Do Better, Seth Godin
Authenticity and professionalism are not mutually exclusive
In a recent blog post, marketing expert and author Seth Godin proclaimed:
Authenticity is for amateurs. … Authenticity is for friendships. Professionals simply show up. Especially when they don’t feel like it.
I encourage you to read the full post (it’s brief!).
The implication is clear—professionals can’t be authentic and authentic people cannot be professional.
I reject this premise. It’s a false dichotomy, and a dangerous one.
Authenticity is about aligning your actions with your beliefs. In the workplace it is often associated with honesty, integrity, and psychological safety.
Psychologists Michael Kernis and Brian Goldman take it one step further, breaking authenticity down into four key components1:
self awareness—understanding your own emotions, preferences, and abilities
unbiased processing—clearly evaluating your own strengths and weaknesses
behavior—acting in a way that’s consistent with your own values
relational orientation—having close relationships, which requires openness and honesty
None of this is unprofessional.
Quite the opposite—being professional requires us to understand our own strengths and weaknesses, behave in accordance with our values, and engage with others honestly and respectfully.
And when we as leaders show up authentically, our teams respond.
A study in the Learning and Organizational Development Journal found that “employees' perception of authentic leadership serves as the strongest single predictor of employee job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work happiness.”
So does that mean we can do anything we want under the guise of “authenticity,” as Godin implies?
No, of course not.
But if we’re being honest … “phoning it in” because you’re tired isn’t really about being authentic, is it? (Also no.)
It doesn’t reflect the self awareness, emotional intelligence, and honesty that authenticity requires. Characterizing this behavior as authentic is just … lazy.
Godin says he wants workers (surgeons, broadcasters, musicians) to “show up fully, as the best version of themselves”—and that’s what authenticity is truly about.
Godin pitting authenticity against professionalism is problematic in another way, too.
The concept of “professionalism” in the workplace has long been coded language for white “standards related to dress code, speech, work style, and timeliness.”2
And who do you think sets that standard? Spoiler alert: it’s white men, like Godin.
Which means that individuals falling outside of our Western, white (and I’d argue, heteronormative) workplace culture have long been characterized as unprofessional for donning their natural hair, wearing religious or cultural clothing, or speaking with an accent.
We all know better than to continue to perpetuate this old racist trope that suggests that authenticity—and having the ability to be and bring our full selves to work—is not professional. We know better, and we can (continue to) do better.
You can do better too, Seth Godin.
PS: Want to read more on the importance of bringing your full self to work to promote psychological safety on your team? Read my recent post: Be Honest. Be Humble. Be Human.
“Authenticity” in Psychology Today
“The Bias of Professionalism Standards” in Stanford Social Innovation Review