Authenticity

I was reading a quote by Simon Sinek about authenticity, and it starts like this:

"Authenticity is about imperfection, and authenticity is a very human quality." (Simon Sinek)

Is it a human quality? It got me thinking...

Out of all the living things on this earth, aren't we the least authentic? This isn't to say that authenticity isn't a part of our very being. We are inherently imperfect, yet driven to fit in and conform. This imperfection is juxtaposed from our personal authenticity which comes from the comfortable.

Our education systems instill the notion that we need to act a certain way, know certain things, and even think in specific ways. Peer pressure is still ever present, if not more so.

Throughout previous generations, authenticity was the furthest thing from the minds of many a "great" leader or position of power. Conformist and controlled has historically been the manner of leadership, and while we are seeing the changes and acceptance of authenticity across all forms of employment and industry sectors, social authenticity is still some way off.

In the past week or so, we have heard of countless children given detention or sent home from school; the reason? Wearing the wrong shade of grey trousers, or shoes that didn't shine. Even the curriculum has become a series of tick-box events. We have an ever-increasing number of children as young as seven suffering with anxiety and depression under the pressure of achieving suitable test results. From this age, they are already being characterized and placed into boxes: (perceived) success & failure. The freedom of our children to express themselves creatively; replaced by predetermined metrics of core subjects. The media is driving the notion of success, of beauty, of man/ woman, what we should aspire to be..

While authenticity in the paradigm of leadership is about knowing and accepting flaws, not being afraid to ask for help or not know all the answers. Society still looks upon that level of authenticity as weakness. Vulnerability and long term foresight as irrelevant.

Political systems and their successes are determined by terms in office, and the impact on the bottom line during that tenure. The big picture more often than not is confined to the notion of an ideological concept; individualism and authenticity mere chaos that cannot be controlled and thus should be mitigated wherever possible.

Now I'm not saying that anything that has gone before is wrong, but the historical president that we live by can only take us so far, a time that has long since been reached. We as a global society are at a time of huge potential and opportunity; IF we can move beyond the traditional power/distance constructs, micro-focus of organisations and the hierarchical categorization that is employed by society, and embrace the chaos and uncertainty.

Trust in ones-self and the team you surround yourself, to be self-aware and interdependent. Authenticity is often a lonely and difficult road to walk down, but the focus toward the long-term big picture makes the journey worth making. The opportunities are ever present if we step outside of our box and communicate openly. Build relationships and explore life outside of the predictable box and break new ground.

So is authenticity a human quality?

Yes, it is, but it has been heavily suppressed by generations of hierarchical dominance and segregation. Authenticity is within us all and it is down to us alone to determine if we choose to be authentic or not.

"We know what we are, but not what we may be." (William Shakespeare)

We are the here and the now. We are the ones that have the opportunity to be better than what has come before. We are the creators of our destiny; if we acknowledge and embrace our shortcomings as individuals and as collectives.