I'm looking for authenticity.

By: Dana Poul-Graf, Founder & Strategic Thought Partner, Key&Spark

“I'm looking for authenticity.” 👀
stated one of my business friends and a company CEO during our lunch chat about how challenging it is to find the right candidate to join their team, and he immediately got my attention.

"Hire for attitude and train for skills," says the well-known truth in HR. Sorry, I mean in People Care. 
In today's talent shortage, the more progressive recruitment and executive search professionals are also looking at the candidates' skills and potential rather than education badges and certifications. A whole new pool of talent is available to those leaders who dare to invite people falling into the category of 50+, where experience is inevitably a given.

But why search for authenticity❓

When you are authentic, you can hold meaningful conversations and have a long-lasting impact. Studies confirm that the more people feel authentic, the more they are satisfied and engaged in their work and perform better.

When you try to be someone else or fit someone else's idea of who you should be, you burn a considerable part of your intellectual capacity ineffectively and drain your energy. As a result, you perform at a lower level.

Need some numbers?
Here are the benefits when you are authentic in the workplace:

Increase in:
👉employee engagement by 140%
👉team performance by 50%
👉team innovation by 90%

When people are authentic in the workplace, they and the organization thrive.

So, next time you search for the right candidate to join your team, please look for authenticity❗️

Sources:
van den Bosch, R., Taris, T.W. Authenticity at Work: Development and Validation of an Individual Authenticity Measure at Work. J Happiness Stud 15, 1–18 (2014). https://lnkd.in/eix8qwgA
www.adp.com
www.betterup.com