Authenticity

Authenticity seems to be the authentic new buzzword when it comes to leadership. There’s all this talk about a new type of leader that is needed today. One who is authentic and vulnerable.

Go to any bookshop and you will find many offerings on this topic. There are also abundant coaches, experts and training programs. And yet, we stay stuck in the same energy of stifling leadership that delegates its responsibility to functions. There’s not much that is real and genuine actually.

In this century, we so need conscious leaders who speak from our hearts. Leaders who are real and have open conversations and tap into ancient technologies like listening and dialogue. And yes, on the edges we have authenticity.

But in the mainstream, we stay stuck in the same one-way communication models with leaders delegating their responsibilities from inclusion and diversity to communication and corporate social responsibility to functions and experts. 

Imagine a world where leaders are excellent communicators, hire the best teams of people to deliver on the organization’s mission and are socially responsible in every part of the business. That’s what is possible.

Whole integrated organizations with holistic functions supporting the very essence of the mission and vision of the organization. People who embody the values every day because they are integrated in the soul of the organization. Yes, imagine organizations that have beautiful souls like their people who want to co-create and weave meaningful lives. 

Catfishing

Are we there yet? Not really. In our current reality, there is way too much delegation of the leader’s core mission. Communication is at the heart of any organization, which needs to flow with ease and meaning. No canned messages required. Conscious leaders communicate openly and directly with radical honesty. 

But we are far from this reality in the mainstream.

We currently have executives paying $2,500 for 5 posts or $12,000 for 16 ghostwritten posts. Business Insider shares that ghostwriting on LinkedIn isn’t just commonplace — it’s incredibly lucrative, with the most in-demand LinkedIn ghostwriters earning up to $800 an hour; similar to high power lawyers.

Many executives on LinkedIn hire ghostwriters to build their brand. The goal is create content that will increase their visibility. 

LinkedIn ghostwriters told Business Insider they experienced a surge in demand for their services this year. Several ghostwriters raised their prices as much as 40% because of the increasing demand.

So, when did outsourcing content creation become real, authentic communication? Is it just not more of the same?

And how important is this content when the executives interviewed said they outsource their content because they don’t have time to write?

They article says, “ It’s about keeping the content stream exciting, fresh, new, and different, but still demonstrating that thought leadership. Ghostwriting is definitely not going to go away.” And here we thought, we are entering the age of authenticity. But in the mainstream, it’s more of the same. The Emperor is still running around naked but more of us are taking note and not buying in to the trance.