Authenticity is a word that I hear tossed about more and more casually. It’s a word that, to me, still holds power. Authenticity means being true, honest, vulnerable. That requires courage. It requires a mental and emotional stance that states, “Here I am. I am willing to take a chance to remove the façade I usually show the world.” It means, deep, honest listening. It means letting down one’s guard. It means being fully present and withholding judgment. It means loving the person you are with enough to care about them just because s/he is a human and thus deserving the presence of your best self.

On our best days, that’s who we are at Advanced Dental. When we show up, we show up as Authentic. Truly. We understand that not everyone who walks through our doors will be Authentic back to us, but it doesn’t matter. We can only control ourselves and how we show up in the world. Our job is to uplift everyone we encounter. Many times we do. Sometimes we fail. On our best days we are Authentic. That’s what we strive for, anyway.

In our culture, there are fewer and fewer demands for Authenticity. To me, Advanced Dental feels like an oasis sometimes. Here is one place where Authenticity is encouraged and appreciated. It is what we offer to our patients and what we demand from one another. Do we mess up sometimes? Sure. Do we hide behind our hurt and discomfort for a little while? Yep. Just like in real life. But we try to make space for that Authenticity to emerge when we’re able to have just a little bit of courage and confront our fears.

I hope that our culture of Authenticity at Advanced Dental is not a one-off. I hope this is the beginning of a trend in our society to encourage the power of Authenticity in the workplace. It makes for a much richer experience for us, for our patients, and for all humans we encounter.