Paige Finn DohertyFounding Partner, Behind Genius · Founding Partner at Behind Genius Ventures

Can Authenticity Be Rewarded? #venturecapital #shorts

27 Jul 2022 · 1 min

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0:59

In this short monologue, the speaker recounts an experience at Burning Man where she chose to keep her creative, non‑conformist attire rather than ‘code‑switch’ to a more conventional look. At the time she was the group president of the CPG and e‑commerce division (formerly president of Cinnabon). When she later met a peer‑president and the CEO of a potential partner—who had a long‑standing fascination with Burning Man—the CEO was intrigued by her authentic appearance and asked detailed questions about her experience. The authenticity she displayed was credited with making the negotiation feel rewarding and more successful, illustrating how staying true to one’s identity can positively influence high‑stakes professional interactions.

Chapters

I was in Germany and I refused to take some of the hair dressings and body elements off. I mean, I had a jacket almost just like this, but I just couldn't. It was too— it felt like a violation of coming out of that moment of creativity. I didn't wanna code switch. You know, I've never been that person. At the time, I was beyond president of Cinnabon. I was now group president of the CPG and e-commerce division. And I walked in and one of the guys who had been my peer as another president for a long time, he's just like, oh my God, of course. What are you doing? It turned out the guy, CEO that we were negotiating with, for his, for like a decade had wanted to go to Burning Man. He was so curious. He just wanted to know everything about my experience. It made the whole negotiation and meeting incredible. It was just like this reward, you know, for not code switching.