Authenticity is a commonly used buzzword by academicians and executives. Experts state that industry leaders should strive for authenticity instead of perfection. However, observations also reveal that only authentic companies can sustain themselves in the competitive market.
Several surveys and research studies have already proven the potential of authenticity, and experts now consider it a key driver for achieving desired objectives at every level, from leaders to frontline workers. Conversely, an inauthentic presence is likely to destroy relationships and trust. Moreover, it can also worsen performance evaluations, damage customer loyalty, and decrease corporate profits.
Although people understand the importance of authenticity, they still find it challenging to maintain and develop it. For instance, if we talk about communication, it is acceptable to be perceived as authentic, but sometimes, behaving authentically in the wrong situation can lead to disaster. For example, consider a manager is firing his employee, but at the same time, he is expressing his happiness that his long-time girlfriend accepted his marriage proposal this morning. Although you are happy inside, the tone may look unappealing at the moment when someone is losing his job.
Sometimes, we need to be inauthentic by hiding our underlying emotions to handle the present situation. But mismatched emotions can cause a challenge for you to lead authentic communications in the virtual world. The experts at Global Investment Strategies have mentioned a few reasons behind these challenges in maintaining authenticity in conversations.
Situational effects
In several situations, it may appear difficult to display the inherent emotion due to the conflicting or challenging factors directly related to the case. For example, your job requires you to deal with the customers with a smile, but it isn’t easy to do so when the customer is shouting at you. Or in another case, it is complicated to be supportive when the mistake of your subordinate has created a double burden for you.
Spillover effects
In some situations, you may not find any emotionally intense challenge, but emotions spill over between different moments. Certain strong feelings before interaction cannot dissipate automatically when the interaction is over. Ultimately, emotions may vary in contexts where they are no longer needed. For example, a leader wishes to show excitement for some upcoming growth opportunity but is feeling depressed due to some unrelated reason.
Communication channel issues
In many situations, we face technology-driven challenges to express genuine emotion, which sometimes appears inauthentic. This scenario has been widely observed during covid-19 related remote work when people could not express themselves authentically on virtual communications.
To deal with these issues, you must find some relevant medium to show your authentic emotions. One needs to be careful about the interaction channel and look for the most reliable alternatives to express your genuine feelings. It is better to be mindful of your conversations instead of being a part of some unintended consequences.
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