they just need to be authentic. You may have run across people who have a seemingly bad brand; or at a minimum they display qualities that do not contribute to a positive brand. However, they seem to be loved by many, appear to be successful and often described by both their negative and positive qualities. What is that?

Authenticity. These are the people who make it clear about where they stand and where you stand with them. What you see is what you get. You may have someone in mind right now that you can describe this way. They may tell you the truth even when you’re not looking to hear it, bring up a difficult topic in a meeting that is going seemingly well, dress “inappropriately” for events, refuse to flatter people unnecessarily, among other things.

The goal in all of this is to deliver your authentic self respectfully. Our culture does not often promote authenticity. Look at the celebrities who have “disappointed” us after we found out that they aren’t as perfect as they portrayed themselves to be or that they are out of money after trying to keep up with the Joneses. Think about the everyday people you know who are one way with their family, another with their coworkers and yet another with you.

The reality is that you won’t become friends with everyone you meet. Every person you come into contact with will not enjoy your style and or personality; however most will probably appreciate knowing that what you relay through your words, actions and choices is authentic.

Stay tuned for next week’s EA Every Tuesday where we will continue on the subject of Personal Brand Authenticity. . .

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 at 5:44 pm and is filed under April 2010. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.