The Real McCoy

We say we want “authentic” leaders, but that can be over-rated. If your authentic self is a jerk, there’s nothing special about that. That’s why I’m troubled by some followers singing the praises of a bombastic, arrogant, bully of a leader saying they're just being the “real McCoy.” 

So, I did some research about the “real McCoy.” I always thought it had something to do with guns, but no. Apparently, Norman Selby McCoy was known as Kid McCoy and was a world champion boxer. The phrase became popularized after a barroom brawl in the 1890’s. A patron insisted that the man he was about to fight was not who he said he was. Kid McCoy knocked him out and when the drunk patron came around he said, “It’s the real McCoy all right.” And the “real McCoy” was born. 

While authenticity is nice, there are better skills to develop in the age of the heart. Understanding and empathy “trump” being pompous. Seeing another’s perspective is better than tormenting those with whom you may not agree. Being humble and able to accept when you’re wrong is better than the smug vanity of the person of whom it can be said, “Often wrong; never in doubt.” It’s best when the “real McCoy” has heart skills beyond those of the head or hands.