Authenticity

I recently read a blog from Seth Godin that I really resonated with. Here's what he has to say about authenticity:

If it acts like a duck (all the time), it's a duck. Doesn't matter if the duck thinks it's a dog, it's still a duck as far as the rest of us are concerned.

Authenticity, for me, is doing what you promise, not "being who you are".

That's because 'being' is too amorphous and we are notoriously bad at judging that. Internal vision is always blurry. Doing, on the other hand, is an act that can be seen by all.

As the Internet and a connected culture places a higher premium on authenticity (because if you're inconsistent, you're going to get caught) it's easy to confuse authentic behavior with an existential crisis. Are you really good enough, kind enough, generous enough and brave enough to be authentically a hero or leader?

Mother Theresa was an atheist, filled with self doubt. But she was an authentic saint, because she always acted like one.

You could spend your time wondering if what you say you are is really you. Or you could just act like that all the time. That's good enough, thanks. Save the angst for later.

The Vision Thing

One of the most important skills that differentiates a leader from a manager is the ability to create and articulate a clear vision for all of the followers.

In an interview with CNN's John King on State of The Union, Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, said he continues to disagree with many of Obama's policies, but said the new president deserves "an 'A' in terms of leadership.”

"I like the way he's expressing a vision, the way he's brought a team together," Welch said. "He's done the vision thing, he's a great communicator and he's got a team-building skill that is really working."

Lead by Joining

Fareed Zakaria in a recent interview on CNN said the following, "For America to continue to lead the world, we will have to first join it. President Obama seems to understand this and is doing his best at meetings like the G-20 and the NATO summit. It is also imperative that more Americans become aware of what is going on in other places -- the other 90 percent of the world."