So it's strange that being authentic is something business is pretty bad at. It's not just that it's hard for businesses to show they're doing what they say, but often that what they say sounds inauthentic in the first place.
“One of the most salient features of our culture is that there's so much bullshit,”
observed Harry Frankfurt at Princeton University in 2005. And when she was a full-time Financial Times journalist, Lucy Kellaway spent years picking off the worst examples from the business world. Among the best (by which we mean worst)…
… The Federal Reserve calling a 2005 report 'Robustifying Learnability',
… Irene Rosenfeld of Kraft describing herself as the “CEO of Joy”,
… John Cahill, global CEO of McCann Health, saying “Doubling down on our humanness will be the magic in how we drive better outcomes.”
… a twenty-something Estée Lauder employee saying “Senior leadership was ecstatic about the level of ideation that came from this session.”
… and Eversheds, a frumpy law firm, which in 2007, tried to appeal to young recruits by looking for "knowlivators, innovateers, performibutors, proactilopers, prioricators and winnomats" – the last being a particularly unwinning combination of winners and diplomats.
But some businesses manage to avoid the bullshit and the fact that it's the leaders of those businesses doing it is impressive because leaders are unusual people and it's hard for them to sound authentic. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway is one of the world's greatest investors, and the 93-year-old billionaire has a devout following of people who admire his track record and appreciate his sage advice on life and investing. He is gifted in explaining complex topics in a digestible format. In his annual letter to shareholders, published on February 24th 2024, he said,
“Communicate simply, avoid bad people and don’t get wrapped up in the mythos of 'big risk, big reward.'”
He also said "Within capitalism, some businesses will flourish for a very long time while others will prove to be sinkholes. It’s harder than you would think to predict which will be the winners and losers. And those who tell you they know the answer are usually either self-delusional or snake-oil salesmen."
Another example of authenticity, literally at work. When the World Trade Centre Twins Towers were attacked – and knowing all her employees were safe – Dame Marjorie Scordino, then CEO of Pearson sent this email to all 28,000 employees worldwide:
Dear everyone,
I want to make sure you know that our priority is that you are safe and sound in body and mind. Be guided by what you and your families need right now. There is no meeting you have to go to and no plane you have to get on if you don't feel comfortable doing it. For now, look after yourselves and your families, and to look to Pearson to help you in any way we can.
There's a fine line for business to walk, balancing confidence with not knowing, setting out plans not just platitudes. Both Warren Buffet and Dame Marjorie Scardino understand that their ability to strategise has been tested many times, yet their capacity to make people to feel connected to the business and sustain meaningful relationships also matters.
Authenticity, it seems, is about knowing who you're talking to, being simple, truthful, human and not sounding too clever. That's hard to do. But in a world of disinformation, trolls, bias, lies and deep fakes, those who foster trust and build mutual understanding in the long term are more likely to win.