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 © 2008, Business Influence, All Rights Reservedwww.businessinfluence.com.au 
Are You Authentic?
By Darren Bourke – Director of Business Influence Pty Ltd 
What is authenticity?
Authenticity refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity,devotion and intentions.Let's look at those words and how they might apply to you.
Origins.
Your background and history are massive shapers of you. Today you are thesum total of this lifetime conditioning.
Attributions.
Your attributes are all the individual features that make up you. Theymay be external physical features or internal attributes that are implicit within you.
Commitments.
This is what you are committed to doing. This is not loose "see if ithappens" lip service. These are the absolutes that you are committed to doing. Theyultimately define you.
Sincerity.
This is how much you truly care. It could be about the quality of your goodsor service. It could be about your staff members or customers. Sincerity is generally judged by others.
Devotion.
This is how committed you are to achieving your goals and dreams. This iswhen you go the extra mile, deliver beyond expectation or truly surprise people by yourefforts.
Intentions.
This is the truthfulness, clarity and transparency of what you intend to do.Are your intentions clear and uncompromised? Does everyone understand them?
Why be authentic?
Being truly authentic to yourself means that you don't have to try too hard to think ofhow to respond or act in situations. If you have a clear understanding of yourstandards, ethics and what you stand for; then you're more able tospontaneously respond to everyday situations.Authenticity isn't about saying "hey this is me - cop it or bad luck". This is the mantra ofthe stereotypical Big Brother Gen Y contestant. Authenticity is about appreciating andrespecting different people and points of view. It's about being comfortable in your ownskin and still complying with some widely accepted business and social conventions.People can generally pick a dodgy business operator from 100 metres. Why? Becausethey sense something isn't right. Their intuitive radar goes off. The dodgy operatormight look great and have all the business trimmings. But something doesn't stack up.
 
 © 2008, Business Influence, All Rights Reservedwww.businessinfluence.com.au Alternately, when you meet someone authentic your intuitive radar also goes off. Butthis time it's in a good way. You tune in to the person and feel a level of trust andwarmth. You believe them. They seem real. They may even have attributes or viewsthat you would ordinarily not be drawn to. But you overlook these and see theirauthenticity... their own truth!Authenticity makes you disarmingly attractive to others making you a magnet that otherpeople are drawn to. Of course, you don't want to magnetise everyone. Just those thatshare your core values and want to create a meaningful and mutually beneficialrelationship over time.
What is my authenticity?
Discovering your authenticity often starts with thinking about what you are passionateabout. What gets you excited and fired up - good and bad? What do you have to offer?What is your core genius and how can you share this with the world?Now that's a starting point.Now think about how you can live this each day in your business world. Think abouthow this fits in with all your interactions, dealings, meetings and day to day flow.Believe me - it not only fits in but can be your compass in nearly all situations.If you're struggling to grasp what your authenticity might be, here's a method I founduseful.- Write down what your vision is for you and your business- Write down your values- Write down your absolute strengths and core genius (no false modesty here)- Write down the problems you solve- Write down the opportunities you create- Write down what you love doing- Write down the attributes of people you'd ideally like around youNow consciously think about "being truly you" in all your dealings with staff, customersand suppliers. Do more of what you love and less of what you loathe. If you're notspending 80% or more of your time on your strengths and core genius -reassess things. Trust until deceived. Take some calculated risks. Put yourself in somesituations outside your normal comfort zone. Smile more and be less negative. Giveyourself the chance for your authenticity to shine through to all in your path.
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