“Being fake is so common now that being real is seen as offensive.” ~ Chris Ruden
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade, you are increasingly being bombarded by faux people, making faux claims, in an attempt to come across as faux real!
Whether it is a politician in Washington flat out lying about his credentials, some social media fake news, and now…AI generated content, we are all being inundated with false facts.
Faux Facts – Real Damage
It feels like most of these folks could care less about the truth, who they harm, or the damage they do. They care only about themselves and their agenda.
But aren’t there similarities to some leaders you encounter in the everyday world of business?
We have all experienced leaders who feel they have to pretend to be something or someone else. We may have also experienced leaders with hidden agendas who focus more on themselves then their people? These types of leaders are what I refer to as being…faux real.
10 Truths About Faux Real Leaders
- They waffle when they need to stand firm and they stand firm when they need to shift (usually when they make a mistake, are caught in a lie, or are uninformed about some situation but try to pull a power play).
- They put their own career and agenda above everything and everyone else.
- They have various facades (masks) they wear depending on the group and the environment. In other words, they are one person in church on Sunday and a different person at Happy Hour on Friday night.
- You don’t know where they stand on an issue because they are more concerned with being popular than taking a stand, especially when it’s tough!
- They choose to be opaque instead of transparent when dealing with others, so they shape the facts, lie by omission, to hide their real intention or agendas.
- They don’t answer questions directly. Instead, they either deflect by shifting topics, pointing the finger, or bold-face lie and deny it, while they act insulted that you would even ask them such a horrendous question.
- Their words don’t align with their actions. For example, they may tell you to read a book on leadership even though they haven’t read it themselves, they just act as if they did.
- They usurp the power of others in order to increase their sense of authority. They say things like…The CEO wants this…my boss is all over me about this, so we need to get it done now…I didn’t want to have to tell you this, but the CFO wants…etc. (you get the picture).
- In connection with number 8, Faux Real Leaders don’t take a stand for their people. They take direction from above and push it down to the next level even when it is unrealistic or illogical.
- They are more concerned about their image, their title, and kingdom building, than they are about doing the right thing, being vulnerable, or developing their people.
Time To Change?
So how did you fair? Do any of these show up on your list?
If so, the bad news is that people already see through you…so you aren’t kidding anyone!
The good news is that with a little humility, a lot of honesty, and a little vulnerability, you can change direction and start a path towards being authentic and real!
