Ask yourself: are you authentic or do you hide behind a veil? If we are truly honest with ourselves, many of us would confess while we strive to be authentic often times it is easier to compartmentalize and hide behind a veil; especially since social media has opened up an opportunity to share one’s life. Most people, including me, only post the good stuff. It is difficult to share the hard stuff and because we primarily interact through social media and technology I believe that authenticity has become a very rare but an invaluable characteristic.
It does not matter whether it is in your business or personal life, being authentic means presenting yourself truthfully, embracing vulnerability, and matching your actions with your core values. A person who is authentic in life is more likely to be authentic in business and vice versa. It is the conscious decision to live with integrity, allowing your genuine self to guide decisions, relationships, and your overall journey. It is my opinion that being a small business owner gives you more of an opportunity to be yourself, your business represents you and your core values.
Your authentic self allows you to build trust, credibility, and long-term relationships for success. I am not saying that it does not exist at the large corporation level, but because you have to answer to a board, stake holders, and more that perhaps it is tougher to be transparent but not impossible. Authentic leaders create environments where transparency and honesty are valued, and employees are encouraged to bring their true selves to work. This fosters an atmosphere of trust, which is crucial for collaboration and innovation. Customers are also more likely to engage with and remain loyal to brands and companies that they perceive as genuine.
In practice, authenticity in business (small or large) means more than just having a mission statement and ethical standards. It is about aligning corporate values with actual behavior, whether it’s treating employees fairly, prioritizing customer experience, or making decisions that consider long-term impact rather than short-term profit. How many times have we witnessed this approach falling short?
It has been my experience that companies that are authentic are typically more resilient in the face of challenges because they are transparent and foster loyalty from both their customers and employees.
If anyone knows my approach to life or business, I talk about resiliency a lot. I mean a lot and when faced with challenges, an authentic person or business is more likely to own or confront issues directly, rather than playing the blame game. This ability to face adversity with integrity not only builds trust but also nurtures growth.
Ultimately, being authentic—whether in business or life—means being consistent in your actions, values, and beliefs. So, ask yourself are you being authentic? Then look at your life and/or business and see if you are developing deeper connections, feeling greater satisfaction and if you have a sound foundation built on trust and integrity.
Sonya Ruff Jarvis is a Business & Marketing Consultant; Content Creator & Connection-Maker; Thought Leader & Industry Expert and Book Author & Entrepreneur. Areas of expertise include: Retail; Marketing; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI); and Human Resources. Sonya has been a part of the B2B retail industry for more than 30 years. Interested in Sonya’s books? They can be found on Amazon or get an author autographed copy at www.jarvisconsultants.com.
Ways to Work with Jarvis Consultants!
Strategies: We help small to mid-size companies develop business, marketing, and event management strategies.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI): We help companies create DEI strategies and approaches that are implementable and sustainable based on their objectives.
Business Coaching: We coach Founders of small to medium size businesses who want to take their organization to the next level.
Project Management: We support companies that don’t have the personnel resources internally; we help them create projects from the development stages to implementation; and, a tactical management process.
New Business Development: We help clients research and explore new business opportunities and/or emerging trends that can be optimized and generate incremental revenue including content.
Let’s talk about your next project and how Jarvis Consultants can support your initiatives;
sonya@jarvisconsultants.com.
www.jarvisconsultants.com