We all wear masks. We do it because we want to protect ourselves. But have you ever wondered what mask you're wearing? There are 4 masks that are the most worn and are all driven by the same attitude. Pride.
In the days of Greek theatre, the amphitheaters made it difficult to hear the actors. This led to confusion about whether the actor's character was good or bad. So, the actors started using large masks with faces that easily told the audience if he was good or bad.
The term that was used for the actors was hypocrites. Today we use that word to describe someone who says one thing but does another. While we never want to be called a hypocrite, the fact that we are human means that we will be one multiple times in our lives.
However, this is not an excuse to live or lead with dishonesty or a lack of integrity. As a leader, you cannot deny those you lead transparency. https://kennylange.com/leadership/the-3-laws-of-authenticity/" target="_blank">Authenticity is valued far about perfection.
As I said before, pride is the most common attitude behind the masks we wear. There are 4 that you need to be aware of and remove if you ever find yourself wearing them.
- Looking good. Am I saying its prideful to want to look your best? No. I am saying that if you want to look good, whether in appearance or impressing people, to elevate yourself about others, then you're doing so in pride. Those that follow you and around you can tell when you are impressive because you worked hard or because you're trying too hard.
- Feeling good. This mask shows up after you've received some type of positive attention or award. You stop being humble about your success and, instead, use that feeling to cover up areas of improvement. By all means, feel good about your success, but realize that there is always room for improvement and that your success doesn't make you better than anyone else.
- Being right. This one gets me more times than I care to count. There is nothing wrong with being correct. And certainly we don't want those around us to have incorrect information, but there comes a point when being right sacrifices the relationship. That cost is too high to be worth being right.
- Being in control. How many times have you shown your insecurity with leading someone or even just being a friend by having to be in control? While it is acceptable to know what and how you want something done, it is unacceptable to force that on anyone. Remember, you want to lead people with influence not shove people with insistence.
Looking at this list, you can probably remember times when you've done each of them. This does not make you a failure. It makes you human.
The trick is to become aware of when you're wearing one of these masks and have the courage to take it off and be transparent, authentic, and humble.
One of the most helpful ways to know if you've unconsciously put one of these masks on is to have a close friend or colleague that you can trust to be honest with you and will have the courage to call you out in a respectful way.
I hope that you can find the courage to live without these masks.
Question: What masks have you worn to cover up the real you? What did you do to take it off? Leave your response in the comments section below.