“But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

A friend, John Hamm, wrote a great book a few years ago called, “Unusually Excellent”.  Early in the book he tackles the power of authenticity.  He posits that the higher in an organization one goes the more important this trait becomes.  He says that leaders who are truly authentic gain the power of the “classic virtues: humility, security, self-knowledge, thoughtfulness, mindfulness, connectedness, approachability, curiosity, and accountability”.  I have seen all of that and more in the best leaders I have worked with and for.  And, when they don’t demonstrate authenticity, all the opposites ring true.  We can say the same things about our brands, products and services.  When a consumer or customer recognizes authenticity, there is a feeling of engagement and even admiration.  So, we all need to consider how authentic we are being with every piece of advertising, every sales call, every customer support call, and every employee one-on-one meeting.

There was never a more authentic person who walked the earth than Jesus.  He was never anything but who He was His entire life and with each passing year people could learn more and more about Him, which we still do today.  And, He had nothing earthly of His own, no home of His own, not knowing where He might sleep from night to night.  He was not ashamed of not having wealth or material things.  When we think of the challenges we have at work this week, we can model Jesus by being totally authentic in who we are in all things that we do, even when we might not know an answer, or have what other think we need.  Of course, we will be put in hard places where being authentic feels too vulnerable or too weak.  But, let’s remember that it is in those times that when we look to Jesus as our life leader, we will find all the support that we need.   Let’s try being that kind of authentic today.

Reference: Matthew 8:20 (New Living Translation)