I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I pondered this question as the subject arose recently on a local radio talk show. The hosts lobbed the idea that politicians who are not authentic are also not electable...ie: Meg Whitman, who despite spending millions of her own money was never able to connect with voters. I have always enjoyed true authentic athletes especially golfers such as Lee Trevino who did things their own way, made no excuses, and were successful. I found this article on the subject, penned by Susan Baroncini-Moe entitled "Are You Authentic in Your Small Business?"
"Being authentic can be surprisingly difficult, especially in business. I often work with people who have no problem being genuine in real life, but who really struggle with authenticity in business. I hear from clients that, in business, they have to appear to be mega-successful — not just sort of successful, and not “hey, I’m growing a business here,” but really successful, in order to be taken seriously. There’s so much posturing and pretending, because people believe that you can’t become successful unless you appear to already be successful. But that’s just not true! In fact, it’s just the opposite."
AS a musician, you can "fake" a tune and get applause. I know, I do it frequently when I solo, but faking it musically is far different than faking it in life. The same qualities that work well in personal life also work well in business. Things like tolerance (of others), patience, politeness, integrity, and doing one's best to actually do what you say you will do when you say you will do it count both places. So does acknowledging when you've screwed up. It gives you a chance to make it right, most of the time. For me, success is measured not by the trappings one acquires, but by how one conducts oneself every day.
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