Hey, it's me again.
The one I’m comfortable sharing with you, at least.
What Aaron will you get?
The writer?
The director of sales and marketing at a freight brokerage?
The husband?
What about the Aaron who…
Could point to 50 smarter, better, more prolific writers?
Battles with whether or not he's doing enough of the right things fast enough to lead a team to victory?
Keeps the harder parts of marriage off of social media?
Last week I saw the news that Merriam Webster’s Word of the Year for 2023 is “Authentic” so I thought I'd explore this topic a bit.
I'll start by saying I appreciate Merriam-Webster's annual Word of the Year. I've read some reactions that contain great disdain for this year's choice but the last thing I'm going to do is let a dictionary affect my mood.
Merriam-Webster said searches for the word had a significant spike in 2023, likely spurred on by a convergence of conversation surrounding the rapid utilization of Artificial Intelligence and the grip of influence marketing and social media have on the world and our psyche.
And as if on cue, Elon Musk provided a soundbite to interviewer Andrew Sorkin at the New York Times Dealbook Summit two days after the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year announcement:
“What I care about is the reality of goodness, not the perception of it. And what I see all over the place is people who care about looking good while doing evil,” “F— them.”
- Elon Musk
He also provided an “F— you” to advertisers threatening to pull their money from X citing concerns about content on the platform, some from Elon himself.
I think this story highlights the modern fascination with authenticity as well as the difficulty we all have in the discovery of it.
We all desire to look good, but sometimes we're not doing good.
Sometimes our intent is good, but our actions are perceived that our actions are not good.
The full-length interview between Sorkin and Musk is a worthy watch, as it helps contextualize everything that made the headlines. You’ll also get to watch Musk’s apology regarding his tweet, which is far less exciting than a billionaire cursing at other billion-dollar company CEO’s.
When it comes to authenticity, be careful what you wish for.
When the ‘real, actual’ shows up we may not like what we find.
We all desire to look good, but sometimes we're not doing good.
Sometimes our intent is good, but our actions are perceived that our action is not good.
We may be doing what we believe is the highest good, only to be heavily criticized for it.
I'm reminded of a Werner Erhard quote about authenticity from Speaking Being, which he shares in the context of one of his Forum seminars in 1989:
“Authenticity begins with being authentic about your own inauthenticity”.
-Werner Erhard
The work of Werner Erhard and other ontological thinkers like Martin Heidegger can take us into deep waters fast but the point I wanted to highlight is that when talking about the quality of being authentic, we all have work to do.
Instead of letting a celebrity, a headline, or a story of any kind decide what the truth is, perhaps we should wrestle with what the truth may be one on one, regardless of how it may make us feel.
[41] “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? [42] How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Luke 6:41-42 NLT
Maybe the work we do on ourselves will help us spot the real from the artificial more often. And maybe if we can bring more of that vulnerability and courage into our real-world relationships we will find that it doesn’t matter what other people think of us when we’re confident in who we’re showing up to be every day.
Quotes
‘Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive’
-Sir Walter Scott
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.”
- Max de Pree
“To be authentic literally means to be your own author”.
-Dan Millman
Strong Voices
Once I decided to write about the subject of authenticity, I immediately got curious about what some of my friends who are leaders in different places and stages of life would say.
I encourage you to read their responses and check out the work they are doing to help others be and become more authentically themselves:
Being authentic is all about owning every single part of who you are. It’s looking in the mirror and saying, ‘Yeah, that’s me – the good, the bad, and everything in between.’ It’s about not hiding your true self from others, whether it’s the parts of you that shine bright or the ones that are still a work in progress.
Authenticity is about digging deep, finding the lessons in your struggles, and using your strengths to lift others up. It’s being unapologetically you, aligning what you feel inside with how you show up in the world. I believe That’s authenticity
-Katie Shea, Sales Coach for New Coaches
"Being an authentic leader means embracing your true self, flaws and all, and leading with integrity, transparency, and empathy. It's about being genuine, vulnerable, and courageous enough to show up as your authentic self, inspiring others to do the same. Authentic leaders create a culture of trust, collaboration, and growth, where everyone feels valued and empowered to bring their whole selves to the table. Remember, true leadership is not about being perfect, but about being real."
Authenticity is the character of being more concerned about others needs than simply what people think of you. When you are authentic you remove barriers that prevent you from providing value to others.
-Keith Roberts, Christian Business Builders Newsletter
Now it's your turn!
Love your message. The thing I find encouraging about the changes we are seeing in the digital space is being authentic, transparent and unscripted are all accepted and actually make you more attractive - especially to those who seek to grow a business online. Unchoreographed, limited editing and honesty are a virtue worth pursuing. Good job, Aaron!