Who Are You Protecting?

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In this episode...

Who Are You Protecting?

https://faithfulontheclock.com/who-are-you-protecting

When it comes to telling your story, are you really being authentic and transparent? Or are you sugar-coating things to look good? This episode of Faithful on the Clock looks at the trend of companies “protecting the guilty” and encourages professionals to hold fast to truth, warts and all.

Timestamps:

[00:04] - Intro

[00:38] - This episode is inspired by an experience I had with a client who essentially asked that I generalize a narrative to ensure his company looked good.

[01:43] - Additional examples of the whitewashing-the-story problem; why the experiences bothered me

[03:19] - Highlighting the best of companies is not the same as omitting parts of the record.

[04:24] - The competitive global landscape is feeding fear, which encourages whitewashing. Authenticity requires getting rid of that fear.

[05:07] - People are OK with imperfection, and you can spin your narrative positively without leaving out realities or “protecting the guilty”.

[06:22] - Both employees and higher-ups have to ask themselves hard questions about whether they are telling the truth. The best businesses are clear about what their struggles have been and how they overcame those hurdles.

[07:51] - AirBnB and Apple both are examples of companies who have spun their worst times positively and come away better. We hold these types of stories as motivational examples.

[08:41] - Be careful of how you tell your story. You don’t have to abandon truth or authenticity to present yourself positively, and it benefits everyone, including God.

[09:42] - Prayer

[10:19] - Outro/What’s coming up next

Key takeaways:

• I have had multiple experiences where I was not allowed to present a company’s story as it truly was. This made me question how much we’re really subscribing to the ideas of authenticity and transparency. 
• You cannot straddle both sides of the fence. You either have to choose truth or say it doesn’t matter.
• You can tell the truth with the right spin. It’s just a matter of highlighting the growth and journey.
• Putting truth, authenticity, and transparency at the fore in your career or business is a choice, regardless of which level you’re at. You should ask yourself hard questions about whether painting a false picture benefits you.
• Companies like Apple and AirBnb show that telling the reality of what happens is not the end of the world. In fact, they can help people see you as an inspiration.
• Be careful how you tell your story. Always choose to protect God, because the rest is small potatoes.

• 5 Businesses That Almost Failed and Showed Us Why It Pays to Keep Going
• Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on Building a Company and Starting a 'Sharing' Revolution - The Atlantic

CTAs:

• Do a credibility audit for yourself, your team, and your business. How much of what you are saying in your story is true, and how much are you omitting?

What’s coming up next:

Authenticity and transparency are huge themes in contemporary offices. But are we really equipped to handle the majority of what people put on the table? Episode 46 of Faithful on the Clock examines the need for greater acceptance and flexibility as we learn to open up.

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