The Mermaid in the Box: Why Leadership Demands Authenticity

“You won’t believe what I have in the box!” the man exclaimed.

The museum curator was intrigued but cautious.

“You’ve always wanted one, and I have it. And for the right price, it’s yours.”

P.T. Barnum waited anxiously as the man untied the rope securing the box and lifted the lid.

The first thing that hit Barnum was the smell.

As the lid opened, the man announced, “Here it is—a mermaid. It would be perfect for your museum.”

Barnum could see that the man had taken the top half of a monkey and sewn it to a headless fish.

The man continued spinning the yarn about where the creature was found, how it was cared for, and so on.

Barnum finally said he’d take it.

The famous showman behind Barnum and Bailey’s Circus paid the man, then quickly commissioned posters of a white-skinned, blonde-haired mermaid. He placed newspaper ads trumpeting the unimaginable find, inviting the public to witness the wonder.

Why did Barnum do it?

He knew it was fake.

You ready?

Barnum believed his audience knew it was fake… but they’d still come just to witness the oddity.

And there it is—the sacrifice of the authentic in the hopes that people will buy the fake.

As a leader, you have a choice today—a real and stark choice.

Will you be authentic, or will you bring a patchwork version of yourself?

People can smell fake.

They can sniff out plastic from a mile away.

When you speak about the mission, vision, or the importance of a project—your passion should be contagious.

Don’t ever just wing it.

A leader who says, “Well, you know the drill. Get your butts to work,” is not worthy of the chair, title, or responsibility.

Don’t sell the fake.

Don’t embrace the lie that none of this matters.

If your team picks up from you that what they do doesn’t matter, how hard do you think they’ll work?

Don’t be Barnum.

Don’t buy the fake mermaid.

Don’t advertise a fake mermaid.

Don’t try to convince others the fake is real.

In today’s world, leadership must be authentic and from the heart.

Your team wants their lives to matter.

Peddling a half-monkey, half-fish tells them their lives aren’t worth much.

Those following you toward the mission and vision deserve authentic passion.

If you don’t love what you do, your team won’t either.

Be a real leader… not one in title only.

Intersecting Life, Luxury, and Leadership,
Chris Adams

Source: “Barnum” by Robert Wilson, pgs. 1–3

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