Why “Authenticity” Is A Useless Business Virtue, and How Accountability Is The Key To Customer Love and Loyalty
Remember when hipsters were obsessed with “authenticity”? The obsession is back, but this time, it’s gone corporate. For Forbes, McKinsey, and Harvard Business Review authenticity is the new messiah. But what does it mean to be authentic?
Let’s track the evolution of the word.
On a recent trip to Barcelona, after crawling over the Gothic quarter for work-friendly cafés, I stumbled into a portal of 2010s hipsterdom. The cafe was adorned with minimalist wood benches striking the perfect balance of clean and rustic. Topped off with a bisection of working and chatting spaces suggested by the presence of a thick concrete beam, it was the archetype for every American “transitional” neighborhood’s coffee shop. I texted my parents, joking that I’d traveled to Spain only to end up back at a less-welcoming version of Nashville’s Dozen Bakery. My mother chirped that the style “offers an ‘authentic’ experience.” An “authentic” experience of what exactly I can’t claim to know. Perhaps an authentic feign of non-conformity. Regardless, her quip aligned with a common criticism of Millennial and Gen Z hipster aesthetics.
The fallibility of the hipster’s intended authenticity and individualism has been studied, parodied, and dissected by shows like Portlandia, countless Instagram posts, Substackers, and now even my own mother! But today, this buzzword has shot back into the picture, ditching the Doc Martens for Cole Haans, authenticity is now full-on Yuppie (remember them?).
Obsessing with Authenticity Isolates Us From Customers and Community
Flashback to the late ‘90s, prior to when authenticity became part of business lexicon, the hipster’s definition of authenticity connoted a new individualism, a deliberate effort to reject conforming to “societal norms.”
To “Never Play to the Gallery” Is Dangerous
David Bowie, perhaps the greatest beacon of late 20th-century non-conformity, once urged artists to “never play to the gallery”, citing the instinct as a creative death sentence. This romantic piece of advice reflects the paradoxical pursuit of authenticity as a misunderstood ritual for community building. It’s an individualist rallying cry, calling outcasts to question their allegiance to the status quo that isolates them.
While this sentiment resonates in subcultural contexts, it can still apply to business leaders. Bowie urges artists and creators to question the powers-that-be and cultivate their unadulterated, individuated selves. In a market where brand loyalty is fickle and trend hopping is growing less worthwhile due to automation, Bowie’s wisdom could be fantastic business advice.
But religiously rejecting “the gallery” in the name of authenticity leads us to question the approval of others, and can romanticize isolation. Indulging too heavily in this individualist rallying cry hinders our ability to build a community. It makes us poor leaders and even worse businesses.
When the individuality associated with hipster authenticity revealed its fickle status, and every hipster started wearing the same outfit, going to the same coffee shops, and listening to the same handful of bands, this was actually a good thing. A community had formed. The ultimate goal of a “counterculture"— if you still believe they can exist — is not to denounce culture altogether, but to offer new communities and spaces for those who feel unable to be their authentic self. The quest for community should be guided equally by intuition and advice from our peers. The authentic, entirely individuated self is a myth. We are human beings with a subconscious far more active and bizarre than we care to admit. Reason and individualism are little more than straws we grasp at to make sense of the world around us. Reason and individualism are necessary tools to define our communities, but the “individuality” and authenticity of old is out. Community is in. We cannot be superhuman, but we can feel at home.
Corporate Authenticity: Too Big To Succeed
The connotations of “authenticity” in the corporate sector are too ambitious and broad to remedy customer disloyalty. Rather a catch-all term to refer to any practice of non-conformity, corporate authenticity connotes radical honesty that reflects the true manner of the self. As gurus preach the necessity of transparency with our customers, they indirectly admit that the marketing strategies of old, built on lies and deception, have ceased to work. For them, honesty is not only the best policy but the most profitable.
As Forbes optimistically suggests, consumers control the perception of a brand through instant messaging and C2C (customer-to-customer) platforms like Yelp. For them, even the most intricate marketing campaigns are bound to be snuffed out because customers can connect and share business experiences more efficiently. Authenticity becomes essential to maintaining customer loyalty. Our products must now reflect our promises. But Forbes, shouldn’t this not be news? I’m hesitant to agree with Forbes and their Milton Friedman-inspired argument that “the market will regulate itself.” Given C2C platform’s susceptibility to manipulation, and the remaining dominance of companies like Boeing and Apple, despite the shady legal practices of the former and planned obsolescence strategies of the latter, I’m inclined to disagree that the market rewards honesty.
Subvert Monopoly Practices With Customer Love
If companies were completely honest about the potential of their products and the motivations behind their business, their customer base would disappear. Why would I buy a new computer from a company whose CEO admitted it to be only marginally better than last year’s model? Total authenticity from companies would entail admission to the full benefits of their business.
Rather than celebrate this supposed necessity for “radical honesty,” we should question what initiated the authenticity obsession. If it springs from a desire to build trust and community, then we should separate that from corporate success. While business success and community growth aren’t mutually exclusive, in today’s market, there are innumerable cases where one was sacrificed for the other. This obsession with authenticity arises from a widespread disillusion with free market capitalism, where nearly every market has been cornered by monopolies. Younger generations are rightfully ruthless in their disloyalty to businesses that turn their back on their intended missions.
We are social creatures. We go where we feel seen and heard. If you show love to your customers, your customers will trust you. But what if a business has a market presence strong enough to eliminate the need for customer love? As a small business, we are forced to compete with this. The advantage of the small business is intimacy. Thus, we must uplift and listen to our customers, and weigh their needs with our abilities. This is how we show our customers love. We must be honest about what we can deliver. No, tech bro, you are not “changing the world” with your new Oculus Rift spin-off. You’re cashing in on a trend. And no, you’re not toppling Apple with your startup. Authenticity in the business world is intended to prevent us from over-promising, a worthwhile goal if we aim to show our customers love.
But one man’s authentic is another man’s “copycat.” The definition of authenticity is far too relative and amorphous to fix the current ills of our economy and constructively build customer love. When authenticity is posited as an undisputed force for communal benefit, heinous things can be excused in its name. Who are we to judge ourselves as authentic and others as inauthentic? We have no idea what other’s intentions are, let alone our own. If Hitler believed he was doing a communal good, would that make him authentic? Further, if he admitted to the world that he was a force of evil, could he be celebrated for his authenticity? What good does this serve? None.
To Be A Virtuous Business Leader, Strive for Community And Accountability
As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, we are terrible judges of our quality. Community holds us accountable and offers a solid basis to judge our character. Having a community indicates that we are intentional enough with our efforts of love for others to recognize them.
But the tolerance for small businesses and their mistakes is low. We must work even harder to show our customers that we love them. Trust ameliorates this. Won through transparency and fulfillment of intention, building trust requires tangible action that authenticity struggles to discern.
Accountability is a more valuable virtue to celebrate than authenticity when building community and trust. When we make a mistake, the onus is on us to follow up and improve the conditions of our customers, clients or coworkers to a level greater than before the mistake occurred. Even if we don’t think we’ve made a mistake, that’s the other party's decision. Love means admitting that we’re not always going to be right, even when we think we are.
Having worked in Michelin-starred restaurants for the last few years, I can assure you: if you put up enough of a fuss regarding the quality of your meal, there’s a good chance the restaurant will pay for your meal. The competition in the fine dining industry is too intense for a restaurant to tussle with a customer. As businesses, accountability is paramount in showing that we love our customers. As leaders, it’s how we show love to our coworkers.
How Are You Accountable?
Allow yourself to be held accountable, even when you don’t think you’ve made a mistake. It's time to listen to our customers and give them what they want. At Fortune’s Path, we help you show your customers love by teaching you to hold yourself accountable. Find out your Love Score using our assessment and talk to us to see how you can build customer love with accountability.