Authenticity or Transparency?
Transparency has become a key buzzword in leadership and government, but leadership speaker and consultant Kare Anderson shared an article on Facebook that really made me sit up and think a little differently.
She cited Aaron Stout writing on Ugluu:
While those of you that know me understand that I’m a big proponent of transparency, I told Bob in our interview that he’s barking up the wrong tree. While we should all strive toward being as transparent as possible, the real holy grail is actually “authenticity.” Yes, the two are linked conceptually, but they mean fairly different things. One is about allowing for complete visibility into one’s public and private activities. The other is focused on the concept of being genuine and communicating real feelings – good or bad.
I really resonate with this distinction. Transparency is a baseline leadership process that we should expect. Still, I’ve always had reservations about how useful transparency is over the long haul because it is essentially passive. Authenticity is a core value without which a leader can’t move the organization forward. You will be found out if you sing a song that is not your own.*
*And this wonderful line is not my own. Can someone help me by telling me who said it so I can give proper credit?
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Aletha, I agree that was quite a scene, and Gibbs was almost undone by it. He seemed to be lamely attempting to belittle Helen Thomas, but she wasn’t having any of it. Bless her.
The biggest danger when a high profile leader pledges to be transparent is that there are times when transparency is impossible. Those situations in themselves ought to be made transparent though not necessarily revealed in content. Now that kind of public dialogue would be authentic.
Comments about this topic posted on Facebook:
Danny Ceballos at 11:24am July 3
love this. so so true.
Angie Thompson at 12:14pm July 3
I wish I knew who first gave a voice to that phrase. But, I do know it is a truth we should be courageous enough to embrace. Kudos for bringing it to the forefront. Again!
Madama Ambi at 1:12pm July 3
don’t know who said it…I think of transparency as something that applies to decisionmaking, not to being yourself…authenticity is when you express what you really think or feel…in psychology we talk about authenticity ALL THE TIME…it is the goal in therapy, and it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say it’s a good goal for everyone to have in … Read Moreorder to actualize who they really are…whether or not being an authentic leader is enough to move an organization forward is an open question for me…it depends on how entrenched others are in protecting their positions…
There may be times when transparency is impossible, but this Administration, despite its proclamations of transparency, seems almost as fond of secrecy as the previous one. Now the CIA report on its secret detention and interrogation program has been delayed for two months. Why? Why is extraordinary rendition still going on? Why is the ACLU saying this?
See, it is not just disgruntled radicals like me complaining about a masterful orator trying to bamboozle people about insubstantial change.
The way Gibbs tried to brush off Helen Thomas reminds me of that infamous scene of Obama demonstrating how he brushed off criticism from Hillary Clinton. I see a pattern, and I do not like it one bit.
Transparency is an important issue, since it appears politicians love to fake it. Naturally this calls into question their authenticity as well. Helen Thomas and Chip Reid gave Robert Gibbs a little hell over this fake transparency, as exemplified by the rigged town hall meeting on health care reform, this week. Helen Thomas said:
The evasive condescension of this press secretary infuriated me, and really makes me wonder what is going on behind the scenes of this Administration. It looks to me just like business as usual.