Week 14: What Challenges Your Authenticity?

Welcome to Week 14 of the Authenticity@Work Leadership Tool-kit! My intention for this series is to share a quick tool each week to help you lead with more authenticity, adaptability and inspiration so we can together create workplaces where we bring the best of ourselves and inspire others. So grab a journal and an accountability partner to make these practices even more powerful for you!

In last week’s post we discussed how to notice your body’s unique language and how to be aware of and in tune with your body. Did you do the deep breathing exercise to place awareness in different parts of your body?

What are the situations in which you have a hard time being authentic? Do you have trouble finding your voice if your point of view is different from what someone else is saying? Where do you feel that in your body? Do you find yourself held in and spineless around certain people?

Notice your posture in these situations. When we’re guarded, our shoulders are usually hunched forward and up, almost as if protecting us. Where in your physique do you feel the discomfort of a difficult conversation you know that you need to have with someone? How does your body prepare for conflict? Does it pump itself up, or does it fold? Do you have a stomach for conflict, or do you do your best to avoid emotional or ambiguous situations altogether?

Our authenticity posture is one where we are in our core, our center. Our bodies are calm. We are breathing naturally and from deep within our belly. Our spines are straight, and our shoulders are relaxed and back, not hunched in. Our chests are open, and we convey that open, confident, and friendly stance to others.

In moments of high stress, we can actually use our bodies to calm ourselves down, to return to our centers, and enable our practice of authenticity.

This Week’s Tool:

Question to ask yourself: What regular practice are you willing to commit to in order to connect with and reduce stress in your body?

Stand in front of a mirror, and notice your normal posture. Now take a deep breath and step into an imaginary circle in front of you. You are now standing in a place of complete self-respect, self-authority, and ease. How did your posture shift? What is possible in your leadership when you take this stand in the world? Take this imaginary circle (your center) with you everywhere you go. Practice stepping into this posture every day as a reminder of who you really are.

Get the latest resources for Authenticity@Work (this tab will get updated with all kinds of cool resources). Curious to know more about the book? Read the reviews about Wired for Authenticity here.

This article was written by Henna Inam, C-level executive coach, global speaker, and author of the book Wired for Disruption. She helps leaders grow their agility to be a force for good and thrive in times of change. They create organizations that drive breakthroughs in innovation, growth, and engagement. In roles including Head E-Innovation and Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer, Henna drove transformation throughout her 20-year corporate career as an executive with Fortune 500 companies. Join the thousands who follow her blog here. Connect on Linkedin.