Do You feel Judged when You are Authentic?

Do you ever feel like those that are around you are judging you when you are authentic? If it does happen, are you comfortable enough to still be yourself?

I was recently coaching an author, thought leader and entrepreneur who is truly an authentic leader. She shared with me her struggle and fear with feeling judged when she opened up and explored her vulnerabilities with her followers.

As we explored her feelings about being judged, she explained that her husband and children are not judgmental. She shared examples of her online posts and blogs where she was candid and authentic about her personal leadership and life challenges. What I found most amazing is that the response to her posts was completely positive and appreciated by her followers.

What was even more amazing was that as we explored her struggle with feeling like she was being negatively judged, she could only think of one person in her life that was judgmental; her mom. As we explored that particular situation, it was evident that she longed for her mom’s support but felt only judgment.

One person out of thousands was making her feel judged and she was transferring that feeling of being judged to all of her followers. When she thought of it this way, it was truly eye opening to her. She decided that she was not going to let one person change her core-being and authentic approach to her life and business. She decided to let her voice be heard!

If you have feelings that people are judging you, I would encourage you to explore if this is reality or self-doubt and concern for something that is not reality-based. As we watch and read the many posts on social media, books that have been written and workshops that we have attended, I think most of us would agree that candor and authenticity endear us to other people. We feel comfortable knowing that they have the same challenges that we have.

We have all had life experiences that have shaped us. We all have challenges. I remember one leader essentially saying, “Treat everyone you meet like they have serious problems and you will be right most of the time.” If these things are true, and I believe they are, why should we let someone keep us from being authentic and real? If there is one leadership lesson that I have learned in my career, it is Be Yourself!

If you are interested in finding out more about how to be an authentic leader, please contact me via LinkedIn or my email at [email protected].