Authenticity is the quality of being true to oneself. The importance of authenticity in business ranges from MBA applications to senior leadership, and is perhaps most clearly stated by the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Their information on evaluation criteria for admission includes the following instructions to candidates:
“Take time to reflect on who you are, and have confidence. There is neither an ’ideal’ candidate nor a ’typical’ Stanford MBA student. In your application, we would like you, quite simply, to be yourself.”
Authenticity is an important factor in MBA admissions because it is critical in one’s later business career. Mary Granger, Regional Director, Asia, at Esade Business School in Barcelona, explains in correspondence on LinkedIn, “For us it is key because it will be key in the workplace. Many of us have seen inauthentic people in personal or professional life – folks who are hypocritical or inconsistent. They might be successful in the short term, until they get called out; for long-term career progression, authenticity can be a key factor.”
Authenticity In Applications
It all begins with business school applications. What are some of the ways in which prospective students manifest authenticity? One set of criteria in management theory assesses authenticity by consistency, conformity and connection, recently expanded by personality psychologists to include ongoing reassessment and development, called continuity over time. While this may seem highly theoretical, the practical implications for MBA applications are clear: the various parts of an application should hang together and confirm one another.
This can be made clear in the expected match between past actions and future goals. Consider an applicant who claims that they are passionately committed to a post-MBA goal of addressing climate change. It is be easier for this claim to sound authentic if the applicant lists years of volunteer service using their skills in data analysis to bolster arguments by a community organization that lobbies for the protection of fish in nearby waters. Such correlation between alleged values and documented actions is a sign of authenticity.
Another chance to demonstrate authenticity is in interviews. Mary Granger says, “At Esade we evaluate authenticity in the interview more than any other part of the application process. In recent years some applicants have tried to take advantage of the video interview to (theoretically clandestinely) read prepared answers. However it is often quite clear when they are doing this, as the answer could be either too ’perfectly’ expressed, or not applicable to the actual question as it was asked. Personally I try to ask questions they cannot prepare ahead of time, but if it happens, I call them on this, cautioning them that we are looking to evaluate how they think on their feet in a live classroom, when they will not have prepared answers for every situation.”
Authenticity In The MBA Classroom
Authenticity extends to encouraging business students to bring their whole selves to school. This seems tied to current interest in students’ backgrounds and identities, and a determination to make diverse students feel welcome.
“Authenticity is important to us here at Tuck,” announces the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. “That’s why our Admissions Office partners with a wide range of current students to recruit the next generation.” Presumably current students will be more forthright—more authentic—when speaking personally with prospective students.
Another example of authenticity at Tuck concerns the LGBTQ+ community. “LGBTQ+ students and allies at Tuck are instrumental in creating an MBA experience and community that educates, supports, and is authentic to their truths,” says Tuck. “Everyone at Tuck honors diversity in all its forms.”
Authenticity At Work
How does authenticity fare once idealistic young professionals leave the relatively protected space of business school? Do people in senior leadership maintain their commitment to being true to themselves? Eileen Mastrio tells her story of “Integrating Authentic Leadership with Growth,” describing her experience of a week at the Tuck Leadership and Strategic Impact Program.
“During a breakout group, participants discussed the importance of maintaining coherence between their personal beliefs and their actions, even when it’s uncomfortable,” says Mastrio. “The power of authenticity resonated throughout the week,” she says of the time she spent with other experienced leaders at Tuck.
Still, it is a challenge to remain true to oneself as we grow older. “Authenticity has become the gold standard for leadership,” says Herminia Ibarra, Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School. But what if we have outgrown the self to whom we were true? This is The Authenticity Paradox.
Ibarra is a proponent of a practice she names in the title of her book, Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career. Ibarra was elected Fellow of the British Academy for “her ground-breaking contributions to our understanding of how an individual’s professional understanding identity in the workplace evolves over time.” In short, to remain true to ourselves, we must constantly reassess who we are.
Authenticity is critical from MBA applications, through business school and all the way to senior leadership. It is a demanding, ongoing assessment of the accord between our innermost values and our behavior in the world.
Can there be any more difficult instruction than to “be yourself”?
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