No one likes to work with someone who is a fake. For people to trust that you're being genuine, they need to know where you stand. Here are two ways to be sure you're being true to yourself and connecting with others: Have a point of view. Know your stances on major work issues and be open and willing to engage in conversations about them. To have leadership presence, others need and want to know where you stand - they don't want to have to guess or be blindsided midstream. Be transparent about your position. Know the difference between navigating the political waters of your organization and actually becoming the politics itself. Get support for your initiatives but be clear about what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how you are doing it. Adapted from "To Be Authentic, Look Beyond Yourself," by Amy Jen Su and Muriel Maignan Wilkins.