Authenticity In The Workplace

Dr. Dewett provided many key ideas that we often forget or need to be reminded of as we go through our careers. It was very rewarding to hear ideas that each of us have within our control, that we just need to draw from to make ourselves better leaders and to help others become better leaders. The primary idea for me was that of authenticity. In our corporate culture, authenticity tends to be diluted. Authenticity is more than being a professional because people what to know who we are as a person (T. Dewett, personal communication, February 27, 2016). While we have to manage impressions often times we are fearful of revealing who we really are. Many of us have either been educated to believe, or we have followed social norms dictating that …show more content…
Decision making is difficult because all decisions have consequences (T. Dewett, personal communication, February 27, 2016). The best answer may not always be clear and may lie in a grey area. Consequently, right from wrong is not always clear. People who lack values clarity or a moral compass may find it more difficult to make good decisions. Decision models are an academic approach and will help in some situations, but we must arm ourselves with clarity to help us make good decisions when we are in the grey area. When we just “roll” with it, decisions are not very impressive and shows a lack of clarity (T. Dewett, personal communication, February 27, 2016). When we do make mistakes, perspective is everything. We must learn from our mistakes with a positive attitude. We have the choice to frame problems and decisions in a positive or a negative way. Our colleagues may not always like the decisions we make but we cannot fall into the popularity trap. As I told my daughter when she went off to college, being a leader is not always popular but it’s better to be unpopular with the right conscience than to make bad decisions that leads to regret and bad