets people know exactly where I stand on all issues. Very rarely is anyone left guessing what I’m thinking. Admittedly, my openness originally stemmed from the fact that I found it really shocked people (certainly in some types of conversations more than others).
Eventually, though, I found that full disclosure was as powerful a weapon in business and social relationships as is dishonesty, perhaps more so. For example I am never blamed for anything at work that is not my fault. Why? Because if it was my fault I would have stepped forward and accepted blame long before people had an opportunity to start conspiring to blame me. Honesty and openness have become a way of life for me now, and there’s no turning back.
Tom
Sep 12, 2005 at 4:14 am
Both Brendon and Brandon have it! The problem is that as the world of the less authentic engulfs you, you wonder who these people are. Most do not share this value and it can make you feel sick (if you allow it) to see how some of these folks succeed. Having said that…never give in.
Ben Martin
Sep 12, 2005 at 5:49 am
I’m so glad you posted about authenticity, and I think you’ve hit the nail on the head about people not understanding that authenticity is not a license to disregard others’ opinions of you. In my view, true authenticity is not only being able to accept others’ opinions about you, but also (and definitely) to “assimilate it into our lives” as you say. (I don’t see the “assimilation” as a maybe: An isolated opinion can be disregarded, but a pattern several like opinions should be interpreted as fact.) The mark of a truly authentic person, as I see it, is to seek out others’ critiques and opinions of one’s performance, to recognize patterns, and to make behavioral changes when the patterns aren’t productive to fostering interpersonal relationships.
Certified Association Executive
Sep 12, 2005 at 6:44 am
Authenticity at work
There’s a thought-provoking post over at Slacker Manager about the good stuff that comes from being an authentic co-worker. One of the hardest things for me is to ask
Scott
Sep 12, 2005 at 7:50 am
Ben, Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Authenticity in the workplace (and in life). Authenticity to me really is about two things - Truth and Love.
Truth has to be valued above all things and it has to be expressed in love. You made the point of the “closed fist” above and you’re right. Too often we get the clocked by that closed fist; however, if relationships are being done correctly we have to ask the question: Is the closed fist just accountability to the truth? Many of us try to hide behind this “authenticity” banner and we’re not authentic when we’re agressive or passive; however, it’s not about being agressive or passive - it’s about pursuing truth with the proper dose of love.
If you’re all love then doing damage to the relationship because you are soft and enable the person to be co-dependent; but on the other hand if you’re all truth then you end up beating the other person up without any compassion and bitterness and resentment result.
Balance these two things well and relationships will be no big deal!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Ben - please keep them coming.
Scott
Sep 12, 2005 at 7:52 am
Sorry, my comments weren’t direct to Ben, just to the author. I saw his name and thought he was the author.
The Coyote Within
Sep 12, 2005 at 8:15 am
The Myth of The Hard-nosed Manager?
Slacker Manager muses today about authenticity at work. Authenticity must be one of the most misused words in the English language, so it’s refreshing to see someone thinking about it honestly. One part of the posting caught my eye…
Dick Richards
Sep 12, 2005 at 9:08 am
I’m thinking of “certificates of authenticity” such as those one gets with a valuable artifact. Authenticity implies an external criteria for whatever we are judging as authentic or inauthentic. In the realm of human behavior, the “certificate” is a system of values that validate the authenticity of the behavior. So, in order to seek authenticity in our own being in the world, we must be able to connect what we do with our values.
For example, I once interviewed the Buddhist mayor of Cave Creek, Arizona, for a book I was writing. He was able to tell me, very clearly, how he enacted his values of Mindful Listening and Right Speech in his mayoral role. He had been elected three times in a town that prides itself (with bumber stickers even) on being “the town to tough to govern.”
I also think that there is much confusion about authenticity because there is much confusion about values: about what they are exactly, about how they may change over a lifetime, and about how they inform decisions and behavior.
Chris
Sep 14, 2005 at 2:51 pm
I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit lately due to the loss of my mother. You see she was a manager of a cancer nursing unit for 25 years and went from cancer diagnosis to passing in less than two months.
I knew she was well respected and liked by both staff and patients but I didn’t understand how much until my family was asked to attend a memorial service for her at the hospital this summer. A grass roots movement had taken place to honor my mother with the organizations first management recognition award. The award would be for new managers that exemplified the qualities of Bonnie Danielson.
One of the qualities mentioned was authenticity. Imagine my surprise when I see a post on authenticity that uses the definition I’ve been reconciling. She was the manager of the Oncology Special Care Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I don’t know if the award will be approved by the executive leadership team but I do think it will be a test of their authenticity.
Isn’t it absolutely amazing to learn or understand something from somewhere you didn’t expect it.
Thank you very much for the post and comments. It has helped.
Chris Danielson
inkling
Sep 15, 2005 at 9:28 am
Years ago I heard a sermon about being “without guile.” The whole point of the lecture defined “guile” simply as having hidden agendas. Ever since then (I think I was just a teenager) I’ve used that as a quick self-evaluation tool.
Let’s say you stop by the receptionist’s desk and ask about her kids. Do you really care or do you just want her to help you with a project that afternoon? Either way, she knows. And she will immediately judge you as being with or without guile. As authentic or inauthentic.
And it is crucial that you are honest with yourself about your motives. We live in a world where flattery and false concern are ubiquitous social lubricants. “Wow, have you lost weight?! FIVE pounds?! Get out of town! WOOOO! By the way I need that report by 2.” Feh. It’s BS and everyone knows it’s BS.
So if you do care about the receptionist’s kids, by all means, ask away. But don’t feign curiosity about little Tyler’s playground mishap just to cover-up (or even just to soften) your hidden agenda of getting her to collate documents for tomorrow’s meeting. She’ll respect you more if you are straight with her – and then she won’t have to feign concern about that fender-bender story you’re telling everyone about.