THE POWER OF AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS:

Nowadays, more than ever, people, leaders, and groups must utilize the power of authentic Relationships in order to build trust, resolve conflicts, and create cohesion in their businesses.

Authenticity in business relationships is more than a trend, it is increasingly becoming a requirement for those who want to succeed BIG in today’s business world.

Extensive research in the fields of social psychology and emotional intelligence is proving that being real, honest, and even vulnerable are key elements to individual and group business relationships success. The more virtual our lives get, the more we hunger after something genuine

So what is Authenticity? Authenticity is being absolutely honest, but in the same time vulnerable. In my humble opinion, as also indicated by Mike Robbins [the author of the book: “Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken”] in his TEDx talk ] It’s the vulnerability aspect of authenticity that’s both liberating and challenging.

It seems scary? You bet it is. We, including me, have allowed ourselves to be vulnerable in the past and people have hurt our feelings, they’ve manipulated us, and they’ve used things against us.  Based on these types of experiences, out of fear, we have a tendency to protect ourselves from vulnerability.

Brene Brown, author of the best-selling book Daring Greatly and professor at the University of Houston, mentioned in her famous TED talk that “It’s our ability to embrace vulnerability that allows us to experience true authenticity, and thus true freedom and power in life”. Thus, it is right to assume that vulnerability is also the fundamental element of building trust and connection with other human beings.  Our ability (or inability) to be vulnerable is directly connected with our ability (or inability) to be authentic.

So, if you want to connect with other people in a meaningful and genuine way, you have to embrace authenticity.

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Why Authenticity works in building business relationships?
Authenticity works because…

• It builds your personal brand into something influential, reliable and trustworthy;
• It elevates your business above the competition;
• It enables people to connect deeply with you & to your business;
• It gives real substance to your business and your services;
• It encourages engagement and can turn clients and prospects into ambassadors;
• It helps people understand how what you offer is of benefit to them.

Here are 6 practical ways you can develop your authenticity simply and effectively to grow your business:

1. You need to be Real

The best way to be perceived as authentic is to BE authentic every moment of your day. You need to get back to basic, understand your core values and communicate them. You need to know what drives you? What are your goals and beliefs? Share your passion and your mission. At the same time, you need to show empathy, caring to other people. Simply listen to others needs and try to help them. As I always say, it may sound simple but it is not easy.

2. You need to be Consistent

Giving consistent messages to your relationships easily leads to trust and understanding. Yet, many people do not get it. I find many people surprisingly making this mistake while acting in completely different ways online and offline, while trying to build relationships.

Remember – in any way you try to build relationships with others, your identity, your style of communication and fundamental message should be the same in order to preserve your authenticity.

3. You need to be accountable

Everyone makes mistakes – it’s what makes us human. So, if you make a mistake, take responsibility and admit it. Own up and apologize. There are many business examples that being accountable for your mistakes and communicate with honesty turned a ‘wrong situation’ into an advantageous state of affairs.

4. You need to keep your promises

Never make claims you can’t prove or fulfill. Being authentic means being transparent. You need to be open by giving evidence wherever you can, staying true to your core mission and values, and making sure you never post misleading information about your business.

5. You need to nurture your relationships

Do you want your authenticity to shine through? Start practicing giving. Give your full attention to your followers, prospects, clients. Interact with them, share knowledge with them, listen to them. Give them the benefit of your expertise and experience – for free.

6. You need to know what to share and with who

I hope you agree with me that the phrase ‘one size fits all’, do not apply when we dealing with developing business relationships. Authenticity does not require the same level of transparency with every relationship. You should have different relationships with different people. Thus, you can decide which information you want to share to which people to support building your business relationships with them.

Moreover, your relations will react to what you share will vary depending on who they are, what their needs and desires are, where they come from and how you are reaching them – so show your sincerity by being sensitive to each audience and each situation, and catering your content accordingly.

This is true power of authenticity and when we embrace it, even though it can be uncomfortable and scary at times, we give ourselves and those around us one of the most important gifts of all — the real us. Authentic businesses relationships always inspire and prosper. This is a trend which is not going away. A bold statement – but one that is very hard to argue with while building your business.

Make the change NOW and implement as many of these practical ways as you can to build your authenticity, rise above the competition and expand & grow your instantly. 

Will you join to build your business relationships “the Authentic way”?