I like chatting to people on aeroplanes. You have nowhere to go and you often (not always) meet interesting people.
I was on a plane a while ago and I sat next to this young fella who was about 20 years old. We chatted for a while, and he was a nice kid with a good sense of humour who was off to see his girlfriend in Wellington. He was in the Navy and had a job something to do with electronics.
What really struck me though was when he shared with me something of his life story. When I asked him what took him to the Navy, he said that he had grown up in a tough family with a bunch of challenges, and he wanted to do better for himself. I instantly warmed to this guy and have not forgotten him since.
Some time ago, I found myself in a bit of an awkward conversation with someone who wanted help with sales in his company. My first impression of them was not favourable; they seemed to be very distracted, were constantly looking around the room and did everything to avoid direct eye contact with me. To be honest, they were making me feel uncomfortable, and I was planning my escape.
Then, they shared something deeply personal with me that completely changed my perspective, and it instantly made me want to help them. They told with me that they were working through a particular mental health challenge, and I instantly felt like I understood them better.
The truth is that no one has a perfect life or a perfect business and if we try and pretend we do, that is where we risk coming across as being inauthentic.
Compare those genuine moments to another interaction I had recently with an individual who spent the entire time telling me how amazing everything was in his business and that absolutely nothing could be going any better.
Or consider a speaker I went to hear last year (not at one of our Indicator events!). I was excited to hear them, but the presentation turned out to be completely average, for the simple reason that they didn't share anything personal about themselves or their journey. They just told the audience what they thought the audience wanted to hear. There was zero connection, a complete lack of engagement, nothing in the way of vulnerability, and because of that, the talk lacked authenticity.
We saw the exact opposite of this a couple of weeks ago when we were fortunate enough to have Jason Gunn come and speak to our Syndicate groups about ‘authenticity’. If you have ever met Jason, you will know that the guy you see on the TV screen is the same guy you get in person. People love him for it, because when someone shows up entirely as themselves, it builds instant trust and connection.
This isn't just about our personal lives or public speaking, it is about how we conduct ourselves in business. As the world around us changes, authenticity is a superpower.
We are living in a time where we are constantly being hammered by disingenuous tech-created emails. We get LinkedIn invites, and within seconds of hitting "accept," we get absolutely nailed by a generic pitch pushing a product we didn't ask for. I see plenty of outreach where your details are being scraped so it looks like they are tailoring it to me, that is not authentic, that is a “cute trick”.
Our radar for fake interactions is sharper than ever. We can tell instantly when we are being managed, processed, or automated.
In a crowded market, the best way to stand out isn't to be louder or more polished it is more likely to be real. Consider that for your sales and marketing engagements for 2026 and beyond. Being authentic, not perfect, is likely to stand out. Do what others are afraid to do.