It may sound like a strange question. What do I mean “allow” others to be authentic? Isn’t it each person’s individual responsibility to be authentic or not? Yes and No.
Yes, each of us has a choice to speak our truth and be honest with the people in our lives about what we really think, feel, and want.
And No, it is not only an individual responsibility to cultivate authenticity in a relationship, family, or organization. We can make it easy for people to be authentic with us or we can make it varying degrees of difficult. This post is all about how to make it easy for others to be authentic with you.
It’s a pretty simple concept. If every time someone expresses themselves openly to you, how do you respond? Your responses send a message to the people in your life, teaching them the level of authenticity that is acceptable and safe.
Most people test the waters for what is an acceptable and safe level of authenticity. For some relationships, it may be reasonable that we do not share everything. For example, in a work setting, it may not be appropriate to share personal and emotional matters. However, if colleagues do not feel safe expressing their ideas in front of you, this is problematic. Do you allow your colleagues or employees to tell you what they really think?
