A definition from Wikipedia:  Authenticity – the conscious self is seen as coming to terms with being in a material world and with encountering external forces, pressures and influences which are very different from, Authenticity is the degree to which one is true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character, despite these pressures. I struggle daily with the competing factors of authenticity. 

As an external consultant, I might say that the struggle of authenticity is in fact my job description.  It’s truly my job to help not only individuals, but companies find their authenticity.  We often state this in terms of ‘organizational culture.’

A definition from Wikipedia: Organizational Culture is a set of shared mental assumptions that guide interpretation and action in organizations by defining appropriate behavior for various situations.

What do I say to clients about Authenticity, which helps to make this BIG word a bit more manageable??

• Does the majority of what you do feel in line with your personal goals?
• Do you feel that you’re in an environment where you can express yourself fairly freely?
• When you do express yourself, are there inappropriate repercussions for what you’ve said?
• Does the culture encourage you to continue working on areas of challenge, both within yourself, as well as in your environment?

Ultimately, I can write about how no situation is perfect, but everyone already knows that on an intellectual level.  Instead, I will say – is it good enough?  And that comes from the psychiatrist Winnicott who researched heavily in the 1950s his theory on the ‘good enough mother’ – who adapts to the changing needs of the baby.  Being in an authentic organization, with authentic employees, simply stated means: adjusting to the changing needs of those who work in it and the external needs of that organization.  I know, not very simple at all – but, take some time to think about this ‘fit’ in your organization and how you can work to improve the authenticity percentage on a daily basis.  Rally your team, rally your managers, and rally yourself.

Sometimes the act of striving for ‘the best’ turns into a recipe for the worst.  I hear all the time how we need another such and such, like the success of such and such.  But really, there’s but just so many of those such and suches possible before the idea becomes plain old cliché.

Take baseball.  Born & raised in New York, had no choice growing up but to be a Yankees Fan.  Had I decide on the Mets, drama would have ensued at family meal gatherings.  It really isn’t the biggest decision to make – but wow does it seem to have an impact on baseball fans.  Recently I went to a Dodgers vs. Mets game.  In Los Angeles, July 4^th fireworks at the end of the game, seemed like the perfect idea for the evening.  Sitting in the stands at Dodger Stadium, I realized that I can’t recall EVER having been to a Mets game, in my entire life.  I had this weird feeling of being a traitor and not supporting those fabulous Yankees.  Really though, you’ve got to give it up to the Mets.  It couldn’t have been easy all these years, watching all of those World Series wins.  The truth is, it’s really rough to constantly aim for perfect, and the Yankees have experienced this dilemma of late.

I’ve realized this dilemma on both a Human Resource and Leadership Development level as well.  Sometimes, really, we set our sights too high for the moment in time, history, call it what you will.  This can be related to a myriad of factors:

• Current economy
• Company growth plan and process
• Change management
• Industry climate
• Team organization
• Leadership organization
• Current human resource growth process
• Training needs

… and the list goes on.  My point is – think about where you are, where your team is, and where the company is.  Then set a realistic goal plan for perfection and excellence.  And understand both the individual and collective process and power of these efforts.

After all —  “Happiness is the full use of your powers along lines of excellence” JFK

And sometimes, just sometimes, it’s okay to use those powers in a less than perfect way.

I belong to a New York City based organization of Organizational Psychologists and we meet monthly along with awe inspiring research presentations on leadership, human resource challenges, new ideas in assessment and feedback, etc. It’s always educational and always thought provoking.

Last week we had the pleasure of Mercer Delta Consulting Founder David Nadler’s company. Instead of talking about the ‘state of consulting,’ etc, he discussed his life, in a nutshell, how he began and how Mercer Delta came to be. And, like many other successful folks, he said “do what you love.” But, it was the second part of the ‘do what you love’ theme that stands out the most for me this week, and that is ‘if you’re not doing what you love, then get out.’

I love Inc. Magazine, and its sister publication, Fast Company. Sure I love my Harvard Business Review at its pricey subscription cost too, but in Inc. & Fast Company, there are always awesome and inspiring articles about folks who are doing what they love, and succeeding at it (which we all know is of course the part that gets you in the magazine). But, in most articles, they’re also great with referencing the value of failure.

Now, we all know that even when we do what we love, some days (& nights!) might seem long, rough, unimaginative, and even mundane. But, like all good things in life, the good must outweigh the rough. And doing what we love includes the difficulty of mistakes, lessons learned, hiring incorrectly (even for David Nadler), getting into bad partnerships, choosing poorly, not effectively evaluating a decision, etc.

The key is not to dwell on it – but MOVE on it, make a change & get out.

In the end, what stuck with me the most from last week’s meeting was the simple phrase:

“Do what you are passionate about and find your unique genius.”

Well, and if you’re not – then… GET OUT.

How many times have you been ready to watch real entertainment, get involved in a something grand, create a new product, accomplish a new goal, and wound up with a blank screen? We can certainly use that metaphor in a variety of ways and scenarios. The reality is we’ve all come upon our own blank screen from time to time. The problem, in essence, is not the blank screen at all. Instead, the problem is what you will do with that blank screen. You can sit and wait, or you can try to problem solve. What did I do? In the case of the broadcast, I checked other channels to see if the problem was unique to PBS, then I went online and in searching around was able to find highlight clips from the evening, and then I waited. And I waited. But, while waiting, I assured myself that if the problem were not solved by PBS, I would be able to catch aspects of the show later online. I used alternative media to make my determination, I utilized the time reading related information instead, I productively wrote on my blog, and I remained calm. Now, we’re talking about an entertaining program that did not exactly change the course of much of the immediate, nor distant, future. But, sometimes, in fact, often times, ‘the blank screen’ has a more resounding affect on our lives. These are the times when you want to be certain that you’ve got a strong team together to ‘fix’ things, by problem solving, evaluating alternatives, effectively analyzing the consequences and options, and by having the right resources in place to make things happen – quickly, if need be.

Truly an awful moment in broadcasting history. The program “In Performance at The White House” was interrupted for about 30 minutes, that’s 50% of the broadcast. The sound continued to fade in and out. I had to remind myself that this was 2010! But, I also had to remind myself that anything is possible, and the ‘sometimes’-type events seem to happen more often than sometimes, if we really think about it. The answer is not really about the actual ‘blank screen’ at all, instead, the answers lie in our ability to have the right team together to deal with the ‘blank screen.’

What would you do with a blank screen?
Who would you rely on?
Who’s on your team to help you manage the situation?

Moral:  always be ready to take on a blank screen.