Choosing Authentic Work The definition of authentic is that which is genuine, natural, faithful to the original authority or author. Think of yourself as the author of your own life, someone who originates or gives existence to something, a mover, or inventor. If you lead an organization, think of your leadership as authoring with other a vision for the organization in the world. Authentic work is what we author out of our truest selves or our team's cumulative soul. We will find that in our deepest essence, truest nature or for others that may mean from a connection with God. This self can be hard to find for we acquire most of our beliefs by osmosis when we are young so it requires constant delving to test what is truly mine verses something I acquired by habit. For a leadership team is requires individual work and them a melding of the group. One also has to involve the rest of the organization. You can't just hand people a vision or values statement. Seven Elements of Authentic Work: • Authorship: Create your own work regardless of job description. One VP of Sales sees his real job as developing all the gifts in his people. • Calling: Explore your true calling and do some branding research on yourself. I do this with clients and they get a whole new view of themselves. • Wholeness: Integrate your mind, body, spirit, and heart in your work. • Interconnectedness: How do you see yourself connected to everything else? • Humility: Are you in service mode or control? • Continued Deepening: Are you continuing to learn, grow, and improve? • Creativity: Are you helping to create something that serves the world or takes from it?