Authenticity of Voice

I thought I would share the contents of an email I received from my son who is back east attending a small liberal arts college.

Dear Dad,

Your blog reads like a Manifesto for the Eternally Corporate. It is a lot fun to read though and I hope your customers are able to gain insight into your dedication to service and growth. Having your musings be accessible to anybody gives your corporate practice a unique sense of transparency as it makes it seem less like a “company” (as is understood as an independent, faceless, and emotionless entity) and more like a labor of love shared by a group of committed individuals. I’m proud to see the dedication and commitment you demonstrate and look forward to reading the next post.”

By the way, I think my childhood exposure to your consistent use of business speak (like the voice you use in your blog) is the reason why everybody thinks I’m always so serious.

My son is right about the “voice” with which I speak. When I was consulting, I described this phenomenon as the “authenticity of voice”. I believe that whenever you speak from the heart, the truth of that is obvious, and it is the truth that employees, customers, and business partners must connect with in order to maximize trust and the value of the relationships.

Now as to the matter of whether my son needs extensive counseling after being subject to decades of my authenticity…