Weber's Dictionary recently announced the keyword of the year for 2023 - "Authentic", and singer Thales is a role model among them, you may be curious, so what about us? Why is authenticity important for contemporary times, and how can we integrate authenticity into daily life?
Merriam-Webster, the oldest dictionary in the United States, has chosen a word of the year every year for the past 20 years to sum up the zeitgeist, and recently the Weberian Dictionary announced the word of the year for this year (2023) - "Authentic".
Authentic's inclusion on the list, I believe you can guess from ChatGPT's algorithm bias, deep fake and other ethical controversies related to the prevalence of artificial intelligence. But did you know that Taylor Swift, the singer who just won Time Magazine's 2023 Person of the Year, is also behind it?
Photo: Thales IG
The word of the year is a true reflection of our deep, post-truth era
With the advent and popularization of ChatGPT, the line between "true" and "false" has gradually blurred, and the emergence of the emerging issue of deep fake has made it impossible to see what is justified.
People are beginning to wonder whether the words, images, and videos in front of them are real, and Peter Sokolowski, editor-in-chief of Weber's Dictionary, said that in 2023 people are experiencing "a crisis of authenticity".
Thus, in this post-truth era, as society's collective grasp of authenticity becomes more and more fragile, the word "real" becomes the word of the year in Merriam-Webster's dictionary and thus becomes reasonably predictable.
Time Magazine and Forbes were both selected!
Just days after Merriam-Webster announced "true" as the word of the year, Time magazine named Thales Person of the Year, a fitting process. Because of the popularity of the word Authentic, in addition to the prevalence of technical aspects such as ChatGPT, it is also related to Thales.
Because if we look at the word Authentic more carefully, we will find that in addition to the intuitive meaning of "not false, imitate", it also has the meaning of "true to one's own personality and spirit". Taylor's action of always emphasizing authentic voices and writing personal experiences into the lyrics is also a true reflection of being true to himself.
The empathy of the romance of "Lover" and the self found in "Midnight Rain" have their own temperatures, but the hearts are not always two-way parallel, and heartache and love are inevitable, so we all more or less find overlap with ourselves in Thales's lyrics.
Those pains and tears are full of reality, and the audience naturally becomes one with her, so her story, her heartache, and her growth become us.
(Gaying at the same scene: What is Thales' economics? Why is Thales' economic gains comparable to those of the Olympics?)
Photo: Thales IG
In addition to showing her authenticity in the songs, Thales's actions also have the same authenticity. She got rid of the contracts of Spotify, Apple Music and other big companies, straddled the two eras of CD and streaming, and created her own Taylor music business territory, even concerts and movies.
As for Gen Z, who grew up in the era of community and Xi is accustomed to fragmentation and showing a good side, it is even more enlightened when he sees how Thales truly faces the daily life exposed by the media and paparazzi, if Thales, who is watched by the public, can survive public opinion and regain the right to be bold and truthful in his own narrative, then maybe Gen Z can also show people with truth.
In addition to making her one of Time Magazine's 2023 Person of the Year, the first artist to be selected alone in Time Magazine's 96-year history of the Person of the Year, it also earned her the fifth place on Forbes magazine's 2023 "Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World" list, the first artist to break into the top five since the establishment of the list.
(Guess you want to see: "Don't be a good lady anymore" Thales New York University Bidian speech, get rid of the perfectionist filter, don't be afraid of the beautiful mistakes in life)
Photo: Thales IG
Gen Z can't be themselves in the workplace and is physically and mentally exhausted
When Thales rewrote the rules of show business as a paradigm for showing the real and workable, the same model seems to have yet to be transplanted into people's daily lives – we have not yet entered the real era.
Most of us have probably experienced moments when we feel as if we are wearing a mask, thinking that you have to behave in front of others in order to be accepted, and feeling like you're not yourself.
Acting against authenticity is exhausting, frustrating, and restrictive, and research from the American Psychological Association has shown that authenticity is linked to mental health. When a person distances themselves from the state of expressing their true self, stress develops, and over time, these pressures can eventually lead to mental and physical imbalances.
In fact, authenticity is just as important in the workplace.
According to a recent survey by performance management consultancy Gallup, Gen Z employees feel that their roles at work are mentally and physically exhausted due to their inability to make work a field of self-discovery, and they are reluctant to wear the same mask and play the same role to fit into the team.
Clearly, authenticity is still an unmet need for Gen Z employees.
3 Ways to Build a "Culture of Authenticity" in the Workplace
You may be wondering, so how can we foster a culture of authenticity in the workplace?
Here are three ways to help you become a more authentic leader at work and develop real muscle memory.
1. Open up the conversation space to avoid alienation
Asking employees to endorse values and behaviors that are inconsistent with their ethics creates a sense of alienation and is contrary to authenticity. It is therefore important to create a cognitively cognitively aligned work environment by articulating a set of core values while fostering a space for dialogue within the organization where employees can engage in dialogue about their own ethical principles.
2. Empathy and listening
A large part of authenticity comes down to empathy and listening, and without such an ecosystem, employees don't feel psychologically safe or secure enough to be their authentic selves.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella once said, "Authenticity is a process that unfolds through empathy and listening. As a leader, how to create an open and inclusive environment is crucial.
3. Balance authenticity and perfection
In a culture of perfection or excellence, where employees are constantly instilled with specific traits and behaviors, the key to being who they are and who they are is is to change their mindset.
It means moving from perfection to curiosity, from fear of failure to continuous Xi, and from truth to humility. To bring about this change, it must take place during the talent development phase, which includes regularly updating the organization's skills and performance management processes.
Authenticity is not the same as indulgence and indiscipline, but a true acceptance of self, whether it is daily practice or workplace culture, let's try to be honest with our own truth and embrace our unique side!