Trending: Authenticity

twobrain.jpgAuthenticity, as demonstrated by words and actions – often shared, discussed and judged on social media - is the standard of trust and the determinant of whom we wish to do business.

Dulling the senses and reducing the impact

I admit an obsession with news and opinion that goes back throughout my entire adult life. However, as the sheer volume of available newsfeeds has jumped and after significant exposure to newsfeeds, aggressive telemarketing pitches, engineered fundraising scripts, political and product messaging and ubiquitous product promotion, I must admit that I have become suspicious or deaf to what I see and read. It seems that as my exposure to social media has risen, so has my understanding of how to present myself and my stories. I have also become more aware of when others are manipulating or distorting facts.

Hunger for authenticity

Perhaps a growing awareness amongst media consumers like me is leading to a dulling of the immediacy and fascination of social media. I believe that for many this is evolving to a growing hunger for something more genuine. Consider Facebook’s upcoming changes to it’s newsfeed which could be argued reflects a trend toward content that shows more heart and encourages the forging of deeper connections, giving users the ability to focus only on image-based posts or tune out brand updates completely. In fact, in many cases the only way businesses are going to get their news seen is if friends share it, and to achieve that they’re going to have to be convincingly honest and authentic.

This single indicator of change is not a trend, nor is it a harbinger of change. However, any savvy business person will avoid dwelling on today’s success stories or changes such as the Facebook newsfeed policy or Amazon’s second headquarters decision. Astute strategists favour a future anticipatory perspective to shape positioning. Constantly looking to align a business with market signals (seeing if the collective ‘us’ is looking for something else). Consider one example - the rise in preference for food that is healthy, fresher and has natural ingredients as a driver of organic food sales, shaping the exotic and unconventional offerings of food trucks (many now being posted on Yelp), pushing interest and sales of craft beer and cider. The food itself is often showcased with an interesting back story about their entrepreneurial owners. Taste, convenience and price take a back seat to honesty and authenticity. That’s a big shift!

Not Your Parents Marketing Strategy

To take this argument a bit further, many rising products are being marketed very differently. Halo-Top ice cream, Graze snacks, Kind snack bars, Dollar Shave Club and Harry’s in razors, Tito’s in vodka, Fevertree tonics, The Ordinary and Glossier in skincare/cosmetics are all challenger brands that have grown rapidly, helped by authenticity credentials (often expressed as a more careful reading of the ingredients!) and enabled by social media and the increasing capabilities of digital technology to support online shopping. Staying connected is more important than ever and honesty and authenticity appears to be the secret sauce.

To dispel any doubts about the longevity of this general pattern of change, the emerging generation is quickly dictating the rules of engagement in companies and in the marketplace. Compared to those who used to be in the drivers seat by virtue of sheer numbers, current decision-makers are a far more informed, aware, socially connected – and empowered – crowd than ever before with high standards and a heavy dose of attitude. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that scams can be sniffed out quickly, people are not reticent to air some dirty laundry and anything out there will be scrutinized. If it doesn’t measure up to ‘genuine’ it WILL get called out. We have lots of high profile examples of damaging and career-ending moral/ethical behaviour or lapses in judgement that reflect on character.

A dispassionate look at the world of enterprises, products and services is comforting because there are no personal consequences and there is always someone else who “should have done better”. However, we are all on the hook when it comes to a call for authenticity.

Authenticity Has Become Personal

The trail inevitably brings us to the leaders of such organizations. We instinctively look to the upper echelons of an organization to gauge the purpose, values (moral compass) and goals of the enterprise and also to look for evidence of trustworthiness in their behaviours through the quality of market, supplier, staff and client interactions. Identities are always on display in today’s world of ubiquitous connectivity and social media. How we present ourselves—not just as executives but as people, with quirks and broader interests—has become an important aspect of leadership. Having to carefully curate a persona that’s out there for all to see can clash with our private sense of self. Those who study such things seem to be moving towards some acceptance of what qualities constitute authentic leadership: self awareness enabled through an ongoing process of self-reflection and self-examination; open sharing of personal thoughts and beliefs, balanced by a suppression of inappropriate emotions; solicitation of opposing viewpoints and their fair-minded consideration; and a positive, consistent ethical foundation.

Simply put, being authentic means staying true to who you are, what you do and who you serve. I will go a bit further and suggest that your digital trail of actions and behaviours creates a body of evidence that will be held up against a standard of trust – are you worthy of trust? Do folks want to do business with you – will you honour a contract, will you give me what you promise, is what I am buying what you say it is, is this the best deal for me, have you informed me of other options to consider? Is your interest in my welfare or in maximizing profits? Now this is getting personal isn’t it? Any professional will be held up to this standard – do you measure up?

How a Professional Can Demonstrate Authenticity

If you accept the necessity of authenticity and recognize it as a key ingredient of a trusting relationship, what are some practical ways that a professional practitioner can demonstrate it convincingly in order to grow and thrive:

Be Real by sharing your passions and your mission. Bottom line – listen to those involved in your affairs and get back to grass roots, applying your core values, goals and beliefs to the heart of how you approach every aspect of your business.

Be Charitable by making yourself a true champion of a cause by affiliating with a charity and building campaigns around it. If it is a genuine commitment, your altruistic nature will go a long way to winning people over.

Be Consistent. Giving mixed messages on different platforms or between online and personal contact easily leads to confusion, suspicion and mistrust. Your fundamental message, style and identity should remain the same throughout to ensure you convey your business as strong, self-assured and trustworthy.

Back Up What You Say. Today’s savvy consumer is much more likely to see straight through the banter of an ‘all mouth and no trousers’ business/practitioner to the lack of substance underneath. Authenticity goes hand in hand with being transparent, so avoid any embarrassment by never making claims you can’t prove, giving evidence wherever you can, staying true to your core mission and values, and making sure you never post misleading information about your business.

Be Responsive to add a personal element to your customer service and to show that you follow through on your promises – it goes a long way to building a solid and authentic reputation. Give people as many ways as possible they can easily contact you, and make SURE a REAL person, (not a machine or an autoresponder) is going to be there to respond promptly, politely and effectively.

Respect Privacy. It comes down to integrity. People are trusting you to guard their online privacy so don’t sell out by passing on your clients’ personal details to other companies or by using them for things they don’t expect or want.

Be Accountable. If you make a mistake, be professional enough to admit it – and be humble. Own up and apologize before anyone else has the chance to publicly make a harsh judgment that could damage your reputation further. Everyone has flaws – it’s what makes us human. Handled correctly, being honest about and accountable for your mistakes could turn a ‘situation’ into an advantageous state of affairs.

There are other steps you can take such as: highlighting your reputation through reviews (never manipulate these reviews); nurturing your following through on-going dialogue; and know the limits of what you can or wish to share to demonstrate your authenticity.

Given the lessons of recent spectacular falls from grace and what we are learning by studying what happened and how to avoid such catastrophes…….

I suppose that honesty is still the best policy.

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About the author

Jac van Beek CMC, is a former CEO of CMC-Canada, continues to be a part-time professor of strategy and is currently creating StreetSmart – a social enterprise (for the benefit of homeless youth) to help senior executives learn the fundamental skills of street kids – positive focus, agility and resilience, proactive creativity and cooperative competition.