The Death of Authenticity Culture
Tanmay Arora
![Tanmay Arora]()
Tanmay Arora
4x CEO | MBA, MSc, BSc | Award-Winning Business Consultant | Strategy & Innovations Director | PCSM Wharton UPenn | INC Magazine's Top 10 Business Leaders | TedX Speaker | Gold Medalist | Artist | Institutional Equities
Authentic.
Performance.
Truth.
"Just be authentic" is the worst career advice ever given.
Authenticity culture has created a generation of people who think their feelings should be everyone else's problem.
Who mistake being unfiltered for being genuine.
Who use "authenticity" as an excuse for lack of self-awareness and professional development.
Real authenticity isn't about expressing every emotion or sharing every thought.
It's about being genuinely committed to growth and service to others.
I fell for the authenticity trap early in my career.
Thought being authentic meant never hiding my mood, never filtering my opinions, never adapting my communication style.
I was "being real" while making everyone around me uncomfortable.
I was being authentic to my worst impulses instead of my highest values.
The result was damaged relationships and missed opportunities.
Authenticity without skill is narcissism.
Being yourself is only valuable if yourself is worth being around.
The most successful people I know aren't authentic in the sense that they express everything they feel.
They're authentic in the sense that they're genuinely committed to becoming better.
They develop emotional regulation not to be fake, but to be effective.
They adapt their communication style not to manipulate, but to connect.
They manage their energy not to deceive, but to serve.
True authenticity is taking responsibility for your impact on others.
It's developing the skills to express your values in ways that actually help people.
It's being honest about your flaws while actively working to improve them.
The authenticity industrial complex wants you to believe that self-improvement is somehow inauthentic.
That changing your behavior based on feedback is "selling out."
That developing professional skills is "not being true to yourself."
This is keeping talented people stuck and unemployable.
Your authentic self should be your best self.
And your best self is always a work in progress.
Stop using authenticity as an excuse for not developing emotional intelligence.
Stop using "I'm just being real" as a justification for being difficult.
Start being authentic about your commitment to growth.
Be genuine about wanting to add value to others.
Be real about the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
That's the kind of authenticity that actually serves you and everyone around you.
Drink water.
STAY RELENTLESS.
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