IS SCRIPTED AUTHENTICITY AFFECTING YOUR CUSTOMERS?

I spent several years in customer service management for inbound/outbound call centers. What surprised me more often than not was that senior leadership wanted "scripted authenticity." Scripted authenticity means everyone speaks from the same corporate megaphone, and the content is scripted or slanted to position the company as flawless. Talk about imperfection.

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With information changing rapidly inside companies, shouldn't leadership be as transperant as possible to breed innovation and progress? Will customers be more likely to provide feedback and suggestions to companies who promote open discussion without becoming highly defensive.

The new Entrepreneur magazine came in the mail this week. As I flipped through the first time, I noticed the layout and design was different from the previous issue. I couldn't tell the difference between an ad and an article.

So I took it to Twitter and reached out to Entrepreneur Editor Amy Cosper about my dislike of the new layout. Immediately she responded with appreciation about my concern and said she would forward the information. Just. Like. That. Without a defensive posture about "HER" magazine. She wanted me, the reader and customer, to be happy, and was warm and welcoming in her feedback.

Can you say the same about your company and leadership team? Do you seek out regular feedback from customers? Do you have any similar stories about authentic leadership in companies? What thoughts can you add?