Survive your management facade
In ancient times, actors played multiple roles by covering their face with a variety of masks called facades. Modern language adapted the word facade to mean, “putting on a front or false appearance.” Facades are useful at times, for example, forcing yourself to smile at a well intentioned friend when you are really disappointed or masking one’s fear of public speaking in order to perform. Problems occur however, when a wearer forgets they are playing a role and that audience response is to a mask, not the real person living behind it. Facades with a high level of audience appeal will produce privilege, but unwary wearers pay an inordinately high price once their curtain comes down.Adoring fans overlook shortcomings in celebrities they would not accept from friends, neighbors or family. For example, John Kennedy was a notorious womanizer, Woody Allen became romantically involved with his step daughter, Elvis was addicted to drugs, a lecher and prone to violent mood swings, and O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of murder by a jury of peers—in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It’s not surprising that celebrities are often victimized by their own fame. They start believing the created fantasy that they are somehow larger than life. But facades inevitably fade and these disillusioned people suddenly discover there is nothing of themselves behind the image. Many end up killing themselves with booze or drugs.
CEOs frequently succumb to a similar debilitating illusion if they accept position as the essence of their person. Roles, when lived to the extreme, smother one’s sense of self. For example, many mothers fall prey to the empty nest syndrome when their children no longer need them. People often retire from active careers to find themselves without any sense of purpose. Living the facade turns human beings into “humans doing”—and when the doing stops, not much is left.
How to survive the position facade:
- Maintain interests, hobbies, and friendships outside of your job.
- Schedule and protect your “real person” time.
- Let people at work see the real you.
- Don’t allow others become overly dependent on you.
- Assess your job performance as if you were a third party observer.