What Authenticity Means in the Corporate World

There is much talk on authenticity and its importance recently, including being our authentic selves. A big part of authenticity is communications and being able to communicate authentically.

Some folks have asked me what it really means, and if it means they can literally just communicate whatever they want and anyhow they want even in a corporate setting.

Being authentic means being our true selves in terms of our identities, core values and to a certain extent, our personalities. However, we are not all angels or have charming and kind personalities. Truth be told, if everyone is so nice, kind and loveable, there wouldn’t be so much courses and writings on ways to navigate corporate politics, petty squabbles and power tussles. Truth also be told, if we bring our true selves to the corporate world, some of us might even get fired for being rude, abrasive or worst verbally abusive.

We are usually our true, authentic selves when we are with our loved ones, our families or simply people we are most comfortable with. These are usually not our colleagues or bosses.

Perhaps an unpopular opinion for some, but to me, being authentic in corporate shouldn’t be overly simplified or generalized that way.

While, we can bring our true identities in terms of say our gender orientation and sexual orientation to workplaces that are open and welcoming of it, it doesn’t mean bringing our true personalities, temperament, personal problems, warts and all to the work place.

I think it’s more important to be empathetic in the delivery of our communications and being authentic in the content we are delivering. The emphasis is on content as that’s what really matters to employees and stakeholders. No one wants a fake message that’s layered with lots of fluff or corporate spiel but when unwrapped, the essence of it either doesn’t mean much, cause more confusion or worse, reeks of lies. Don’t communicate for the sake of saying something.

Empathy in our delivery is critical so we are considerate of people’s feelings, their communications style and situations to tailor the way we deliver the message without changing the gist of the content. Being empathetic doesn’t mean fluffing up the message or lying about the content. It’s balancing the logical with the emotional side of the delivery approach. It’s also how you offer up support thereafter for feedback or questions.

Another way to reference it would be being professionally authentic and empathetic in our communications by putting ourselves in the shoes of the audience, and how you would relate to the intended message.

About the Author

Mad About Marketing Consulting

Ally and Advisor for CMOs, Heads of Marketing and C-Suites to work with you and your marketing teams to maximize your marketing potential with strategic transformation for better business and marketing outcomes