If you're like me, I would venture to believe that you do your best to be an authentic human-being. You try to show up as your full self regardless of who you are with, and you don't try to make yourself smaller or different to please others.
While I like to believe this is how I show up in all of my interactions, upon reflection I realize that this isn't completely true. I'm a "people-pleaser" to the core, and therefore will try to be as accommodating as possible to meet the needs of others. I also don't want to disappoint anyone, so I do my best to avoid coming off as critical, even when it might be necessary.
So... am I really being my authentic self? As I've learned, being your most authentic self is hard work. It requires you to really know and understand yourself, your boundaries, and your ethics, and put those into practice in every interactions.
It can be especially hard to be authentic in all coaching interactions as well. You have been hired by this person or organization for a specific need - it's easy to fall into the trap of consistently adapting to their style in order to make them feel comfortable. However, doing this is a disservice to everyone involved.
Continuing to show up as my authentic self is going to be a challenge, but one that's so worth overcoming!
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