Nowadays, the new buzzword in the business world is “authentic.” As in, “Bring your authentic self to work each day.”
What does this mean exactly? Well, an article in a business journal describes being authentic like this: “Acknowledging your personality, including the quirky bits, and bringing your interests, hopes, dreams, and even fears with you, even if they don’t seem relevant to your work.”
From what I gather, the goal is to avoid corporate role playing, where employees behave in a certain way to fit in, which stifles their true personalities. When a person brings his or her “authentic” self to work, the experts claim, the relationships formed with co-workers and clients are more profound and fulfilling. And as everyone knows, the more close relationships people have — known as networking — the faster they’ll climb the corporate ladder and move into a corner office on the top floor.
What does this mean exactly? Well, an article in a business journal describes being authentic like this: “Acknowledging your personality, including the quirky bits, and bringing your interests, hopes, dreams, and even fears with you, even if they don’t seem relevant to your work.”
From what I gather, the goal is to avoid corporate role playing, where employees behave in a certain way to fit in, which stifles their true personalities. When a person brings his or her “authentic” self to work, the experts claim, the relationships formed with co-workers and clients are more profound and fulfilling. And as everyone knows, the more close relationships people have — known as networking — the faster they’ll climb the corporate ladder and move into a corner office on the top floor.
Well, over the years I’ve worked with a few folks who did not hesitate to bring their authentic selves to work each day. However, when a person has no filter, that is, when he puts his hopes, dreams, fears, and especially his “quirky bits” on display for everyone in the office to see and hear on a daily basis, it’s often not a pleasant experience.
Those experts who write in business journals, extolling the virtue of being authentic, have lost sight of one important fact: there are a lot of jerks in the world. And unfortunately, the higher a person scores on the Jerk Meter is often inversely related to the effectiveness of his mouth filter.
For example, I used to work with a guy who felt compelled to give a post-game summary of each of his trips to the men’s room. Each morning the entire office got a play-by-play description, including what he ate the previous night and how it must have impacted what had just occurred in the “porcelain conference room.”
No matter how many times we all shouted, “Too much information!” he was oblivious. He genuinely thought that if he was very interested in the workings of his digestive system, then all of his co-workers certainly must be just as interested and deserving of a detailed report.
Those experts who write in business journals, extolling the virtue of being authentic, have lost sight of one important fact: there are a lot of jerks in the world. And unfortunately, the higher a person scores on the Jerk Meter is often inversely related to the effectiveness of his mouth filter.
For example, I used to work with a guy who felt compelled to give a post-game summary of each of his trips to the men’s room. Each morning the entire office got a play-by-play description, including what he ate the previous night and how it must have impacted what had just occurred in the “porcelain conference room.”
No matter how many times we all shouted, “Too much information!” he was oblivious. He genuinely thought that if he was very interested in the workings of his digestive system, then all of his co-workers certainly must be just as interested and deserving of a detailed report.
The daily G.I. tract updates were not the worst of his authentic self, however. Whenever this fellow went away on a romantic weekend with his wife, the entire office would get a graphic Monday morning presentation of their bedroom exploits. Thank goodness he didn’t know how to use PowerPoint.
Another former co-worker at a different firm must have been entered into the “Girlfriend from Hell” competition. At least five times each day, she would call her boyfriend and berate him, loudly, for not calling her recently enough. (This was before text messages.) Other topics she regularly screeched at him, loudly, included his leaving the toilet seat up again, his forgetting to buy her more cigarettes, and his looking at the barmaid a half second too long when they were out drinking the previous evening.
This young lady was delightful to be around, and the rest of the office was so glad that she always brought her authentic self to the office each day. (I am using, of course, the definition of the word “glad” that means: “Does anyone have a hara-kiri sword I can borrow?”)
Another former co-worker at a different firm must have been entered into the “Girlfriend from Hell” competition. At least five times each day, she would call her boyfriend and berate him, loudly, for not calling her recently enough. (This was before text messages.) Other topics she regularly screeched at him, loudly, included his leaving the toilet seat up again, his forgetting to buy her more cigarettes, and his looking at the barmaid a half second too long when they were out drinking the previous evening.
This young lady was delightful to be around, and the rest of the office was so glad that she always brought her authentic self to the office each day. (I am using, of course, the definition of the word “glad” that means: “Does anyone have a hara-kiri sword I can borrow?”)
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m certainly not saying employees should be a bunch of silent drones, straight out of the novel “1984.” And I’m certainly not saying developing personal relationships with co-workers and clients is wrong.
All I’m saying is, it is best if everyone behaves at work exactly like me, because we all know that nobody minds when employees talk about sports all day long.
All I’m saying is, it is best if everyone behaves at work exactly like me, because we all know that nobody minds when employees talk about sports all day long.
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