Week 21.31 Authenticity History
I spent a brief and beautiful weekend in Sheffield MA with friends. We stayed in a house that was built as a folly, a whimsical array of rooms that by my lay architectural eye were in conflict with each other. There were bedrooms in towers that could only be reached by ladders, other bedrooms that there long horizontal balconies fully exposed to the living room below. Some large rooms were fully "conditioned" (air and heat) others merely heated, and still others aux natural. There were hidden closets, passageways even rooms that if you didn't know were there, would be hidden forever.
I was there with friends, some of whom were history majors, forever history buffs. I love history majors. My brother and son were both history majors and I think the perspective it gives is very grounding. I admire the idea that history is about uncovering past truths, that by knowing the fuller story of the past, we can have a greater appreciation for the present. Erin was our guide in a casual conversation about the origins of the United States. Specifically about how such large and meaningful parts of our history are obscured or not fully embraced or understood.
Of course, there are so many great American origin stories that we embrace. There is the story of the pilgrims, fleeing persecution, celebrating abundance and freedom. There is the magnificence of the American Revolution (recently made popular by Lin Manuel Miranda), of the imagination and intellect of the founding fathers, the victory against the odds of the revolutionary leaders. American Exceptionalism. The story of the pioneers of the American west, seeking new fortunes, crossing new boundaries into the unknown which gave rise to the fearless innovation that defined Hollywood and Silicon Valley. American Innovation. And there is the story of American slavery, which as Matthew Desmond wrote in the New York Times, was the low road to capitalism. It was slavery that created America's first millionaires, the Mississippi Valley had more millionaires on the eve of the Civil War than anywhere in America. New Orleans had a higher concentration of banking capital than New York. This was the underpinning of the wealth generation behind the other great American story. American Capitalism.
We are proud to herald the great and shining American truths, and too often obscure hid or reimagine the darker truths. But it is impossible to tell the authentic story of America without embracing the hard truths, to see the fuller picture, to understand the tradeoffs that were made, even the harm that was done to arrive at this moment in time. As we talked about this, I gained a new, more complete perspective of America. While I had known all the parts before, I had never really accepted them as authentic parts of the whole. For a moment, without judgment, I understood why acknowledging and accepting the entire history, good and bad, is critical to moving forward, to lead with courage and authenticity.
It reminded me of a chapter in Peter Bregman's great work, Leading With Emotional Courage. He writes "When we avoid the suffering we naturally experience as human beings, we perpetuate it and act against our best interests (and the interests of others) in our relationships with our colleagues and the people we manage as well as with our families. The act of diving deeply into the feelings we avoid... is our only hope of breaking our link in the chain of hurt, suffering, and ineffectiveness." (186) I am often in awe of how the world is ever-evolving. Things that were unimaginable a few decades ago are common today. I do not even have to share any examples because the one you are thinking of right now is the most powerful one for you. In the world of leadership, in life, and in business, I am marveling how right now, whether we are paying attention or trying to look away, the value of authenticity, the cost of untruth is growing is accelerating. We all know that the truth hurts, being open can be frightening, and there can be a cost to bad behavior. The leaders who excel today and who are best prepared for tomorrow, embrace and expose their whole self with emotional courage.
Like the house in Sheffield, we are made up of a variety of rooms, some refined and some incomplete, some that make perfect sense, some whose reason is still to be revealed. Our friends, co-workers, the people we lead, even our families know when we are open, honest, and authentic. This is the place of true leadership, true connection, and truly living. As Michelle Tillis Lederman says in the 11 Laws of Likability "the real you is the best you." It is also the only you you've got.
Week 34 of 52 weeks of giving: Southern Poverty Law Center
The SPLC is the premier U.S. non-profit organization monitoring the activities of domestic hate groups and other extremists. They’re currently tracking more than 1,600 extremist groups operating across the country. We publish investigative reports, train law enforcement officers and share key intelligence, and offer expert analysis to the media and public.Â
PLEASE VOTE for Asheesh Advani for The Tony Hsieh Award
I am delighted to share that Asheesh Advani, one of our star members of 100 Coaches, is a Top 3 Finalist for The Tony Hsieh Award. Please join me in submitting your vote for Asheesh online here before Friday’s deadline. As many of you know, Asheesh has led Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide to become one of the top 10 non-profit organizations in the world. Under his leadership, JA has helped millions of young people around the world to gain access to critical job skills, entrepreneurship education, and a mindset for resilience and success. Many members have coached JA’s leaders and are passionate supporters of the organization, starting with Marshall and Mark who both serve as Chancellors of JA University, Fiona Macaulay who serves on the Board of Governors, and Robert Glazer, Rodney Moses, and Lindsey Pollack who serve on the JA Global Council. You can learn more about Asheesh’s decentralized and entrepreneurial style of leadership on the Award website
 Thank you to Keith Ferrazzi for his passionate work to bring this award to life as an effort to honor the legacy of Tony Hsieh, a leader who believed in authenticity and empowerment. Please submit your vote online (it takes less than a minute) to help keep his legacy alive! Congratulations to Asheesh and JA Worldwide on achieving this recognition.
You Are Enough by Charlene Wheeless
From renowned businesswoman and communications visionary Charlene Wheeless comes an inspiring memoir about facing life’s struggles with unrelenting courage and strength. Part memoir, part motivational guide, and a clear roadmap for thriving in career and in life, YOU ARE ENOUGH! draws from Wheeless’s experiences climbing the corporate ladder and battling breast cancer to illustrate life lessons for others. Personal recollections are used to demonstrate that women have to contend with a glass ceiling and for Black women, a concrete wall that makes it impossible even to see what lies on the other side, much less determine how to get there. Wheeless shares advice on how she navigated the route to reclaim her career and life. For Wheeless, this means busting up stereotypes, breaking down barriers, and flat-out refusing to be ignored, pigeonholed, or forgotten. https://tinyurl.com/wheeless2021
The Empowered Employee by Richard Edelman
The upcoming Edelman Trust study seeks to answer the fundamental question of what matters most to the Empowered Employee. Becky Frankiewicz, CEO of Manpower US, told me that wages are no longer the primary motivator for employee retention. The new compact requires workplace flexibility, a voice in company policy, and a sense of higher purpose. It will also demand re-training and upskilling to cope with the rapid onset of automation. Two-thirds of employees and two-thirds of consumers told us that they believe that they can change company or brand policy; they are the new super-powers in corporate governance. Read a few key insights from the discussion:Â https://www.edelman.com/insights/empowered-employee-6-am-richard-edelman?utm_campaign=6am&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=organic+social&utm_content=1627512932
Why Your Vision May Be Nothing More Than An Idea by Ruth Gotian based on Oleg Konovalov's book
To succeed, every leader and organization must have a clearly understood, communicated, and executed vision. It is a vision that differentiates between a person who leads, and one who executes someone else’s vision. While leaders should plan and execute a vision for their organization, you should be developing a vision for your career; if not, you might as well start planning its funeral. https://tinyurl.com/morethanidea2021
 With love and gratitude
Scott