We believe that it is the job of each of us to step outside of ourselves, look beyond the shadows, and seek reality. If we hope to present an authentic self to the world, it is critical that we understand what is real and true about ourselves. So how do we begin to see our companies, our brands, our products, or ourselves as we really are ? For us, the best way to start is to stop watching shadows and start facing reality.

The Wizard of Oz teaches us a valuable lesson about what makes a journey meaningful. It is not mere possession, but also awareness of our unique gifts that enables us to put them to use. We learn that conquering trepidation and taking that first step is the only way to come to self-awareness, master our talents, and seize opportunities to support each other to success.

We each carry with us unique gifts, recognized and unrecognized. We long to harness those gifts in a way that gives life significance and helps us to matter more in the lives of others.

Unless individuals have the power to defy commoditization and define their own lives, their potential is vulnerable to the crushing forces of objectification.

Authenticity is a continual process of building self-awareness, a journey through which we acknowledge both our strengths and our limitations, and come to identify a noble purpose.

With honesty and a little digging, we have the opportunity to identify our gifts and harness them in the service of our best self—our own unique noble purpose.

We have a fundamental imperative in our lives to matter to others, to serve others, and to support each other in mattering more.

Too many companies— and individuals— are befuddled by delusion when it comes to identifying their authentic strengths and projecting those strengths through their brand. It’s as if they live in Opposite Land. If their service is wretched, they tell people that they are great at service. If they are selling a mediocre car, they expound on its hip sportiness. Claiming that you are what you are not will obscure the strengths you do have while destroying your credibility. It’s a lose-lose proposition. In order to hunt down and accurately tag authenticity, we must first pop the balloon of self-delusion.

Commoditization is the enemy of meaning. In ages dominated by the forces of commoditization, individuals pay the price with devalued lives. by contrast, unique skills requiring mastery and expertise, like the skills of a brain surgeon, are safe from the threat of commoditization.

Claiming that you are what you are not will obscure the strengths you do have while destroying your credibility.

Nothing limits you like not knowing your limitations.

Nothing has been as instructive in exploring the notion of authenticity as relearning the work of the great philosophers Aristotle and Plato. We are struck by their applicability to our work as we help companies and people develop their brands. Why do these early philosophers have so much to say that is helpful to modern marketers? We believe it is because they were focused on the fundamental issues of authenticity that we all face: Who are we? Why are we? How should we behave? Asking these questions encourages us to deepen our self-awareness. In particular, this issue of “who are we?” is critical. Knowing who we are is the key to elevating our capacities and performance.

Without authenticity, we are only a poor imitation of someone else.