Fear Doesn’t Mean Stop: Why Authenticity is Your Competitive Edge

Fear Doesn’t Mean Stop: Why Authenticity is Your Competitive Edge

Kelly Kennedy: Welcome to episode 219 of the business development podcast. And today we're talking about an age old buzzword. Authenticity. What is it? Why do we need it? And how do we find it within ourselves? Stick with us. Today, I'm going to do my absolute best to tackle authenticity.

Intro: The Great Mark Cuban once said, business happens over years and years.

Value is measured in the total upside of a business relationship, not by how much you squeezed out in any one deal. And we couldn't agree more. This is the business development podcast based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and broadcasting to the world. You'll get expert business development, advice, tips, and experiences, and you'll hear interviews with business owners.

CEOs and business development reps. You'll get actionable advice on how to grow business. Brought to you by capital business development, capital bd. ca. Let's do it. Welcome to the business development podcast and now your expert host, Kelly Kennedy.

Kelly Kennedy: Hello, welcome to episode 219 of the business development podcast.

My gosh, 219 episodes, guys, it still blows my mind how far we have come in such a short period of time. You know, we're two years and one month into the journey we call the business development podcast. And, you know, when I started this journey, I could have never seen this point coming. I could have never seen.

a hundred episodes, let alone 200 and well on our way to 300. So it's incredible. It's been a great journey so far. And I want to thank each and every one of my rock stars out there for sticking with us, for showing up week over week and frankly, sharing the show far and wide. I could not do this without you.

We wouldn't be this far without you. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your kind words. And today, Today I want to talk about something that I wanted to do with this show from the very start. I want to dive deep into this buzzword. The buzzword we call authenticity. Because you and me, we've been hearing it for years.

And today I just thought, We haven't done a show on this, and it is time to shed some light on authenticity. And I am absolutely pumped for this episode, guys. I haven't been this excited to do an episode in a very long time. So I am pumped. I'm excited. This is something that I'm passionate about, that I fight for within my own life.

And I hope by the end, you all fight for it in yours as well. But first off, you know, what the heck does it even mean? What does it mean to be authentic, right? Like I said, it's a buzzword. I think there's multiple definitions for this. Nobody really knows, you're just told you need to be more authentic, or being more authentic would be beneficial in your life, or in your personal brand building, or whatever it is you guys are trying to do.

But, you know, why should we, right? Why should we be authentic? And how does it even translate in business, in sales, in personal branding? We hear it everywhere we go. Be authentic. Be yourself. Be real. The thing that'll grow your personal brand or your business the fastest is just to be authentic. Does this sound familiar?

Well, it sure does to me. When I started this show a little over two years ago, I think I might have had, you know, a conversation on authenticity maybe a couple of times, and now the topic seems to come up every single week for me in one way or another, so You know, what the heck is it, right? What does it even mean?

And I feel like I can't go on this journey until we define it. And the crap thing is, I actually have to define it a couple of different ways, because I'll be honest, the Webster Dictionary definition, it's quite vague. And I feel like in order to tackle this conversation correctly, We have to demystify authenticity.

We have to remove the veil of vagueness, but let's start with the official definition first. According to Webster dictionary, authentic is number one, not false or imitation. It is either real or actual. Number two, it is true to one's own spirit, personality, or character. Number three is a three part answer.

Part A. It's worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact. B. Conforming to an original as so to reproduce the essential features. Or C. Made or done the same way as an original. While dictionary descriptions are accurate, they tend to be vague, open to interpretation, and not truly accurate to the meaning or execution.

I prefer this quote that I found from Brene Brown, and it was located in her book, The Gifts of Imperfection. Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen. I love this definition.

So now that we have taken a concept and put it into words that actually make sense, why should we embrace it? Number one, for stronger connections. Authenticity builds real trust, making it easier to form meaningful relationships with clients. Partners and audience. The more you are willing to be your real self, the more you are showing the world you are a trustworthy person worth getting to know, worth working with.

It is powerful, powerful. Number two, differentiation in a crowded market. Being authentic makes you stand out, giving you a competitive edge while others just blend into the background. If you are willing to stand up for what you believe in, if you're willing to share your authentic. You're authentic beliefs, your authentic opinions about something.

You are going to stand out in a crowd of people that are blending into the background. Guys, this is absolutely, absolutely powerful. And why being authentic in personal branding specifically is so powerful? Because you're right in a time of so much content. In a time of so many voices. If you truly want to be seen for who you are and what you believe in, you have to be willing to share your true beliefs about something with the world.

And I know how scary that is for so many people, but it is powerful and it gives you differentiation. Number three, attracting the right opportunities. Authenticity filters out misaligned clients and partnerships, bringing opportunities that truly fit your vision and values. If you could attract only the best opportunities to your business, only the opportunities that you want to take on, only the things that you're passionate about, would it improve your life?

I think the answer is yes. Number four, higher engagement and influence. People resonate with realness, leading to stronger audience engagement, better networking, and increased sales. If you're willing to share your information with the world, people are going to be willing and open to share their beliefs.

with you. And what does that do for you? It starts to build connection. It starts to build your personal brand. It starts to differentiate you from a massive crowd of people. It is absolutely, absolutely crucial to your long term success in personal branding or building your own brand to be able to differentiate yourself.

And the funny thing is The thing that's needed to differentiate yourself is simply to be yourself. Simply to share your opinions. Simply to not be afraid of what other people think. Or, be afraid, but share your truth anyway. Number five, trust and credibility convert into sales, customer loyalty, and sustainable business success.

If you are willing to be vulnerable, put yourself out there, share your truth with the world, and do great work, 100 percent that effort is going to be repaid to you in dividends. It's absolutely powerful. The sustained business you can achieve. the opportunities that will come your way by simply being trustworthy and credible.

And you can do that by being honest, by being authentic, by showing that you are a trustworthy and credible person. It is absolutely, absolutely powerful what this will do for your business over the long term. All right, well, that sounds pretty great, doesn't it? That sounds pretty great. If we can cultivate these things within ourselves, It's great for our personal brand.

It's great for our business. It's great for our credibility. It's great for our trust. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it, right? So what's holding us back? There's five things that I identified in my research that's truly holding people back. Number one, fear of judgment. People worry about how others will perceive them, fearing criticism, rejection, or being misunderstood.

I think this is the biggest fear that most people are facing when it comes down to being their authentic selves. And the funny thing about this particular fear is we don't actually know the consequences that we're fearing, right? We have an idea of what could happen, but we don't really know what that means for us.

We just know that, oh my gosh, like, what if I got misunderstood? Or what if somebody threw me under the bus for something I said? Okay, that's a fair fear. That's a fair fear. I totally understand it. But I think From my experience, we live in a world where it rarely happens. It rarely, rarely happens. And even if it does, for every naysayer, there's probably a hundred or a thousand people who get behind you and agree with you.

So, for many of us, this first fear, this fear of judgment, it's less likely to occur than we even think. But, we don't know what's actually gonna happen, but we let the anxiety of that fear Prevent us from taking that step in the very first place. Number two, our desire for acceptance. The need to fit in and be liked often leads people to conform rather than embrace their true selves.

How often have you just taken an opinion of somebody that you trust or somebody that's a peer, even though maybe you didn't agree with it, but you just did it to get along, right? Every time we do something just to get along, sure, it might have a short term benefit, but that long term negative of constantly getting behind things we don't believe in, eventually it's going to bite us in the butt.

So, desire for acceptance is a big one, but how much are you giving up to be accepted? You have to ask yourself that question. Number three, fear of failure. Authenticity requires taking risks and many people avoid it to prevent disappointment, embarrassment, or perceived failure. Guys, I'm right there with you.

I hate failing. I hate failing, but I will not let that hold me back from trying in the first place. I will do almost everything possible to make something successful. The reality is this podcast is a perfect example of something that. Honestly, my stubbornness has just allowed me to continue to push through even when it's been hard.

You know, 219 episodes, we have never repeated a show. I've never had to reuse an episode. I'm not saying I never will. To this date, we haven't had to. Every single show is a different show. And that's because I've been stubborn and dedicated and, you know, determined to make this thing successful. But, but, but, but, but.

Could I fail? Yeah, yeah. There's plenty of things that I've failed at with regards to proposals or whatever else that I've had to go back to the drawing board and revamp. There's things that have to do with, you know, even the coaching programs that I'm putting together that I'm going to have to re evaluate and figure out is this the right path forward for us or should we do something different?

There's been plenty of things that I have essentially low key failed at. But remember, a failure is just an opportunity to try again. A failure is just a no on one avenue. That doesn't mean there's not five more avenues for you to try and take. So understand, failure is an iteration in the process of success.

Before you get that success, you may have many, many, many failures. So we can't fear it. We have to learn how to embrace failure, accept that it might be scary. But also accept that it's an opportunity to do something better and sometimes required to see the path that you need to take. Understand that being authentic truly requires taking risks and may require some failure on the way.

Long term, it is absolutely, absolutely worth the risk. And I think you might find the risk leads to the reward. Number four, conditioning and expectations. Society, family, workplace culture often push people into roles that don't align with who they are. Guys, come on. We all know this, right? We were told to be away when we were kids.

We were told to be away by school. We were told to be away by society. But how often did they have your best interests at heart? I think family, for the most part, tries to have your best interests at heart. But let's get real. When it comes to other people, they have their own goals, their own things they're trying to achieve.

And sometimes they're willing to say whatever they have to say to get you to get on board with them. You have to start questioning yourself. Am I doing this because it is what I want to do or what's best for me or my family or my business? Or am I doing this strictly for the benefit of somebody else?

And there's nothing wrong with doing things for the benefit of somebody else from time to time. But you have to ask yourself, if you're doing it all the time, when are you going to look after you? When are you going to care about your goals, your authentic self, your dreams, and do things in alignment with that?

We have to question our conditioning. We have to question the expectations put on us from other people. And we have to ask ourselves, Do these still benefit me? If you haven't evaluated them in a long time, it might be time to start evaluating your conditioning to see if it still aligns with who you were meant to be.

And number five, lack of self awareness. Some haven't even taken the time to reflect on who they really are beyond external influences, making authenticity difficult to embrace. Have you ever even asked yourself, who am I? What do I stand for? What do I care about? What impact do I want to leave on the world?

Is the job I'm doing, is the company I started aligned with what I believe in? What do I believe in? What are my values? If you've never asked yourself this, how can you be authentic? How can you be aligned with something you've never evaluated within yourself? There's a lot of people out there walking around who've never even asked what they want, what they believe in, what's right for them.

And if this is you today, I challenge you to figure it out. If you're not sure if you're living an authentic life, as I think many of us are not, I think many of us are stuck in the middle. Some of us are halfway authentic, but you know, we also get along when it's time to get along, right? But I have three very powerful questions today for you to truly know.

If you're living in alignment with your true authentic self, I think these questions are going to be powerful. I think they are going to change your life. And I encourage each and every one of you, as soon as this show is done, work through these questions. Okay. Number one, am I making decisions based on what I truly want?

Or am I making decisions based on what I think others expect of me? This question can uncover if you are living for yourself or if you're trying to meet external expectations. Number two, do I feel energized and fulfilled in my daily work and interactions? Or are they draining me? Your authentic self will thrive in environments that align with your values and passions.

However, you will feel drained if you are constantly fighting your own authenticity. Number three, if nobody was watching and there was no fear of judgment, how would I show up in the world? This question removes external pressure and helps clarify what really matters to you. Okay. I hope each and every one of you went through those questions.

They are powerful. They take about 10 minutes. Give yourself some time to answer them honestly and effectively, but depending on what you came up with, You might be saying right now. I'm in starting today. I'm going to take steps to overcome my fear and lead a more authentic life. And if this is you, congratulations.

It takes immense courage to make that choice. You are brave. You are powerful and you can and will do this. And here are five steps to becoming a more authentic version of you that you can start working on as soon as today. Number one, identify one area of your life you are holding back in. Take five minutes to reflect on a situation where you are not fully yourself.

Is it at work? Is it on social media? Is it in conversations? Awareness is the very first step towards change. It's time to take off the blinders, okay? We have to identify the areas of our life that we are not being authentic in. Only once we identify them and say it out loud, I am not being authentic on social media.

I am not being authentic in my work life. I am not being authentic at home with my family. There's a funny thing that happens within your brain when you identify something and put a truth to it. You can't fake it anymore. You can't unsee something that you have now seen. And there's something very powerful about saying what you are not authentic in because the moment you name it, the moment you say it out loud, Number two, I want you to speak your truth in one small way.

It doesn't have to be groundbreaking. Share an honest opinion in a meeting, post something real on LinkedIn, or have a conversation you've been really avoiding. Authenticity grows through small, courageous acts. I absolutely love this saying. Authenticity. Grows through small, courageous acts. It's the little things, guys.

It's being authentic in the little ways that makes you powerful. It's not the one big thing. It's all the little, small, authentic things you do that add up to one. big thing over time. Number three, I want you to say no to one thing that does not align with your values. Stop saying yes out of obligation, decline an invite, drop a commitment, set a boundary that protects your energy or your values.

Each time you say no to what's misaligned, you say yes to yourself. Don't be afraid to say no. No could be the most powerful word in your vocabulary. Start saying yes to things that only align with who you are, with what you believe in, with who you want to be. Number four, do one thing that feels natural or right for you.

Whether it's how you dress, How you communicate, how you work. Choose something that reflects your true style, not what's expected. The more you embrace what feels right, the easier it gets. Do things in a way that feels right to you, that is authentic to who you are. It is okay to do things your way. Number five.

Acknowledge your fear, but take the steps anyway. Authenticity takes bravery, but fear does not mean stop. It means growth. Remind yourself that discomfort is part of the process, and then take action. The reward is confidence, connection, and the freedom to be you. Being authentic is not just a buzzword.

It's the permission to be the you that 16 year old you could and would be proud of. For me, authenticity means embracing my inner rocker, my passion for business development, and my drive to make a big impact in this world, while inspiring others along the way. No matter what your authentic journey is, your real self is dying to be set free.

Reference this week, guys, was the TED Talk from Brené Brown, The Power of Vulnerability, Simon Sinek, Start With Why, Desi and Ryan, Intrinsic Motivation, Self Determination in Human Behavior, Plants, PR and Iams, The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women, Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention, Harvard Business Review, Personal Branding and Business Development Insights, and Forbes Leadership and Personal Branding Strategies from Forbes Media.

Yeah, this is an interesting show for me, guys. You know, authenticity for me has been a journey, and I think maybe that's what's important to remember when you are embarking on a journey. It's a journey for everybody. Nobody just wakes up one day and is like, I'm gonna be 100 percent authentic. I am by no means 100 percent authentic.

I have days where I feel like I have to show up a certain way. I'm in business development. I've had plenty of years where I had to show up and not be my authentic self. And I definitely try harder and harder than ever. To not do that, and if I'm having an off day to be able to voice that I'm having an off day, but understand that for each and every one of us, it is a journey and it's all about steps.

And I think the more that we can take steps of authenticity, the more that we can say, you know what, is this aligned with who I am? Is this project aligned with who I am? Am I in a career position that is aligned with who I am? The better off we're all going to be. I've talked about it for a long time on the business development podcast, and specifically you have to believe in what you do, right?

Belief in what you do makes all the difference, and especially in marketing, sales, and business development, because if you don't believe in your product and service, if it does not align with your values, if you can't get behind it, you're never going to be as successful as you could or should be. We have to believe in our products and services.

We have to believe in ourselves. We have to either build companies or work with companies that align with our values because being aligned with what you do is truly a superpower and truly separates the good from the great. I hope you enjoyed today's show. I really did. This will definitely not be my last show on authenticity, but it is my first.

And, I hope you get some value from it. And I hope from this point forward, you make choices to live a life that you can be proud of. That takes us to the end of our show today. Let's hop into a show update. We are sitting at 3, 561 followers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Guys, if you're looking for a free, easy way to support this show, give us a follow on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you can, enable automatic downloads. Really makes things easier for us on the growth front. If a Spotify and Apple podcasts are showing that people are listening to this on a regular basis. We are sitting at 2, 860 followers on LinkedIn, guys, growing rapidly. If you want to learn what's going on with the show, if you want to see our posts, our clips, our monthly guest lists, it's all happening on LinkedIn.

Come on over to LinkedIn, give us a follow on Kelly Kennedy and the Business Development Podcast, and I look forward to engaging with you there. We are taking Community Questions for March, and I am hoping that this month we'll be able to do a Community Questions episode. If you have a question on business, on business development, on podcasting, shoot them on over podcast@capitalbd.ca subject line community questions.

And I will get that answered for you live on the business development podcast on a future show. If you have been listening to this show, you might be new. You might've been with us for a long time and you want business development support. I highly, highly encourage you to reach out to me, book a discovery call and let's talk about how my coaching programs can help either you individually or your business teams achieve more in 2025 and beyond guys, business development, mastery.

It'll change your life. It'll change your life. It'll change your business. And I am not afraid to say that here on air, please do reach out. Let's talk. You can book a 30 minute introduction discovery call with me directly from my LinkedIn page, hop onto LinkedIn right under my picture, book an appointment and book a free 30 minute discovery call today.

And last but not least, thank you so much. Thank you so much for your support of the Business Development Podcast. Thank you for telling your friends and family. If you're looking for easy ways to continue to help us, that's it, guys. Shows like this grow by word of mouth, and it takes amazing rock stars like you to make it happen.

So please do share a favorite episode with a friend or family member today. And let's build the rockers of tomorrow. Shout outs this week. Rodney Lover, Colin Harms, Aaron Haberman, Mark Wheller. Jillian Schecher, Jayson Chakkalakal Ross Huartt, Michelle Sami Wehbe, Nathan Plumb, Jameah Zajal, Tim Zajal, Daryl Curry, Gordon Shepard, Lauren Graff, Eric Portillo, Vijayan Swaminathan, Bryan Hayes, Jesse Shewchuk, Dale Schaub.

Zael Miransky Stuart Murawski, and Susan Poseika. Until next time, you've been listening to the Business Development Podcast, and we will catch you on the flip side.

Outro: This has been the Business Development Podcast with Kelly Kennedy. Kelly has 15 years in. Sales and business development experience within the Alberta oil and gas industry and founded his own business development firm in 2020.

His passion and his specialization is in customer relationship generation and business development. The show is brought to you by Capital Business Development, your business development specialists. For more, we invite you to the website at www. capitalbd. ca. See you next time on the business development podcast.