If you have pre-school or young elementary-aged children in your orbit, you may be familiar with the hit show “Bluey,” a truly delightful animated series following the adventures of the Heeler family, four Australian cattle dogs including parents Bandit and Chili, four-year-old Bingo and, of course, six-year-old Bluey. Each eight-minute episode is imaginative, funny, and written with a kind of poignancy I’ve rarely seen in children’s television — and I’ve seen a lot.
Recently, fans of the show (who, it must be noted, include kids and parents equally, and sometimes more the latter) got a bit of a heartbreak. In a letter posted to the “Bluey” website, creator Joe Brumm announced he would be taking a break from the show because as his own children aged, he was “finding it difficult to reach back genuinely into that four- to six-year-old world and write authentically.”
Not only is Brumm’s announcement a reminder of the fleeting nature of childrearing, it also points to the necessity of timely authenticity and the value of doing the work while you’re in the trenches. Authenticity isn’t a fixed state — it’s an expression of where we are right now. That’s why it’s so important to show up as your authentic self when it matters most, both in life and at work.
When you bring your full self to work, you foster an environment of trust that leads to increased innovation. Whether you’re navigating a major project, building a team or simply trying to stay afloat, showing up authentically can transform your work experience and that of your team.
Even if you don’t create a $2 billion brand like Brumm did, this month I invite you to show up as who you are at this very moment. Authenticity is our greatest currency, and that’s why I’m writing about a children’s cartoon in a business publication. While my job as the editor of Insight on Business has me emceeing events at Lambeau Field and interviewing our community’s most successful business leaders, my life at home is filled with crumbs in every crevice and sticky kisses from my four- and six-year-old boys — my real life Bingo and Bluey, at least in this moment.
