Counterpoint

Dissonance

This issue will be very different from the others.

I’m frantically writing this on Saturday afternoon so the newsletter can go out today.

My usual process involves hammering out the first draft earlier in the week, followed by refining and editing on Friday.

But yesterday, I posted my concern with some of the storytelling I’d seen on X and it ended up getting quite a bit of traction.

It was clear I had touched upon something that resonated.

Although I had an entirely different topic planned for today, I’ve decided to put that aside and instead continue the discussion here.

I’ve previously written about authenticity and its importance in leadership, brand development, and creating community.

I define authenticity as the alignment between two critical components:

1. Self-understanding

2. The honest communication of self to others

Both require clarity in the nuances of human nature as well as intentionality.

Conversely, inauthenticity occurs when there is misalignment between who you are and what you communicate. 

As a woman of color, I’ve seen businesses misstep this countless times. 

When a brand shares colorful images and posts during Pride month to gain social traction… yet once it’s over, they produce no other similar content. Their website and messaging doesn’t include a single representation of that community.

When a brand declares diversity and inclusion as being core organization values… yet their company retreat photos showcase a team without a single person of color.

When a brand positions themselves as an advocate for gender equality…yet their entire board is composed of men.

Authenticity demands self-honesty, a reckoning with the truth of who you are and what you value.

Authenticity is a reflection, not a construction.

The greater issue I have is with a disturbing trend I’ve seen in the personal brand space. 

More and more posts have flooded my feed in which people use vulnerability (under the guise of authenticity) to garner superficial empathy for a sale.

Not only is it a cheap tactical ploy, but the ramifications and impact of that behavior are deeply concerning.

The word “vulnerable” comes from the Latin root vulnus which means “wound”.

When we examine it from that lens, vulnerability – or the act of being vulnerable – is one of the most difficult things for someone to do. 

It is the literal exposing of a pain that may have healed but remains tender and unprotected.

Sharing vulnerability is a sacred trust, a gesture that echoes with the beautiful fragility of human mortality.

A few days ago, I posted a simple question: “What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done?”

The question arose from my own curiosity about my followers – what were their stories? 

The answers floored me.

The vulnerability people expressed in that post is a tremendous gift, an infinitely precious treasure that I do not take lightly.

How beautiful – how courageous – for them to articulate the most painful moments of their lives. 

By doing so, they provided solidarity and hope for those currently facing their own difficulties.

Whether you are building a personal brand or leading an organization, we all have a collective responsibility in how our messaging and actions affect and impact others.

Being careless with that gift by turning it into a revenue generating tactic is such a disservice to those who have the bravery to be open and vulnerable about their struggles and journeys.

One cannot manufacture lived experience.

One cannot manufacture connection.

One cannot manufacture trust.

Harmony

The question then becomes: 

What is real authenticity? 

How does real vulnerability find its place in the stories we share?  

Here are a few examples I’ve come across recently:

• In the latest issue of his newsletter, Michael wrote about the complex topic of envy by sharing a difficult experience from his childhood. 

His emotional intelligence and thoughtfulness radiate through every word. 

• Kat boldly challenged readers to re-examine their fears and limiting beliefs by sharing her deeply personal experience of coming to terms with her own mortality. 

Her wisdom and passion is both inspiring and humbling.

• Tineessa shared the internal doubts she faces as an entrepreneur and what she has learned about herself in the process. 

The raw honesty of her post deeply moved me and many others.

What do all of them have in common?

• All reflect their own unique voices. Their writing showcases how they think and perceive and understand themselves and the world. 

• All extend empathy and understanding to others rather than generating sympathy for themselves. They are about connection.

• All are explorations of their own specific, personally lived experiences. They are not generic, cut and paste stories.

• All are meant to be of service and to help others.

Authenticity is not about ego. 

Contrary to what many mistakenly think, sharing your experiences and opinions is not about shining the spotlight on yourself.

Real authenticity is about harnessing the power of your experiences and insight to light the way for others.

By accepting and diving into the depths of our own humanity, we remind others of theirs.

Melody

One of the key qualities of marketing leadership is to consider how the landscape may evolve and hold a vision of what may be possible over the next 1-5 years.

Part of that rests upon an intuitive understanding of the current state of the zeitgeist. This requires zooming out and examining situations from the wider lens of society and culture.

Last week, I had a conversation with a friend (another marketer) about the recent backlash against Bud Light’s influencer campaign. 

My friend’s marketing / brand take?

Bud Light was being inauthentic.They tried to do something they didn’t genuinely believe in and the audience knew it.

I agree. 

It was a performative move (much like the examples I gave earlier) to generate sales for a declining brand and it backfired. 

But I also believe that example showcases the larger societal and cultural issue of how much transphobia still exists in this country.

If we apply that lens to authenticity in content creation, a similarly larger issue appears.

The inability for so many to understand authentic expression is an indication of how poor of a job our society has done in educating and nurturing emotional intelligence.

It’s proof of how much more self-work, healing, and unlearning is necessary for elevating communication, discourse, and human connection.

We have a long way to go.  

But these discussions – and the contribution of your unique voice – will be critical components in driving fundamental change. 

I hope you’ll be part of it. 

.

---

---