Authenticity in Comedy, Crisis, and Beyond

Source: Cougarsan/Shutterstock

When comedy television stars catch their big break, they tend to become more beautiful—even when the characters they play are not beautiful people. Have you noticed how the cast of "The Big Bang Theory" now has great teeth, tan complexions, and is seriously fit?

Actor and producer Rob McElhenney, who plays pub owner Mac on "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia," did the opposite. If you work in a Philadelphia bar all day, you don’t get tan and buff, he argued. You get pale and fat.

With hardcore devotion to authenticity, McElhenney prepared for the seventh season of the show by religiously wearing sunblock and eating 5,000 calories a day until he transformed into the quintessential Philly bartender. His efforts paid off because, whether fans were horrified or impressed by his 60 pounds of weight gain, his physical change caught people’s attention and added an additional comedic element to the show.

Business leaders should take a lesson from comedians like McElhenney on embracing authenticity to stand out from the crowd. Consumers, like television fans, value authenticity and are looking to support brands that represent themselves honestly.

Let’s take a look at what authenticity means for comedians and business professionals, and explore how your company can use it to cut through the clutter of competition.

Authenticity Means Admitting Painful Truths

Whether in comedy or business, authenticity requires taking an honest look at yourself and your situation. Just ask my friend Shane Mauss, whose brutally honest comedic style rose from a commitment to speaking his truth:

“Many times after a successful show, people will come up to me and earnestly ask, ‘Are you OK?’ This is not surprising when I have just done material on suicidal thoughts or spending time in a psych ward.

I learned early on that if I was afraid to talk about something, the audience would reward the courage. The things that I felt vulnerable about were not only different than what audiences would normally hear, but the best comedy can also come from the darkest places.

My rule that I use: When the thought occurs to me that I shouldn’t share something on stage, I have to share it.”

One way to own your truth like Mauss and commit to authenticity is through the words you use to communicate with your audience. Let’s take a look at how admitting painful truths can be wielded strategically by businesses to turn weaknesses into strengths.

Telling It Like It Is During a Pandemic

Since the start of the pandemic, you’ve surely seen messaging from companies along the lines of “we’re doing everything we can to ensure that our service remains consistent.” It’s a vague non-promise that doesn’t provide much information at all. Then there’s Slack, the widely-used team chat application, which has taken a more authentic and transparent approach to corporate communication.

Posting to Twitter, Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield gave a detailed account of the company’s pandemic experience. As a service that facilitates remote collaboration, Slack is uniquely positioned to benefit from the current office closures happening around the globe. But rather than offer investors and employees reassurance, Butterfield said, “We want to be ‘reasonable’ and ‘prudent’ and earn the trust of analysts and investors over time by being honest and straightforward. But we literally have no idea what is going to happen and neither does anyone else, really. The error bars on any prediction will be miles wide.”

The honest admission of uncertainty received some criticism—will the company share the wealth it’s currently enjoying by making charitable contributions or offering free service to people impacted by the virus?—but it earned Butterfield even louder praise. People respect leaders who speak authentically, even when that involves expressing doubt or uncertainty. As entrepreneur Hamid Shojaee tweeted in response to Butterfield’s message: “These are the moments that define us!”

Right now, we’re all feeling some degree of doubt and uncertainty about the future, and a business leader who admits to these realities will come across as far more relatable and trustworthy than one who puts on a confident but inauthentic front. Anecdotally, stories like Butterfield’s show the benefits of acting authentically. But the case for authenticity runs deeper—let’s look at the research.

Authenticity Essential Reads

Change Isn't Always Good for You

What Really Makes Someone Attractive

Why Does Authenticity Get Results?

According to Harvard Business Review, research has shown that an audience responds better when a person presents themselves authentically than when the speaker caters to the interests or expectations of others. Incidentally, the latter is exactly what many business leaders or brand managers try to do, whether they’re communicating with employees or customers.

We try to curate a particular image of ourselves or our companies, and in doing so, act inauthentically. But when the image we project doesn’t fit the reality, performance suffers. The researchers cited by Harvard Business Review theorize that “when we try hard to hide what we’re doing and who we really are from the person we’re trying to impress, it’s cognitively and emotionally draining, which, in turn, can undermine our performance.”

In other words, when we act without authenticity, we waste time, effort, and mental capacity that could be spent on more effective communication that wins people over to our side rather than pushes them away.

Make Yourself Incredibly Credible

From sitcoms to SAS companies the most successful comedians and businesses demonstrate hardcore dedication to authenticity. People believe them and therefore believe in them. You can achieve the same level of success—without needing to gain 60 pounds—by speaking your truth, committing to honesty, and communicating your authenticity to your target audience. Your messaging will not only ring true with your audience, but you’ll also cut through the clutter of people putting on an act.