There are many benefits to being authentic. First and foremost, research suggests authentic leaders are more trusted and believable. That trust builds up the leader’s credibility and breeds confidence in her capability and intentions, which motivates greater engagement and effort from her audience members, peers, and subordinates.

Next, while we might not support or agree with her ideas and actions, we are more likely to like an authentic leader than someone who is disingenuous, overly polished, or putting on airs. The goodwill that likeability inspires leads to cohesiveness in actions and attitudes and improves employee commitment and retention. Further, it lays a foundation for constructive dialogue when disagreements do arise.

Additionally, authentic leaders put their audiences at ease. When a leader appears authentic, listeners don’t need to waste cognitive capacity trying to suss out an ulterior motive or determine why she might be saying what she is saying. The result is that audiences are more likely to focus on and remember what an authentic leader says.

Finally, it is far easier to be yourself than it is to take on a persona you think others want to see. Authentic leaders can spend less time worrying about external perceptions and more time focused on their jobs and their communication goals.

How Do Authentic Leaders Communicate?

Authentic leaders’ communication is made up of at least four characteristics that differ from those who are less authentic.

1. Audience-Centric Approach: Authentic leaders are genuinely interested in both their message and their audience. Authentic leaders always place themselves in service of their audience by asking, “What does my audience need to know and feel?” This audience-centric approach not only connects the speaker to her audience, but it enables her to meet the audience where they are at in terms of expectations and knowledge level. Finally, this approach affects the tone of the communication by ensuring the leader can speak to her audience as equals.
2. Openness: Too many leaders deliver sterile, fact-filled presentations that they seem to be bestowing upon the audience. But an authentic leader approaches her audience more openly, sharing her ideas and information through personal experience and stories. When she uses data, she puts it in context and explains what the numbers mean for her and others. Additionally, an authentic person expresses and explains both success and failure as well as opportunities and challenges.
3. Warmth: The warmth an authentic leader expresses in her communication serves to connect her to her audience in an honest and genuine way. Recent academic research has shown the value of communicating in a warm and connected manner. Warmth can be thought of as operationalized empathy. It is a combination of understanding an audience’s needs and displaying that understanding through words and actions. An authentic speaker acknowledges her audience’s needs by verbally echoing them. She also maintains an engaged posture, leaning forward and moving toward people who ask questions. Researchers, such as popular TED presenter and Harvard Business School Professor Amy Cuddy, have shown that warmth is a key foundational trait of successful leaders.
4. Immediacy: Similar to warmth, immediacy refers to authentic leaders’ ability to be present with their audiences. Immediacy is a term coined in the late 1960’s by psychology professor Albert Meharabian to represent the many verbal and nonverbal behaviors people exhibit to build emotional connections. Nervous and novice leaders tend to retreat physically and emotionally when communicating. They may step back away from the audience while drawing their arms across their chests and hunching over or hiding behind a lectern. Their language is almost always more formal. Contrast this to leaders who communicate in an immediate fashion by holding an open, balanced posture and using conversational language. These leaders might stumble and stutter or let out an occasional “um,” but all of these convey an earnest honesty and presence in the moment. Research has shown that leaders and teachers who communicate in an immediate way are more effective and better liked.

Authenticity is a powerful tool for professional success. It boils down to being genuinely interested in and empathic with your audience while remaining emotionally and physically open and engaged. The bottom line is that like currency, authenticity allows for an open exchange—of ideas, feelings, and support—that buys leaders trust, engagement, and favor among their audiences.