Managing Authenticity Is An Oxymoron
Shaner on Life Tagged authenticity, integrity, relationships, self management June 11th, 2009The other day, I came across this term: “Managing Authenticity” and was quite perplexed by it. If you need to think about managing authenticity, then you are not being authentic! What would cause someone to have to “manage” who they really are?? Has our world become so “corporatized” that we have to manage our real self – our souls – to navigate our being accepted by those around us?
Even in a corporate environment, I say that, over-management doesn’t serve anyone – of course it doesn’t serve you but it also doesn’t ultimately serve the corporation. If you are putting up a front for what you think or feel about something and not being honest with yourself, your management or your employees, where will that ultimately get you?
Of course, there is always the tradeoff of managing the short and long-term wants and needs. Now if what is meant by “Managing Authenticity” is balancing the what with the hows, then I get that. In other words, it’s not so important WHAT you say as HOW you say it. So, it may not be such an issue THAT you have to bring up something uncomfortable or difficult but HOW you navigate the conversation. But if you don’t discuss something that is important to “who you really are” or “what you really think” then you aren’t being authentic. This kind of behavior can go on for years in our professional as well as personal relationships but ultimately no one wins this game. This kind of behavior has contributed to why we collectively are bailing ourselves out of a financial crisis.
So I stand in contradiction to myself – if “Managing Authenticity” is about learning the nuance of how to have the authentic conversations so you and the person in dialogue with you can stay engaged and full-on really hearing each other – then I am all for it! Navigate away.
Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC www.sagelead.com
One Response to “Managing Authenticity Is An Oxymoron”
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June 11th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Sounds to me like a clever leadership marketing gimmick. That’s what drives me nuts about the leadership and personal development industry, someone can say something like “managing authenticity” and some people will say, ooh, what’s that?
I may be a little cynical but it just sounds so stupid. Come on, most of us spend a life time unpacking loads and loads of social, psychological and physical baggage that we relish the freedom of experiencing our authentic selves. The thought of managing that experience couldn’t be further from what it means to be human.
So I have a new one for you, try “managing sincerity” The worse that can happen is that you’ll hate yourself for a few hours and mislead or disappoint your friends. And for the most part, people get that real quick!