Authenticity

by Aubrey Patterson

Are you beginning, or aspiring to obtain a new position?

It can be challenging to straddle that fine line between being authentic and living up to the well-established expectations of those you serve.

And it can be even more challenging when you have to take over from someone who is respected, loved, and did a great job, right?

The Front of Your Jersey

Most professional athletes proudly wear a team logo on the front of their jersey and carry their surnames on their backs.

For someone who is new to a position or organization, it's important to strongly support the logo on the front of the jersey, honoring the past and respecting the people who are present.

The Back of Your Jersey

It can be quite exhausting if we choose to leave part of us behind when we walk through the doors, but there's even more we risk when we create a work version of ourselves.

Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. (Mother Teresa)

Recent research undertaken by Google concluded that psychological safety created in an authentic work place was the determining factor in some teams outperforming others. The study found that an abundance of respect, acceptance and trust led to much higher levels of performance. 

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. (Steve Jobs)

In order for us to do our best work, we need to honor our team and authentic selves, and never wear anyone else's name on the back of our jersey.

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