Yesterday’s post about authenticity talked about the importance of it in leadership and in your life. How do you tell if someone is authentic or not? Most people would probably say they can just feel it or they determine a person’s authenticity if their actions and words match up. You could be showing up inauthentically at times and not even realize it. Here are some characteristics of authentic and inauthentic people to help you see the differences:
People Who Show Authentic Characteristics
- Have realistic perceptions of reality
- Accept themselves and others
- Are thoughtful
- Express their emotions freely and clearly
- Open to learning from their mistakes
- Understand their motivations
People Who Show Inauthentic Characteristics
- Have unrealistic perceptions of reality
- Look to others to get approval or to feel valued
- Are judgmental of other people
- Are unable to learn from their mistakes
- Are unable to express their emotions freely and clearly
- Do not understand their motivations
Do you see yourself in the list of inauthentic characteristics? Have you received feedback that you are doing any of these things? There may be times where you are displaying inauthentic characteristics in certain situations. Is this caused by the specific situation that you are in or do you do see yourself showing these behaviors consistently? The key is to be aware of them and ask yourself if that is how you want to be perceived. Now that you know the differences, will you make the shift to show up more authentically?