Authenticity From Three

By: Kristen Haldeman | October 24, 2019

Authenticity in the workplace. Do we bring our real stuff into the office or do we fake it ‘til we make it? These three TedTalks address the issue of authenticity and how it has affected their lives. 

Dan Clay, a highly regarded business influencer, talks of creating space for love and positivity in a world defined by hate and negativity. Listen how his popular persona, Carrie Dragshaw began as a simple Halloween outfit turned into a viral figure. 

“But all of this has taught me so much about just the importance of bringing your whole self to work. And it's really challenged my own misperceptions about what it takes to be successful. 

There's no one kind of way to be a leader. It's about finding your strengths and finding ways to amplify them. Before, if a meeting was hard, I'd put on my perfect leader mask. Now, I can say, "Gosh, that was frustrating." We can talk about challenges and struggles in an open way, rather than everybody pretending that they're fine until it's too late. Concealing an identity takes work. Think of all the wasted energy spent pretending, wishing you were someone different. What's most interesting to me, though, is that in this big study of covering, 93 percent of those who say they're doing it also believe their organization values inclusion. So clearly, our workplaces and all of our strange inner voices have a long way to go on acceptance.”

Justin Baldoni - an American actor, director, and filmmaker reexamines the tension between constructed male identity and his real-life experiences.

“But I'm just a guy that woke up after 30 years and realized that I was living in a state of conflict, conflict with who I feel I am in my core and conflict with who the world tells me as a man I should be. But I don't have a desire to fit into the current broken definition of masculinity, because I don't just want to be a good man. I want to be a good human. And I believe the only way that can happen is if men learn to not only embrace the qualities that we were told are feminine in ourselves but to be willing to stand up, to champion and learn from the women who embody them. “

Brene Brown - basically she just rocks. Memorize every word. Then, get it tattooed on your chest.

“And so here's what I found. What they had in common was a sense of courage. And I want to separate courage and bravery for you for a minute. Courage, the original definition of courage, when it first came into the English language -- it's from the Latin word "cor," meaning "heart" -- and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect. They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others, because, as it turns out, we can't practice compassion with other people if we can't treat ourselves kindly. And the last was they had connection, and -- this was the hard part -- as a result of authenticity, they were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were, which you have to absolutely do that for connection.”

Each one of these speakers discussed authenticity, AND they demonstrated it. They came to the stage as themselves and were fully present and open. 

Showing authenticity in the workplace may not look like giving a speech every time you walk into the office. Perhaps being authentic means that when your boss gives you yet another assignment, you ask for an extension or for someone else to take it because you’re overwhelmed not only with work tasks, but your son is sick, your daughter needs driven to dance, your spouse is on a work trip and the dog ate a lego and needs to go to the vet. Being honest with your boss about the reality of your life is a way to start showing authenticity. 

“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are” - Brene Brown