The Essence of Unassuming Authenticity

“Engage the heart and challenge the mind “MB

When we are doing the work to engage our hearts on the inside, we are also doing the work in service of those who are the beneficiaries of our work on the outside! They are the beneficiaries of our authenticity. They are the beneficiaries of our honesty, integrity, vulnerability and selfless compassion, as the harmony of our actions and words are the evidence of our unassuming authenticity in service of others / our stakeholders.

I like to refer to the people we serve as a community of human beings with hearts, minds and souls with real heartfelt emotions and lives that matter just like yours and mine. Without caring and serving for people from our heart’s, nothing else really matters. Leading with our heart doesn’t mean we don’t hold people accountable or push forward to always seek a competitive edge to win in business. What it does mean is we show real care, genuine authentic compassion, high levels of inclusiveness, encouragement for innovation and co-creation, a willingness to be vulnerable and to lead with our hearts hardwired to our words, actions, and expressions. We are empathetic and sympathetic leaders who prioritize an individual’s well-being.

Most important is how the human beings and teams we serve, experience, and perceive us as we work to inspire all lives authentically while encouraging them to have every opportunity to serve each other and thrive in both their personal and business lives for generations to come. Think of generations to come metaphorically as a “river that never runs dry!!”

Also, with continuous learning and practice we can do the great work to discover the hidden gifts and talents in ourselves while also encouraging and inspiring others.  We need each other!

Our Authenticity Impacts Lives in a Positive Way

Gregg Thompson writes in his great book “The Master Coach” about Authenticity:

“Authenticity is the currency of trust. We instinctively trust people who we deem real, genuine, and sincere. Those who are transparent with their weaknesses, who have the courage to be vulnerable, and who admit their mistakes honestly are far more likely to gain our trust than those who try to project an image of perfection.”

With our own vulnerability we are entering the life lane of authenticity, and it encourages staying true to our core values and to not be influenced to ever deviate no matter what the consequences, or what others may think. Staying true to our beliefs and values without deviation encourages real authenticity with a real and very live pulse.  It also means we are in the continuous pursuit of never assuming how others experience our expressions and perceptions with every interaction.  With vulnerable confidence we know we are never perfect, and it takes continuous work and reflection to always try and seek improvement and to work towards being the very unassuming authentic best version of ourselves. It takes learning from our mistakes and making them valuable learning experiences while also knowing our conscious intent was and always will be intended for the greater good versus the greater bad.

When we are authentically in service of each other, we can do exactly that as what we do know, is we are committed to caring for one another because it is the right conscientious thing to do. It is what our hearts guide us to do in a genuine and authentic way. The right thing to do is put our authentic hearts to work, building unassuming trust with each other as human beings with a loyalty mindset we will never let each other down. We are people with feelings and real heartfelt emotions. We are not emotionless robots.

The opposite of authentic – unauthentic, not genuine

Activation Journaling Exercise:

  • Journal what being authentic means to you
  • Journal what core values reinforce authenticity and genuineness
  • What leaders in your life were most inspiring to you and what authentic behaviors and characteristics did you experience?
  • What leaders in your life did you experience unauthentic behaviors and how did that make you feel?

Have a winning day!

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