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Get Real - Matt Neale, Golin Harris
INSIGHT ARTICLE
Matt Neale is co-managing director of GolinHarris, Europe
A couple of years ago, GolinHarris published “The Next 50 Years,” a booklet intended to share our view of the future and how emerging trends would impact communications. Among our predictions, we suggested that the USA would soon elect an African-American president. We also said that authenticity would emerge as central to earning trust. These two ideas intersected in an unprecedented way in 2008. Every day the world's political and business leaders perform in front of voters, employees, shareholders and the general public. Every word is weighed, every deed dissected — in print, on air, online and in person. Perhaps the biggest stage for communications was the recent American presidential election campaign, which became a referendum on reality.
Or more importantly, who is real and who isn't. In the 2008 election, many of the candidates were authentic — at least to certain segments of the population. Hillary Clinton was a hard-working woman who understood the plight of the blue collar worker. John McCain was a war hero and a maverick. Sarah Palin was a small town “hockey mom” who loved to hunt. And Barack Obama was an unflappable change agent with a diverse, multicultural background.
But as this election demonstrated, it isn't enough to simply be authentic. It is how that authenticity is
applied.
Clinton didn't find her true voice until the primary was half over. Palin seemed “just like me” until the
media discovered that someone paid $150,000 for her wardrobe. McCain began his campaign on the
“straight talk express” but veered off course along the way. Obama never stopped talking about change.
In the end, was the winner more real than the others? Or did Obama just convey his message so consistently and effectively that voters grew comfortable with who he really was?
Since we first suggested that authenticity is “permeating our culture and changing our business,” countless academics have written articles on the importance of being authentic. That is no longer a secret. But the logical real world questions remain unanswered: Where do I get it? And how should I communicate it?
The answer lies in how we apply authenticity. That is the key to victory even in the most challenging
times.
We now live in a world where there are no secrets . . . on the campaign trail, in Hollywood, in the City or
anywhere else. All public-facing organizations will come to realize that they must honestly define who
they are, and then candidly tell their story. And that's the purpose of this piece: to deconstruct the
concept of authenticity so you may apply it to your particular circumstance. Consider it an owner's
manual . . . a twelve-step program for Authentic change.
What you see is what you get.
In the ‘90s, most executives believed that an organization was nothing without a mission statement.
They hung them in every cubicle and conference room. Certainly, as a unifying agreement on destination, a stated mission was helpful. But the process often skipped a vital step because journeys have beginnings as well as endings. Without a clear understanding of where you are starting, you can easily get lost. What are you at your core? Behind your facade? Beyond your mission? These questions apply not only to the leader of the group, but to the personality of your entire company. It can't be transferred, can't be copied and can't be bought. It's not the business suit you wear or the building where you work, it's the soul underneath. It's authenticity, and to make it work, you must accept that one size does not fit all. Here's how to find yourself . . .
Step 1: Look in a Different Mirror
Imagine a session dedicated to taking a hard look at what your organization really is today. Now picture
the senior executives around the table. The ones you probably envision are those most important and
closest to your organization. While they bring intimate knowledge, they lack objectivity. They carry a
predisposition to defend what's already been done, and a reflex to protect their own status and
compensation.
Begin with two questions: What are our weaknesses? What are we doing wrong? Then consider this: Are the people sitting with you the best equipped to answer these questions?
Populate your table with critics, customers, competitors, new hires and former employees. They are the envoys to authenticity. Insist that the final definition of what you are includes those without a vested interest in the outcome. Allow them to identify your best and worst features. Then use that image toplot your course. Their photograph will be much more realistic than your self portrait.
It won't be easy. But authenticity starts here.
Step 2. Link Your Products to your Purpose
Growing your organization, in terms of either balance sheet or strategy, typically begins with market
analysis. Pie charts and data tables abound. Goals might include increasing share in one sector, or
inventing a new one. Either way, you point beyond where you are now.
We can all cite examples of organizations that entered into businesses they didn't understand, or
pretended to possess competencies that didn't exist. The global finance meltdown was created largely
by inventors and conveyers of complex financial instruments who now freely admit they really didn't
know what they were doing.
In the business world, proposed change is usually judged against the benchmark of how much will this
make us? The first question really should be: Is this who we are?
To gain a perspective on whether what you make fits with who you are, create an org chart populated
not with people but with products and services. Show how they ladder up to your vision. Then provide
the rationale for each component of the business. This exercise will help you understand and explain the
deeper purpose behind what you produce. If customers truly understand why you believe in a product,
they will more readily deem it to be authentic.
Step 3. Walk the Talk
Today, most brands find the acronym CSR as relevant as CEO. Nearly every major corporation dedicates
resources to improving some aspect of society by addressing critical issues like literacy, poverty or the
environment. But even well-intended social outreach can fall flat if the program is too far removed from
the programmer. There is nothing authentic about merely writing a check.
But many are doing it right. Nintendo donates specially designed “Fun Centers” to children's hospitals,
while ASDA helps to get food parcels to British troops working with The Sun.
Each program works because it's authentically linked to what the company stands for. If you can find a
cause that is connected to your business, meaningful to your employees or relevant to your customers,
you will maximize the value it has for your reputation.
Step 4. Work Inside Out
Capitalism has always been seen as a zero sum game. Beyond fixed costs lies the essential decision
on how to divide discretionary revenues between executives, shareholders and employees. For the
last quarter century, the pendulum has swung widely to the shareholders and executives, spurred by
quarterly targets and rewarded with outsized pay packages.
Now it is swinging the other way. When General Motors executives flew in private jets to Washington
seeking £10 billion in taxpayer's money for a plan that included 47,000 layoffs . . . those workers were
paying attention.
Just like charity, authenticity begins at home. In our recent corporate citizenship survey, consumers said
the way companies treat their employees is one of the most important criteria for evaluating an
organization.
Your people should be your most important “cause.” Before you make a significant business decision,
ask for their advice. Before you communicate a position to investors or the press, tell them first. Before
you run an ad, preview it internally. If you can't do it with everyone, select a “challenge” group to
represent the broader population. Engaging your employees is as simple as it is essential to your ultimate success.
In a transparent world, human resources equals human rights and internal communications is just as
important as external. Employees are your most authentic ambassadors. If they publicly support your
actions, others will too.
TELL IT LIKE IT IS
Gillette has paid millions to Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry to promote disposable
razors. Dove gets real women to talk about their new hair reducing deodorant. Which do you think is
more authentic?
New media channels are exploding around us, like a fireworks finale across a summer sky. Look at what
people trust most. Personal profiles on Facebook. Handheld videos on YouTube. Consumer ratings on
CNET. And most of all, the opinions of “PLUs”—people like us.
There is a difference between what people sense is real and what corporations try to convince them is
real.
Here are ways to bridge the gap . . .
Step 5. Find Real Stories
Every organization, no matter how small or mundane, has stories to tell. Its true character is best
captured by simple anecdotes that reflect the values of the organization. The biggest challenge is
unearthing them.
At our agency, every employee can recite the story about Al Golin making a cold call to McDonald's
founder Ray Kroc more than 50 years ago. 53 years later they use the same agency.
If these stories don't rise to the surface at your company, you have to mine for them. Hire a historian or
an investigative journalist to spend a week inside your walls interviewing your veterans. They will find
the nuggets. Or ask managers to provide more recent examples of employees who are living your
values. They see them every day. Or use your intranet to collect them directly from your people.
Once you have compiled the narratives, develop the best ones and incorporate them into speeches,
town halls and annual reports. You don't need hundreds. A few rich stories can convey everything you
need to know about a culture.
Every person in your organization has a story to tell. So do customers and business partners. You don't
have to convince everyone that you are authentic. Other people's stories will do it for you.
Step 6. Use Real Words
Real stories will fall flat if they're told in someone else's words. For decades, advertising creatives and
PR people have used fancy phrases and pretty pictures to paint a flattering portrait of a client's product.
Every word and image chosen to convey just the right message. The problem today is consumers don't
buy it. And, for the most part, they don't want it.
Perfectly crafted photos, descriptions and endorsements create unachievable expectations that can only
lead to disappointment. Studies have shown that average people find everyday language to be more
credible. A customer book review on Amazon.com carries more weight than the publisher's description.
Even grammatical errors add to believability.
We're not suggesting communications professionals start adding typos to their copy. But the tone and
meaning of what's being said can't be manufactured. In this era of authenticity, giving people a voice
also means letting them use their own voice.
Step 7. Trust in Transparency
When speaking about business ethics, Al Golin recalls, “There is no such thing as the good old days. The
only difference is back then people didn't get caught.”
Today, citizens of the internet have access to almost as much information about your organization as
you do, and they are eager to share it with anyone who will listen. There's no point in disguising poor
products or hiding bad behavior. Eventually the truth will be revealed.
Think of the tough questions people are likely to ask and answer them before they have a chance to.
Openness equals authenticity.
Step 8. Unleash the CEO
Most celebrities, politicians and CEOs are so over managed that we never really get to know who they
are. In an era of shrinking corporate credibility, it can be tempting to keep your CEO out of the spotlight.
But fear isn't a winning communications strategy.
Some leaders are unquestionably effective. It is hard to imagine Apple without the vision of Steve Jobs
at its core. But a CEO doesn't have to possess Barack Obama's oratory skills to be credible. In fact, a
more informal, personal approach can be the most authentic. Jim Skinner, CEO of McDonald's, who
started at the company 37 years ago as an assistant manager, is a mild-mannered executive. But when
he speaks plainly about his “Plan to Win,” people listen.
Most senior executives have reached their positions because they understand their industries and love
their companies. Let them tell their stories — without scripts, ghostwriters, teleprompters and multimedia
presentations. Allow them to conduct one-on-one media interviews without an entourage. Put them on a media tour to secondary markets. Encourage them to call a journalist once in a while. The reward will be worth the risk.
Just remind them to be consistent. It may seem repetitive to recite the same messages over and over,
but knowing what someone really stands for builds trust. Even among those who disagree with their
opinion.
Step 9. Empower the People
There is something fake about using actors to play real people. Consumers can usually tell the difference
between a stock photo and a real one or a doctor and someone who “plays one on TV.” So when it
comes to telling your story, let the real people star. They might need a little training but your brand
ambassadors don't need to be cast. Your employees and your customers already play those roles in real
life, representing and reporting on your organization at every family gathering and coffee shop chat.
Team Nintendo, an elite group of video game spokespeople, is comprised solely of young staff who
spend most of their time working at the company's customer help desk, providing assistance to callers
who can't figure out how to get Mario to the next level. They know the right answers.
The future is finding the right spokespeople in your midst, people who sincerely represent what makes
your organization run at its own distinct rhythm.
They already know who you are. So let them speak.
Step 10. Join the Crowd
Fifty years ago, Ray Kroc believed that he could build business by connecting with the community.
Today his basic concept is truer than ever — even though the notion of community has changed
radically. In 2009, it is estimated that 1.6 billion people globally will participate in the more than 150
major social networks on the Internet — each a tribe with its own unique culture. This is where the real
conversations take place and any company that wants to be taken seriously needs to be part of that
dialogue.
Future leaders must possess the ability to manage multiple conversations. They will benefit from social
media training to enhance their online communications skills, enabling them to be authentic
representatives of the company they work for. Conversationalists are among your most valued assets.
Helping them find their voice will help you reach your goals.
In the corporate world, YouTube may not be considered a reliable source of information, but more than
5 billion videos are watched there every month and a growing percentage are related to business.
More than 100 companies, such as Pepsi, Disney and Orange, have established their own channels
where they build and group content.
Of course, there's some danger here. On the Web, those deemed inauthentic will be called out and
chastised. We saw this with the CEO of Whole Foods, who used a false identity to promote his
company's stock.
Accept that you no longer control your message, your brand or your reputation. All that is being built for
you — by people you've never met. The prize is a virtual badge of authenticity that can't be purchased
in the offline world. Take a deep breath and jump in.
Step 11. Engage Friends and Foes
They're out there, they're watching, and they're talking behind your back. Stakeholders want their
interests met, and any effort to give them the slip is doomed to fail. NGOs, regulators, analysts, unions,
vendors, customers and all the others will not be denied. They will find a way in. Resist the impulse to
hide — go out and find them.
We live in an era of global diplomacy and to advance we must proactively engage with our enemies as
well as our friends. Begin the process with an analysis of who's likely to be on your side and who's not.
Who can help you and who can hurt you. Develop a profile of every group to fully understand their
objectives and their tactics. Then assign someone to listen to their point-of-view and engage them in a
dialogue.
Step 12. Be Humble
Applying authenticity can be tricky. If you try too hard to appear authentic, you won't. If you say you are
authentic, you aren't. Tooting your own horn doesn't work. Authenticity is not marketing. It's not what
you tell people you are. It's what they say about you when you're not around.
People like to discover for themselves who and what they think is relevant to their lives. A dose of
humility is a critical ingredient in that discovery. Movie producer Mel Brooks once said, “If you've got it,
flaunt it.” In today's social and economic environment, the opposite is true. Private planes and lavish
corporate junkets are out of fashion.
North Face, the outdoor apparel and equipment retailer, understood this reality when, instead of using
a hotel for its dealer meeting, the company created a base camp where 400 executives and business
partners slept in sleeping bags and gave presentations around campfires.
Being humble also means admitting you are not always right. If you aren't happy with your organization's performance, say so. If you have made a mistake, admit it. However, simply saying you're sorry is no longer enough. Today's public demands accountability. The actions you take to rectify a problem are often more important than the problem itself. Authenticity comes with responsibility.
© Copyright 2009 GolinHarris. All rights reserved.
A couple of years ago, GolinHarris published “The Next 50 Years,” a booklet intended to share our view of the future and how emerging trends would impact communications. Among our predictions, we suggested that the USA would soon elect an African-American president. We also said that authenticity would emerge as central to earning trust. These two ideas intersected in an unprecedented way in 2008. Every day the world's political and business leaders perform in front of voters, employees, shareholders and the general public. Every word is weighed, every deed dissected — in print, on air, online and in person. Perhaps the biggest stage for communications was the recent American presidential election campaign, which became a referendum on reality.
Or more importantly, who is real and who isn't. In the 2008 election, many of the candidates were authentic — at least to certain segments of the population. Hillary Clinton was a hard-working woman who understood the plight of the blue collar worker. John McCain was a war hero and a maverick. Sarah Palin was a small town “hockey mom” who loved to hunt. And Barack Obama was an unflappable change agent with a diverse, multicultural background.
But as this election demonstrated, it isn't enough to simply be authentic. It is how that authenticity is
applied.
Clinton didn't find her true voice until the primary was half over. Palin seemed “just like me” until the
media discovered that someone paid $150,000 for her wardrobe. McCain began his campaign on the
“straight talk express” but veered off course along the way. Obama never stopped talking about change.
In the end, was the winner more real than the others? Or did Obama just convey his message so consistently and effectively that voters grew comfortable with who he really was?
Since we first suggested that authenticity is “permeating our culture and changing our business,” countless academics have written articles on the importance of being authentic. That is no longer a secret. But the logical real world questions remain unanswered: Where do I get it? And how should I communicate it?
The answer lies in how we apply authenticity. That is the key to victory even in the most challenging
times.
We now live in a world where there are no secrets . . . on the campaign trail, in Hollywood, in the City or
anywhere else. All public-facing organizations will come to realize that they must honestly define who
they are, and then candidly tell their story. And that's the purpose of this piece: to deconstruct the
concept of authenticity so you may apply it to your particular circumstance. Consider it an owner's
manual . . . a twelve-step program for Authentic change.
What you see is what you get.
In the ‘90s, most executives believed that an organization was nothing without a mission statement.
They hung them in every cubicle and conference room. Certainly, as a unifying agreement on destination, a stated mission was helpful. But the process often skipped a vital step because journeys have beginnings as well as endings. Without a clear understanding of where you are starting, you can easily get lost. What are you at your core? Behind your facade? Beyond your mission? These questions apply not only to the leader of the group, but to the personality of your entire company. It can't be transferred, can't be copied and can't be bought. It's not the business suit you wear or the building where you work, it's the soul underneath. It's authenticity, and to make it work, you must accept that one size does not fit all. Here's how to find yourself . . .
Step 1: Look in a Different Mirror
Imagine a session dedicated to taking a hard look at what your organization really is today. Now picture
the senior executives around the table. The ones you probably envision are those most important and
closest to your organization. While they bring intimate knowledge, they lack objectivity. They carry a
predisposition to defend what's already been done, and a reflex to protect their own status and
compensation.
Begin with two questions: What are our weaknesses? What are we doing wrong? Then consider this: Are the people sitting with you the best equipped to answer these questions?
Populate your table with critics, customers, competitors, new hires and former employees. They are the envoys to authenticity. Insist that the final definition of what you are includes those without a vested interest in the outcome. Allow them to identify your best and worst features. Then use that image toplot your course. Their photograph will be much more realistic than your self portrait.
It won't be easy. But authenticity starts here.
Step 2. Link Your Products to your Purpose
Growing your organization, in terms of either balance sheet or strategy, typically begins with market
analysis. Pie charts and data tables abound. Goals might include increasing share in one sector, or
inventing a new one. Either way, you point beyond where you are now.
We can all cite examples of organizations that entered into businesses they didn't understand, or
pretended to possess competencies that didn't exist. The global finance meltdown was created largely
by inventors and conveyers of complex financial instruments who now freely admit they really didn't
know what they were doing.
In the business world, proposed change is usually judged against the benchmark of how much will this
make us? The first question really should be: Is this who we are?
To gain a perspective on whether what you make fits with who you are, create an org chart populated
not with people but with products and services. Show how they ladder up to your vision. Then provide
the rationale for each component of the business. This exercise will help you understand and explain the
deeper purpose behind what you produce. If customers truly understand why you believe in a product,
they will more readily deem it to be authentic.
Step 3. Walk the Talk
Today, most brands find the acronym CSR as relevant as CEO. Nearly every major corporation dedicates
resources to improving some aspect of society by addressing critical issues like literacy, poverty or the
environment. But even well-intended social outreach can fall flat if the program is too far removed from
the programmer. There is nothing authentic about merely writing a check.
But many are doing it right. Nintendo donates specially designed “Fun Centers” to children's hospitals,
while ASDA helps to get food parcels to British troops working with The Sun.
Each program works because it's authentically linked to what the company stands for. If you can find a
cause that is connected to your business, meaningful to your employees or relevant to your customers,
you will maximize the value it has for your reputation.
Step 4. Work Inside Out
Capitalism has always been seen as a zero sum game. Beyond fixed costs lies the essential decision
on how to divide discretionary revenues between executives, shareholders and employees. For the
last quarter century, the pendulum has swung widely to the shareholders and executives, spurred by
quarterly targets and rewarded with outsized pay packages.
Now it is swinging the other way. When General Motors executives flew in private jets to Washington
seeking £10 billion in taxpayer's money for a plan that included 47,000 layoffs . . . those workers were
paying attention.
Just like charity, authenticity begins at home. In our recent corporate citizenship survey, consumers said
the way companies treat their employees is one of the most important criteria for evaluating an
organization.
Your people should be your most important “cause.” Before you make a significant business decision,
ask for their advice. Before you communicate a position to investors or the press, tell them first. Before
you run an ad, preview it internally. If you can't do it with everyone, select a “challenge” group to
represent the broader population. Engaging your employees is as simple as it is essential to your ultimate success.
In a transparent world, human resources equals human rights and internal communications is just as
important as external. Employees are your most authentic ambassadors. If they publicly support your
actions, others will too.
TELL IT LIKE IT IS
Gillette has paid millions to Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry to promote disposable
razors. Dove gets real women to talk about their new hair reducing deodorant. Which do you think is
more authentic?
New media channels are exploding around us, like a fireworks finale across a summer sky. Look at what
people trust most. Personal profiles on Facebook. Handheld videos on YouTube. Consumer ratings on
CNET. And most of all, the opinions of “PLUs”—people like us.
There is a difference between what people sense is real and what corporations try to convince them is
real.
Here are ways to bridge the gap . . .
Step 5. Find Real Stories
Every organization, no matter how small or mundane, has stories to tell. Its true character is best
captured by simple anecdotes that reflect the values of the organization. The biggest challenge is
unearthing them.
At our agency, every employee can recite the story about Al Golin making a cold call to McDonald's
founder Ray Kroc more than 50 years ago. 53 years later they use the same agency.
If these stories don't rise to the surface at your company, you have to mine for them. Hire a historian or
an investigative journalist to spend a week inside your walls interviewing your veterans. They will find
the nuggets. Or ask managers to provide more recent examples of employees who are living your
values. They see them every day. Or use your intranet to collect them directly from your people.
Once you have compiled the narratives, develop the best ones and incorporate them into speeches,
town halls and annual reports. You don't need hundreds. A few rich stories can convey everything you
need to know about a culture.
Every person in your organization has a story to tell. So do customers and business partners. You don't
have to convince everyone that you are authentic. Other people's stories will do it for you.
Step 6. Use Real Words
Real stories will fall flat if they're told in someone else's words. For decades, advertising creatives and
PR people have used fancy phrases and pretty pictures to paint a flattering portrait of a client's product.
Every word and image chosen to convey just the right message. The problem today is consumers don't
buy it. And, for the most part, they don't want it.
Perfectly crafted photos, descriptions and endorsements create unachievable expectations that can only
lead to disappointment. Studies have shown that average people find everyday language to be more
credible. A customer book review on Amazon.com carries more weight than the publisher's description.
Even grammatical errors add to believability.
We're not suggesting communications professionals start adding typos to their copy. But the tone and
meaning of what's being said can't be manufactured. In this era of authenticity, giving people a voice
also means letting them use their own voice.
Step 7. Trust in Transparency
When speaking about business ethics, Al Golin recalls, “There is no such thing as the good old days. The
only difference is back then people didn't get caught.”
Today, citizens of the internet have access to almost as much information about your organization as
you do, and they are eager to share it with anyone who will listen. There's no point in disguising poor
products or hiding bad behavior. Eventually the truth will be revealed.
Think of the tough questions people are likely to ask and answer them before they have a chance to.
Openness equals authenticity.
Step 8. Unleash the CEO
Most celebrities, politicians and CEOs are so over managed that we never really get to know who they
are. In an era of shrinking corporate credibility, it can be tempting to keep your CEO out of the spotlight.
But fear isn't a winning communications strategy.
Some leaders are unquestionably effective. It is hard to imagine Apple without the vision of Steve Jobs
at its core. But a CEO doesn't have to possess Barack Obama's oratory skills to be credible. In fact, a
more informal, personal approach can be the most authentic. Jim Skinner, CEO of McDonald's, who
started at the company 37 years ago as an assistant manager, is a mild-mannered executive. But when
he speaks plainly about his “Plan to Win,” people listen.
Most senior executives have reached their positions because they understand their industries and love
their companies. Let them tell their stories — without scripts, ghostwriters, teleprompters and multimedia
presentations. Allow them to conduct one-on-one media interviews without an entourage. Put them on a media tour to secondary markets. Encourage them to call a journalist once in a while. The reward will be worth the risk.
Just remind them to be consistent. It may seem repetitive to recite the same messages over and over,
but knowing what someone really stands for builds trust. Even among those who disagree with their
opinion.
Step 9. Empower the People
There is something fake about using actors to play real people. Consumers can usually tell the difference
between a stock photo and a real one or a doctor and someone who “plays one on TV.” So when it
comes to telling your story, let the real people star. They might need a little training but your brand
ambassadors don't need to be cast. Your employees and your customers already play those roles in real
life, representing and reporting on your organization at every family gathering and coffee shop chat.
Team Nintendo, an elite group of video game spokespeople, is comprised solely of young staff who
spend most of their time working at the company's customer help desk, providing assistance to callers
who can't figure out how to get Mario to the next level. They know the right answers.
The future is finding the right spokespeople in your midst, people who sincerely represent what makes
your organization run at its own distinct rhythm.
They already know who you are. So let them speak.
Step 10. Join the Crowd
Fifty years ago, Ray Kroc believed that he could build business by connecting with the community.
Today his basic concept is truer than ever — even though the notion of community has changed
radically. In 2009, it is estimated that 1.6 billion people globally will participate in the more than 150
major social networks on the Internet — each a tribe with its own unique culture. This is where the real
conversations take place and any company that wants to be taken seriously needs to be part of that
dialogue.
Future leaders must possess the ability to manage multiple conversations. They will benefit from social
media training to enhance their online communications skills, enabling them to be authentic
representatives of the company they work for. Conversationalists are among your most valued assets.
Helping them find their voice will help you reach your goals.
In the corporate world, YouTube may not be considered a reliable source of information, but more than
5 billion videos are watched there every month and a growing percentage are related to business.
More than 100 companies, such as Pepsi, Disney and Orange, have established their own channels
where they build and group content.
Of course, there's some danger here. On the Web, those deemed inauthentic will be called out and
chastised. We saw this with the CEO of Whole Foods, who used a false identity to promote his
company's stock.
Accept that you no longer control your message, your brand or your reputation. All that is being built for
you — by people you've never met. The prize is a virtual badge of authenticity that can't be purchased
in the offline world. Take a deep breath and jump in.
Step 11. Engage Friends and Foes
They're out there, they're watching, and they're talking behind your back. Stakeholders want their
interests met, and any effort to give them the slip is doomed to fail. NGOs, regulators, analysts, unions,
vendors, customers and all the others will not be denied. They will find a way in. Resist the impulse to
hide — go out and find them.
We live in an era of global diplomacy and to advance we must proactively engage with our enemies as
well as our friends. Begin the process with an analysis of who's likely to be on your side and who's not.
Who can help you and who can hurt you. Develop a profile of every group to fully understand their
objectives and their tactics. Then assign someone to listen to their point-of-view and engage them in a
dialogue.
Step 12. Be Humble
Applying authenticity can be tricky. If you try too hard to appear authentic, you won't. If you say you are
authentic, you aren't. Tooting your own horn doesn't work. Authenticity is not marketing. It's not what
you tell people you are. It's what they say about you when you're not around.
People like to discover for themselves who and what they think is relevant to their lives. A dose of
humility is a critical ingredient in that discovery. Movie producer Mel Brooks once said, “If you've got it,
flaunt it.” In today's social and economic environment, the opposite is true. Private planes and lavish
corporate junkets are out of fashion.
North Face, the outdoor apparel and equipment retailer, understood this reality when, instead of using
a hotel for its dealer meeting, the company created a base camp where 400 executives and business
partners slept in sleeping bags and gave presentations around campfires.
Being humble also means admitting you are not always right. If you aren't happy with your organization's performance, say so. If you have made a mistake, admit it. However, simply saying you're sorry is no longer enough. Today's public demands accountability. The actions you take to rectify a problem are often more important than the problem itself. Authenticity comes with responsibility.
© Copyright 2009 GolinHarris. All rights reserved.
