How authentic are you at work?
Authenticity is about being who you are and is the best form of self-promotion there is. When you are being who you really are and have confidence in yourself, it is the best advert and attracts people to you. People with a strong sense of self, with self-awareness and self-acceptance, confidence not arrogance, plus emotional intelligence have an energy about them which is very compelling.
Many people don’t do personal development, or believe they have to behave in a certain way, so wear a metaphorical ‘mask’. A mask can be a great way of coping and fitting in, especially in the corporate world with politics, but other people sense the inauthenticity and it can be exhausting for the person who is ‘acting’. Before I did work on myself, and my goodness it’s been a long journey and is still ongoing, I was different at work and out of work. Now I am the same and have a clear sense of my values, what motivates me, my strengths and weaknesses. It makes life a lot simpler.
One of the best gifts you can give someone is unconditional acceptance of who they are. Easier said than done sometimes!
5 tips to discover your authentic self
1) Answer the philosophical question “Who am I?” and ask others who they are rather than what they do.
2) Reflect on what situations you behave out of character and edit yourself.
3) Get clear on your most important values.
4) Think about when you feel most yourself and what is happening that enables this.
5) Create your own definition of what ‘authenticity’ means for you and how you know you are being authentic.
Self-reflective question
When are you most being your authentic self?
Inspiring quote
“The self is not something that one finds. It’s something one creates.”
Thomas Szasz
Rachel Brushfield is the Talent Liberator from Energise – The Talent Liberation Company. She is a career, talent and L&D strategist and coach and published author. Helping clients create, market and manage a portfolio career is a specialism.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/energiseliberateyourtalent
@Talentliberator @EnergiseLLClub@EnergiseLegal
