Authentic Presence: A Checklist

Leaders can often struggle with making a strong emotional connection. Making an emotional connection takes self-awareness and commitment. Without a real connection between leaders and their organizations, workplaces lose their meaning and everyone suffers.

Authenticity Checklist

​How do you know if you’re being inauthentic? (After all, no leader consciously chooses to be that way!) Let’s imagine you’re about to launch a diversity and inclusion program in your workplace. Are you authentically behind this initiative? Here some quick check in points:
 
Do I feel truly, fully at ease?
Feeling at ease that means you aren’t distracted, stressed, impatient or time-crunched. You are able to listen with purpose, ask open-ended questions, build others’ self-confidence and allow others to their best work. 
 
Am I fully committed to this? If so, why?
Don’t just go through the motions. People can sense disconnected action a mile away so please be sure you are fully committed to whatever you are launching. If you’re fully committed, you’ll be so excited that you’ll want to talk about the initiative all day long. It will be even more important that sales and budget meetings or technology roll-outs. Your commitment will make it safe for everyone else to get on board and bring the initiative to life.

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Am I excited about this?
With commitment comes excitement. Commitment is a decision to see something through, a cognitive green light. Excitement is about heart, feeling, energy. Excitement punctuates the words you speak; it energizes your presence in the room; it compels others to join you. In order to build excitement, you have to do your own emotional work. Get in touch with your real feelings, including your fears. Be transparent about those feelings and speak from the heart about why this initiative matters.