Authentic: Of undisputed origin, genuine, real, bona fide, true.

In today's world of social media, you can put your best foot forward every day, all of the time. Often that's all we want to put forward, so we can make our lives into what we want rather than what they are. We can create a less than real reality.

You post pictures of smiling, active children. You post pictures of yourself being happy and on vacation. You post positive memes to show how positive you think or believe. You can craft an image that is real or not and sometimes may be impossible to live up to.

Is that crafted image true?

Probably....sometimes. But no way we are always the shiny, polished person we portray online.

We (especially people in positions of leadership and we are all leaders of someone, somehow) need to be "real". The people that we are in charge of must believe that we are authentic because in today's society that may be more important than it ever has been. Those under our leadership know, they just do. A group that has been marketed to since while in the womb knows.

By being "real", however, we can set ourselves up for failure. By being "real", we need to understand that doesn't mean being perfect because we are going to fail.

What kind of failure? By not being real.

Today's people because of technology and social media have excellent B.S. radar. They know if you are real or not. Also, if you come off as too good to be true, they are waiting, just waiting and hoping for you to fail or show your lack of genuineness.

How do you handle if that situation occurs?

Acknowledge it.

Apologize if necessary.

Try to be better the next time.

But understand you can be whatever you want to be as a leader, personable/not personable, but you had better be the real thing or when you think you're leading, you could just be out on a stroll by yourself.