Our lives abound with buzzwords, acronyms and current fashions from what kind of fat is good in our diet to the latest proven exemplary management methods. We concern ourselves with secondary rounds of VC financing, leaving a company with 'a good bridge', the perils of M&A and the feared divestitures following failed M&As, Coaching to leverage the performance of our executives and managers, and now Authenticity in the workplace. Yes, another buzzword on talk shows, in magazines, and being preached by self-help gurus. But is this 'authenticity' any more than another wave of California woo-woo headed east from the Coast?

First, for the purposes of this discussion, let's begin by defining authenticity in the context of the workplace. In order for an individual to be authentic in the workplace every action that they take must be in alignment with their unique internal set of values which contribute to defining their identity, a clear and stable self-knowledge of that identity, and of their intent for what they wish to bring into the world. To be successful in their position and to create successes for their organization, it is imperative that they must be consciously in touch with their identity and values, and the values and goals of their organization and that these be in alignment. If alignment does not exist here, the individual is working for the wrong organization!

The higher up the ladder, the more essential it is that the individual be in touch with not only their identity and alignment with the company, but be vigilantly sensitive to alignment and misalignment within their company. Being grounded in identity and authenticity empowers an individual to be a leader making judgments in business and ethics that are essential to the companies long term health. This includes internal decisions as well as decisions on alliances and partnerships with other companies.

Authenticity and its implications for our Corporations is far more solid, and real than any performance coaching or career renewal program. It is my belief that if we do not bring authenticity to our executive teams within the next ten years, the current definition of success as requiring continuous spiraling growth will corkscrew our economy into the ground, with higher expectations from financial analysts over shorter and shorter cycles.

How do we break these cycles of shortsightedness that have brought us greed driven mismanagement from small dot.coms all the way to giants like Enron? Although corporations have executives at their helms, many feel that they have lost their powers to the expectations of investors and analysts. Feeling limited control over their companies, many refocus on personal short term gains and lose touch with their connection to their company and its health. Our nations' companies are being steered by individuals. These are individuals who must feel once again empowered to use their own courage to make ethical decisions that support their company's health and growth.

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In order to rise to this task, it is imperative that these individuals are anchored in who they are at the core of their existence. They need to walk the corridors of the organizations that are the backbone of our economy with the conscious awareness of their values and the alignment of those values with the mission and vision of the company. As a captain of the ship that is the company they must be so in touch with their company that they can instantly intuit when a business unit is faltering or falling into misalignment with the mission, vision and goals of the organization.

This is the true meaning of Authenticity among the leadership of our companies. Through committed work with a coach, an executive can become self aware of their identity and work from an integrity with their values and their true natures. The road to executive staff all too often has individuals building a structured identity about themselves that they needed to succeed and reach the top. It is all too common for individuals to embrace this structure and lose awareness of their identity. Working with a coach to recapture and take ownership of ones identity, is the enabling step to Authenticity in the workplace, and courage in the decision making that is anchored in ethics and values that are in alignment with your true self.

Please don't misunderstand me. This is the cornerstone, but yes, it is but one piece of the puzzle---of the key to ethical growth of our companies that we can all be proud of. Companies do not work in isolation from the national and world economies, supply and demand, and market realities. These are the environments into which the executive must have the courage to insert his identity and authenticity, and thereby truly make a difference.

It is time for our executives to face themselves and their values with the courage to make a difference through the companies that they are helping to steer. With individual one on one coaching the executive can do that and more.

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Perfecting Balance is the newsletter of David A. Klein's Coaching practice, A Perfect Balance.

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© David A. Klein 2002