THE AUTHENTICITY CHALLENGE
The Authenticity Challenge by Cindy R. Kent The race topic. Again. Let’s face it, race is a complicated subject and from all accounts, not getting any easier. Even in 2019, crucial conversations about diversity, inclusion, and equity have never been more prevalent. Yet for black folk in Corporate America, the relationship between ethnicity and authenticity remains fraught with tension. CINDY R. KENT has been a member of The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) since 2010. She was also a participant in The ELC’s 2008 Strengthening the Pipeline initiative. She is a Healthcare Executive, Corporate Director, Public Speaker and Philanthropist.
I
I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I heard an Executive Leadership Council
(ELC) officer say in an open forum of both members, as well as non-black executives from partner companies, that the focus of the organization was unapologetically black. To be honest, the statement caused me to shift in my seat, as I quickly and covertly glanced around the room to see if anyone else had had a visceral response to the statement. To be clear, we all knew that being unapologetically black was an implied and fundamental belief of the ELC, a membership organization that aims to advance the representation of African Americans in C-suites and on corporate boards of directors. But to hear it said out loud to this audience, I thought would conjure images of racial revolutionaries storming into the boardrooms of their respective corporations—corporations whose strategic partnerships were so vital to the mission of the ELC. To my surprise (and relief) there was no obvious discomfort in response to the statement. Interestingly the only responses of note were just a few of the ELC members who had caught each other’s glance – a subtle acknowledgement that we had all shared this common thought. So what was this about, one may wonder?
New leadership currency Authenticity, Transparency, Purpose and yes, even Failure are all prominent tenets of modern leadership teachings. Just as bitcoin and blockchain are disrupting financial markets, so too, is authenticity one of the relational currencies disrupting the traditional practice of corporate leadership. The
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