“Ideas lead to a result; ideals result in a leader.” -John Maeda in Redesigning Leadership
Work to express and generate ideas but prioritize living out of and up to your ideals.
First you must clarify your values and vision to understand and feel deeply your ideals.
Not just about knowing it in your head but feeling it within your soul.
Being authentic is all about me. You. Individual.
Sure we want to be real, true, but also we cannot live in a space all about us all the time.
We need to also show up as a professional.
Serving those around us.
Start with authenticity to find yourself but know we also must show up for other people.
At least that’s the life I’m looking to live. One of a professional. One of service. One of love.
Seth Godin talks about this idea a lot. His episode on Akimbo (Episode “Industry and it’s disconnects” at 24:22 time) talks about it at the end in Q/A segment which sparked my thinking on it.
It is one thing to know your audience.
It’s another to pick and curate your audience.
Set up the right expectations
Invite the right people
Make clear the purpose of your training, meeting, event, relationship
Just knowing your audience helps you adapt but inevitably you’ll be shifted away from who you are into who your audience needs you to be.
Better is to find an audience that wants who you are and curate towards them.
You can maintain your authenticity while serving people wholly.
Has it ever been here?
I over use this word.
“I want to be more authentic…She is so authentic…”
Where do we actually find authenticity?
Is this the same as “there is nothing original”?
There is nothing authentic?
Authentic= of undisputed origin. Genuine.
This was a picture from my recent vacation in Cancun. My brother and his fiancé took a picture with Mayan impersonators and they chose this as their background (StarBucks) in the heart of a small city while waiting in line for a ride into Tulum.
Tulum is a Mayan ruin from 5th Century AD. It seems so Authentic. But have we taken away the authenticity?
Is authenticity something that can be taken away?
Has authenticity ever been there?
Integer-Latin-wholeness
Being able to be wholly oneself and fully true is a piece of integrity.
Not that you always stay the same and “consistent” but that you are wholly you.
This captures more of what I mean when I often use the word authentic.
Like on vacation, we are daring enough to wear the two piece, buy a new fedora, wear that interesting dress…we won’t see these people again, it’s vacation why not!? Why not bring that adventure home? Is that adventure our whole self or not? Maybe our whole self is more of the one that would rather wear a t shirt all week.
Let it be that. Just be a person of integrity.
Credit to my wife, Kelly, for most of these thoughts. She is brilliant!
phil invites 