It’s a key ingredient in trust. The alignment of our actions with our words. Authenticity though goes deeper still. It requires the alignment of our words and our intentions.
We easily proclaim our intensions as that which we expect the listener is hoping to hear. We adjust our approaches to facilitate the achievement of a ‘yes’. This is subject to a tolerance level.
Our intentions can be adjusted to find mutual benefit and secure partnership. When we surpass the tolerance level, we have entered the realm of manipulation. This is not always malicious. We don’t want our intent to be known because it is personal, private, or sensitive.
The challenge is that unless you work for an intelligence agency, your tells are likely much more pronounced than you believe. You misalign your words and your stated intentions.
Immediately trust is broken down, and the outcome you hope to secure with the slight lean on authenticity has not only crumbled but damaged the relationships as a result.
In an economy where intentions are more scrutinised than ever before, your greatest risk mitigation is learning to be authentic.
It’s much harder than you think.
