LeadForward Vol.1 No. 3

Authentic Influence: How I Learned to Lead, Speak, and Stay on Purpose By Corey Poirier from an interview on The Nonprofit Exchange.

Strategy

IN THE SPOTLIGHT corey poirier

When people see me on a stage today, they often assume I have always been comfortable in front of a microphone. The truth is that my journey into leadership and speaking has been a long series of lessons in authenticity, coachability, and practice. I did not wake up one morning with a ready-made message and a polished platform. I grew into it by making mistakes, learning from them, and deciding that my voice could serve others. I believe authenticity is the new currency of influence. For a long time, many of us were encouraged to live what I call a filtered life. We were told to show only the highlight reel. On social media, it still happens all the time. Someone stands in front of a mansion and says, “Let me show you how to make seven figures and live like this,” even though the house is not theirs. When the camera turns off, the real owner might walk outside and ask them to stop filming in front of their home. That kind of posturing no longer works. People are craving leaders and communicators who are honest about where they are and what they have actually achieved. If a person has earned six figures, I believe that person should serve people who are trying to reach six figures, not pretend to have made seven. There are plenty of people who need help getting to five figures. Authenticity means serving at the level of real experience, not the level of imagined status.

“Titles do not make leaders; consistent example and shared ownership do.”

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