A new haircut, a snazzy new outfit, using your big MBA words. There are somethings about yourself that you can change pretty quickly to adapt to new roles or situations. We’ve all done it on that first date to impress someone. The funny thing about putting on those displays is that at some point, you will have to face up to who you really are.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s incredibly important to make great first impressions and to fit into the constructs and norms of a situation.

But underneath all of that pomade and pompousness, don’t loose sight of that authentic self.

I learned this lesson very early on in my career. I had the incredible opportunity to work for The Princeton Review, helping them grow a free after school tutoring program in high poverty areas of Chicago. You’ve never met me, so let me give you a mental image that will help setup this example.

I grew up in a solid middle-class suburban neighborhood of Chicago with a relatively diverse school and set of friends.. I played oboe, sang in choir, loved reading and have actually tried my hand at the greatest winter sport - curling. I wince when having to check a demographic box, as I prefer to think of my skin as the product of a 100% Greek upbringing. Olive, naturally- not white. But that’s never a choice, so I’m as Caucasian as they come.

Looking at the schools where we could make the biggest impact, they were all in areas of the city that I’d never visited, in largely African American and Hispanic neighborhoods. As I thought about trying to work in those areas, I can still remember how worried I was about coming across in a negative light.

So, what to do? I called up a mentor. She’s an incredible woman who immigrated from Mexico and knew she would help me find clarity in this most delicate issue. I needed to know how to change myself to make sure I fit in and wasn’t viewed as an outsider.

Her brave and honest advice was to just be myself.

Not a version of me. Not a facade of me. Just me. She guaranteed that if I was authentic in who I was and what I was trying to do, then anyone would accept me and it would never be an issue. I trust my mentors, so off I went.

And as with all great mentors (and I have some of the best) she was spot on. I had the honor of growing this program from under 70 students to over 7,000 in a matter of months. I met with over 250 principals in schools across the city, along with teachers, parents, community groups and faith organizations. I marched in the Mexican Independence Day parade and sponsored an Erica Badu concert. To this day, the hours upon hours I spent outside of my comfort zone made me a better man.

I realized pretty quickly that being authentic mattered, and it was an asset that can’t be created or faked. People know down in their gut when they meet someone putting on a “game face” or someone who is comfortable in their skin (literally and figuratively).

This idea of authenticity transcends this one example and is hopefully a reminder to just be yourself.

Obviously, you can be the best version of yourself - by experiencing new things, reading challenging (and fun) literature, meeting diverse perspectives. You should grow. You should become better, smarter, more polished. Yet deep down in your core, you need to find your authentic self and be true to that.

My incredible wife has been a preschool teacher and tends to come home with some hilarious stories of what kids say. On this particular day, they were talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up. She heard the typical stuff - princess, firefighter, doctor....and then it was Louie's turn. My wife couldn't get an answer out of Louie, a small energetic bundle of mischief. He was getting annoyed and didn't want to answer, while my wife started to lose her angelic patience.

Finally after being pestered for long enough, Louie realized that he couldn't get out of this question...and exasperated by this interrogation, he let out a big sigh and said...

"I JUST WANT TO BE LOUIE"

Take that to heart. Just be yourself when you grow-up and that will be enough for the universe.

This was written while listening to the vinyl album:

The Best You Can Be....is You. Be Your Authentic Self.

But underneath all of that pomade and pompousness, don’t loose sight of that authentic self.

Her brave and honest advice was to just be myself.

This idea of authenticity transcends this one example and is hopefully a reminder to just be yourself.