Reckon’ I hear the term “artificial” dozens of times every day. I understand why.

Artificial intelligence is the shiny new object that catches our eye, and that’s probably legit. In the next season AI will impact our lives in ways we can’t even imagine. Many of those ways will likely be positive. Some may not.

But as programmers it is important that we not allow the shiny new object to obscure what listeners really value.

That is authenticity.

I recently heard a conversation with the brilliant actor Rob Lowe who shared this insight…

“There used to be a time where mystery was a thing and was valued. Mystery being valued has been replaced with authenticity being valued. And the only way you can be authentic with people is to be known at your deepest level by people. And the only way to do THAT is to approach everything through that prism.”

In coaching sessions with talent I often ask, “What did the listener learn about you today?”

Then I ask a more important question. “What did the listener learn about you today that relates to their life?”

That’s where friendships are made. That’s where authenticity blooms.