How authenticity impacts your bottom line

Should I have a work personality and a home personality?

What does it mean to bring your 'whole self' to your work?

What does it mean to 'do you'? What is living authentically?

And should I even bother?

After coaching and training thousands throughout the Caribbean and South American regions over the past 16 years, I've been asked these questions many times.

So many people tell me they are a different person outside the office, that they can't be themselves at work.

And honestly that makes me a little sad.

It implies that either they feel they would be rejected if they were their real selves or they aren't comfortable in their own skin. Either way it's a sad state for the individual and for the organization cause neither is tapping into each other's full potential.

And while living authentically or 'doing you' may come naturally to some, the truth is that it isn't that easy for many.

The downside of not 'doing you' can show up in many ways and they all negatively impact your bottom line.

Here are a few tell tale signs of low or no authenticity in the workplace:

• No connection or 'vibe' with colleagues, employees and customers
• Team members not opening up to each other
• Not able to build rapport with clients
• Not able to close sales
• Lack of trust with coworkers
• Low work morale
• Low productivity
• Employees not wanting to participate in work events
• Leaders who can't engage and motivate their employees
• High tension between managers and team members
• Stifled creativity and innovation

And if you didn't figure it our by now, all the above lead to lower output and poorer quality work, which are all perilous for your bottom line.

Put another way, who would want to create their best work in a false, toxic environment?

If you want to powerfully connect to your work and engage the people around you, the best thing you can do is bring your authentic self to everything you do.*

And new workforce generations are demanding this. For them employee engagement is not about staff lunches or sports days. It's about being able to comfortably express themselves and feel valued by their colleagues, it's about real diversity and inclusion and it's about connecting with their colleagues in a more meaningful way.

If you are in a Leadership position, the best pace to start is with you. You set the tone and create the space for your teams to produce their best work.

If you're still not convinced about why you should 'do you', check out my recent YouTube video.

In a Covid world where we are separated by distance and masks, connecting to our colleagues and customers is more important than ever for business continuity, team morale and productivity

As always, your success is at the heart and mind of everything that I do.

Leah de Souza

PS. *The key is to express your authentic self with compassion, confidence and clarity. You didn't think I'd just let you run about screaming at people and saying, "This is the real me, so take that!". ;-)