Totally Transparent And Truthful: 4 Ways To Foster Authenticity In Your Employees

One of the secret ingredients in a working environment is authenticity. You can view it as transparency from your perspective as a manager, but you need to focus on fostering authenticity in yourself and in your employees.

To be authentic means that you are being yourself and true to who you are. This can be difficult in a working environment, so what does it really take to foster authenticity in your employees?

Establish a Sense of Psychological Safety

If employees don’t feel psychologically safe, they are not going to be their authentic selves. A lot of people have difficulty establishing a sense of psychological safety, and a lot of people feel that if they open themselves up, this is going to result in some form of abuse or they will be taken advantage of.

You only have to see the cases a no win no fee employment solicitor deals with to see just how many people feel they are being taken advantage of in a working environment. Therefore, you need to establish a safe starting point. 

You could do this by sending an employee engagement survey to get an idea of what your employees will feel like in a work environment. Once you see the key problems, you can formulate a more solid plan. When you ask for feedback, either through surveys or one-on-one meetings, you can gain a more comprehensive insight and take action on the feedback, which shows you are invested in your employees.

Be an Inclusive Leader

A big part of being authentic is all about how inclusive you are as a leader. If employees don’t feel secure being themselves, the solution stems from how you model your behaviour.

There are so many important components of inclusive leadership, such as showing empathy, encouraging participation, recognising employees, and of course, relationship-building. 

When you start to become a more authentic leader, people are going to feel relaxed in your presence but they will also reach their full potential, not just for you, but in a manner that works for them.

Being Vulnerable

We still live in an age where people think vulnerability is a weakness. It is a strength, but it’s important to get the balance right in a professional environment. You need to be approachable and empathetic, but this means leaning on your emotional intelligence without being an oversharing individual. 

When people feel like they can speak to you as a human being, this is because you shared something of yourself that allows them to open up. You can think about being a vulnerable individual without dumping emotions on your employees. 

Giving Them Reasons To Come To Work in the Morning

It sounds very obvious, but if you are overworking your employees by sending them on numerous business trips, and ensuring you are squeezing every drop of energy out of them, it’s hardly a surprise when they show signs of burning out. 

But also, if they are afraid to tell you they are burning out, this is a sign that you are not fostering an authentic environment. Giving your employees real reasons to come to work in the morning that mean something to them will be a stepping stone for them to be their true selves.