Authenticity is a Super Power: Six Tips for Being Your Most Successful Self
By Whitney Littlewood
Over my 20+ year career in technology I’ve had the privilege of working with amazing companies, inspiring leaders and lots of smart, motivated people. I’ve learned from all of them along the way and I’ve learned from my own experience. I don’t have mad technology skills, I’m not a whiz with spreadsheets, I didn’t go to business school, but yet, I’m really good at what I do. How? I realized early on that building strong relationships is paramount to work and life success and the only way to do that is to be your most authentic self - in and out of the office.
Unfortunately, we often look to others as to how we’re “supposed” to act. This is especially true in the business world. But, if you look around at the movers and shakers in your company you might notice that they tend to be the people that break the mold. They might be incredibly nerdy, or charismatic or just plain super nice. Whatever makes them special isn’t as important as the realization that we are all special! We all have a unique perspective and personality to bring to an organization. Authenticity builds trust and trust drives business results. (If you don’t believe me I highly recommend Stephen Covey’s “The Speed of Trust”). Being confident enough to be your true self is a gift to your company and let’s be honest, it makes work a lot more fun too!
So, work on becoming your most authentic self at work!
Here are some tips:
1. If you don’t understand - ASK!
Please, please, please don’t pretend to understand something because you’re embarrassed. I learned this in my first role as a Product Manager leading a global team of 15 Designers, Engineers and QAs. As I was about to end a call I realized I had no idea what we’d decided, what the next steps were or who was doing what! I could have ended it anyway but I didn’t. Instead, I told the team I was totally confused and asked if anyone else was. Every single person across the globe agreed! After that I ALWAYS was the first to admit when something wasn’t clear and 9 times out of 10 I wasn’t the only one.
2. If it’s not going to happen - tell them!
You may WANT to always meet your customers’ needs, or your boss’s needs, but let’s be honest, a lot of the time their needs aren’t realistic. You are not a failure if you can’t meet every need, you are human. If it’s not going to happen - tell them! The sooner the better, but also be ready to explain why and when it could happen. People are only disappointed when you don’t meet their expectations so prioritize setting realistic expectations and surprising them when you can over-deliver.
3. Explain your style and ask others about their preferences!
How does your executive contact or your boss like to communicate? Email, phone, text messages, Slack, over a Happy Hour martini? Give people options, but also be honest about how you like to communicate. If your phone goes off at 5pm on Friday when you put on your soccer coach hat, tell them. They will respect your boundaries. Also, if you work across borders be conscious of cultural differences. You may need to vary your approach around context, directness, and decision making. In the US people are generally more casual, less contextual, want crisp and concise communication, and look to leaders for top-down decisions. In Asia however you may need to explain how you reached a recommendation, build consensus around a decision and put time into a relationship out of the office in order to be successful. Understanding how you work and acknowledging cultural differences is a good first step to being authentic and building trust.
4. If you can do it - do it well.
Do your best at everything you do. It’s better to do less things well than lots of things half-assed. One successful project or happy customer will keep returning value to the business long into the future. That is way more valuable than lots of projects in motion that don’t drive tangible results. And when you get good at saying “no” to anything that is not essential you may find yourself much happier. (For more on this read “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg McKeown).
5. Make mistakes - and learn from them.
It’s ok to make mistakes. As they say in the UK, sometimes you have to eat humble pie (not something most Americans are versed in). Learn to graciously admit defeat, and what NOT to do next time. No one is perfect and being vulnerable is actually a sign of strength. Some of the most engaging stories I tell now in my training classes are about the times I screwed up! (Like that one time on Black Friday when the checkout code broke…) We all fall down, but when you pick yourself up and keep going, you build resilience, humility and often, a sense of humor.
6. Be yourself - everyone else is taken!
Are you in a rock band? Do you love animals? Are you a skydiving enthusiast? Great! Share your passions and let people get to know the real you. You are not a robot (not yet anyway) and neither are your customers or colleagues. The more we show up to work as our full authentic selves the more work will reflect our values.
Authenticity is a powerful asset in business - it builds trust, enhances credibility, increases loyalty, fosters innovation and differentiates you from the crowd. Do one thing today to be your authentic self at work! Trust me, you won’t be sorry.
Do you have another tip or story about the power of authenticity? Please share it with us in the comments below!
The Success League is a global customer success consulting firm dedicated to helping companies improve their revenue and customer experience. We offer consulting, coaching, and certification training for both CS Leaders and CSMs. Visit TheSuccessLeague.io for more.
Whitney Littlewood - Whitney is a passionate customer success leader that believes a healthy mix of data and empathy drive exceptional customer outcomes. She most recently led customer success teams at high-growth startups including UserTesting and Optimizely. Before that, she held roles in consulting, product development and marketing at companies including Adobe and Travelocity. She loves teaching and helping people grow both professionally and personally.
