Photo and blog by Sharman Dow
Have you ever been disappointed in someone and lost trust in their character? They might have been someone you counted on —someone you relied upon. They gave you their word and that was enough for you. But when the chips were down, you had counted on them, and they let you down. They did not stand by the very thing you thought you could count on. WOW — how disappointing that is to anyone!
And yet, we all have created disappointments, too! Sometimes we are the initiator, making promises we cannot keep. We let others down. However, there comes a point in each of our lives where we have to start being more authentic, real and honest. Are you authentic? Are you honest? Can others rely upon you?
Being authentic is essential to your self-esteem, success, your standing with others and ultimately with God. The value you place on being real and honest will build your character. It initiates within you a feeling of worth and substance. Authenticity is being genuine, real and trustworthy. It is telling the truth always and standing by your word. Are you someone that can be counted on by the sheer statement of your word?
The opposite of being authentic is being false – a counterfeit version of you to others. Do you embellish your words and tell white lies? Being authentic goes deep into your soul. It is a characteristic that is needed more today than ever before, especially in business.
We see the importance of authenticity in all aspects of our culture —in journalism, politics, health providers, education, our business associates and our spouses. In business, your word is everything to your employer, employee or your client. If you say you are going to do something, then you had better do it or you could jeopardize their trust in you.
I once had a regional manager who could not tell the truth, even if it was something that was small and trivial. It got to the point that none of my peers would believe what he said. Behind closed doors he became the joke of the office because he could not be trusted. His word had no value or meaning to us. We all saw through his deceit and lost complete respect for him. It was not long before our corporate office saw his deceptive statements, and he was let go. What a shame!
A woman who once worked for me made several mistakes. Instead of coming forward requesting help, she would cover up her error and lie to me about what had been done. By doing so, she created a worse situation. In time I realized she could not be trusted. If she had come to me with her problem we could have worked on it together and overcome the obstacle. We lost several clients because of her misdeeds and refusal to admit she made a mistake. It was not long before I had to let her go because I lost all confidence in her abilities.
We see this importance of truth in journalism. In fact, our Founding Fathers put the importance of freedom of the press in our Bill of Rights. They believed in order for a society to keep it’s freedom, then the honesty of the press was essential for that right. But when the abuse of this power is compromised, then the credibility of that journalist is gone.
Such is the case of what happened in 2015 to Brian Williams, former anchor for NBC Nightly News. He was caught in an embellished story and was put on a forced leave of absence without pay. This was a news reporter that most everyone trusted and respected. Now with his false reports on his personal experiences in Iraq, where he embellished a story of being on a helicopter that was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, his entire career is on the line.
His critics are now looking into additional stories where he might have embellished and made himself the center of the news rather than reporting it. There appears to be a gap in his authentic genuine reporting. He crossed the line of being a truthful reporter and his credibility was diminished with the public. In other words, he lost the ability to be authentic.
What a sorrowful state for anyone to find himself or herself in. A proverb written by Solomon states a man’s (or woman’s) reputation is more valuable than rubies or jewels. No truer words were ever spoken. If people can’t trust you, and your authenticity is lost, then your success will be diminished.
Sharman Dow is the founder of the Empower Women’s Conference.
