This chapter on transparency authenticity reminds me of my current job that I am working at a country club. Our team constantly deals with unhappy players for a variety of things. Most of them relate to the new ownership that has acquired us and that the course has been opened up to many more members than it was before. We often have to explain to members why this is happening and that this is a permanent change. The club was running out of money and memberships needed to be expanded. Lubetzky’s point about valuing truth over convenience resonates with this story. I felt that I should just be honest with the members that this will be the new reality and that it is likely to be this busy here constantly rather than telling them what they want to hear. As a future leader, this pushes me to prioritize honesty in business decisions, no matter the pressure from customers and peers around me.

This chapter connects to the Boeing 737 MAX article, which was also apart of this unit. Both highlight how a lack of transparency undermines ehtical leadership. Lubetzky praises Patagonia’s open supply chain practices as a model of authenticity, while Boeing’s suppression of saftey issues led to tragic outcomes. While Lubetzky focuses on building trust proactively, Boeing only try to build it in response to the tragedy, showing the need for honesty from leaders throughout the supply chain process.

Lubetzky’s emphasis on transparency mirrors current issues in the fashion industry, where brands like Shein face criticism for having unethical labor practices in order to achieve their low prices. Unlike Patagonia’s transparent sustainability efforts, these companies prioritize profit over truth, leading to consumer distrust. This reflects a broader challenge that businesses must adopt authentic practices to maintain trust, especially in a social media world that can easily spread and damage companies reputations with unethical business practices.

Lubetzky, D. (n.d.). Do the Kind Thing: Chapter 7 – Transparency and Authenticity. In Do the Kind Thing.