Acting in an Authentic way and treating people authentically is an “action” you choose to take…it isn’t a result.
The “result” of continuous Authenticity is Trust.
Everyone wants the result…people to trust them…but not everyone is willing to commit to the day in and day out actions of authenticity required to get there.
But is Authenticity a “core personal value” or a “learned value”? This is a subject of much debate. Some say being authentic is who you are rather than something you just do. Others say you don’t have to be an authentic person to appear to be authentic, such as posting authentic content. It’s a discussion that I expect will continue for some time…
The real question is how your audience views what you are doing and is this capable of building their trust based on your actions? If they believe you are being authentic, truthful, up front, and honest with them about your interactions, content, and dialog, you will move towards achieving the end result of trust.
However, if at the end of the day they believe these are just actions and not really who you are (or your organization) then you won’t get to the desired result of trust.
From my personal experience, this is becoming easier and easier to spot with the increase in both interactions and content being flooded into the market. If someone isn’t truly authentic, at some point their conversations, promises, content, and actions will bring this to light and it will stand out like a bright light on a dark street. But for those who are authentic in their interactions, their content, views, dialog, and stand strong in everything they do, write, and talk about, they too stand out continually, like the lighthouse on the cliff…easy to spot and a welcomed site.
I believe this is the decision for the leaders in the organization. If they are themselves authentic and want to represent this to their audience, then it should be a core value and something that is non-negotiable. If this is their stance, the employees will follow. And if the employees can’t follow, they will be gone. This is the only way to build a culture of authenticity. And when you have a culture of authenticity, you get authentic dialog, regardless of the medium or channel used.
This would be a great question to ask your leadership team…“Do we want to be authentic in everything we do and communicate or not?” It’s OK if you decide not to be, just don’t confuse your audience by trying to get them think you are…they always figure it out. And if you want to be, then shout it out and make everyone aware of it internally and externally…celebrate it and acknowledge it. There is no grey line in this area…you’re on one side or the other. You just have to decide which side you are on and then act accordingly.
This is the point you realize the true result of authenticity…TRUST. And when you are trusted, you get talked about…a lot! People want to tell others about people they trust today because it is so noisy and takes too much time to figure it out. We are all turning to our “TRUSTED NETWORKS” of people we know for guidance. If this is where you and your organization want to be today and into the future, Authenticity as a non-negotiable item is a pretty good place to start!
