The Authenticity Gap Assessment

Domain 1: Performance Patterns

Q1: In leadership meetings, how often do you say what you actually think versus what's expected?

I regularly say what I think, even when it's uncomfortable or unpopular

I say what I think on issues that matter most, but hold back on others

I mostly say what's expected, with occasional moments of candor

I consistently perform the expected response - it's safer that way

I'm not sure anymore - the performance has become automatic

Q2: When someone asks "How are you?" in a professional context, what's your default response?

I gauge the relationship and respond authentically - sometimes vulnerable, sometimes brief

I'm honest with trusted colleagues, but perform "fine" with senior leadership or clients

I automatically say "busy but good" regardless of reality - it's the expected script

I give an energized performance even when exhausted or struggling

I genuinely don't know anymore - I've lost access to how I actually feel

Q3: At the end of a typical workday, how do you feel?

Energized or neutrally tired - I was fully present doing meaningful work

Tired when authentic, depleted when performing - I notice the difference now

Exhausted in a way sleep doesn't fix - it's deeper than physical tiredness

Drained and wondering "Is this all there is?" - something feels fundamentally wrong

Numb - I don't feel much of anything anymore

Q4: When you receive praise for your leadership, what's your internal response?

Genuine appreciation - they're seeing the real me

Mixed - pleased but aware they're praising the performance, not me

Hollow - they're applauding someone I'm pretending to be

Uncomfortable - the gap between who they see and who I am feels unbearable

Disconnected - I feel nothing because I've lost touch with what's real

Q5: How often do you catch yourself "acting" like a leader rather than simply leading?

Rarely - I lead from authentic presence, especially now that I know time matters

Sometimes - I notice when I slip into performance and it bothers me more than it used to

Often - I'm exhausted by the performance and aware I'm running out of time to change

Constantly - the thought of performing for 10 more years feels unbearable

I can't tell anymore - the performance and I have merged

Domain 2: Mask Identification

Q6: Which mask do you wear most often at work?

The Invincible Executive - "I have all the answers, never struggle"

The Steady Professional - "I'm always composed, never rattled"

The Competent Achiever - "I deliver results, nothing phases me"

The Positive Leader - "Everything's fine, we've got this"

I wear all of these interchangeably - I've lost track of which is which

Q7: What would happen if you stopped performing for just one day?

Very little - people mostly see the real me already

Some surprise, but my track record would carry me through

Significant concern - at my level, vulnerability is seen as weakness

Professional risk - I've built my reputation on the performance

I don't know - I can't imagine it and that terrifies me

Q8: Looking back, when did you first start wearing your primary mask?

Recently - it's a response to current pressures I'm now aware of

Mid-career when I moved into leadership - I see that pattern clearly now

Early career learning "professional" behavior - a survival strategy then

Very early, possibly childhood - I'm starting to see the deeper roots

I honestly can't remember ever being maskless - this realization is unsettling

Q9: What are you most afraid would happen if you removed the mask?

Nothing significant - I'm ready to be seen

Judgment or loss of respect from some colleagues

Not being taken seriously or losing professional credibility

Losing my position or professional identity entirely

Discovering there's nothing real underneath - the mask IS me

Q10: How much of your current success depends on maintaining the performance?

Very little - my success comes from authentic capability and I want to be remembered for that

Some - the performance helps, but my legacy doesn't need to be built on pretense

Quite a bit - removing the mask now would risk everything I've built

Almost everything - and I'm starting to wonder what that says about my legacy

They're inseparable - the thought of this being my legacy is devastating

Domain 3: Readiness for Raw Leadership

Q11: If you could lead as your authentic self tomorrow (no performance required), what would change?

I can describe it specifically and I'm ready - I don't have time to waste

I know what would change and I'm actively planning - this feels urgent now

I hope things would change but I'm still figuring out what that means at this stage

I want change but the risk feels too high given where I am in my career

I can't imagine it - maybe it's too late for me

Q12: What's currently stopping you from being more authentic in your leadership?

Nothing significant - I'm working on this actively

Fear of judgment or professional consequences

Not knowing HOW to lead authentically in corporate culture

Deep uncertainty about who I actually am beneath the performance

I'm not sure I'm ready to find out what's underneath

Q13: When you imagine leading with Raw Authority (truth over performance), you feel:

Excited and ready - this is who I want to be in this next chapter

Nervous but compelled - it scares me but I know I can't keep performing

Curious but uncertain - I'm not sure who I am without the performance at this point

Afraid - at my age and level, the risk feels too high

Skeptical - maybe this is just how leadership works, and I should accept it

Q14: Are you ready to prioritize internal alignment over external approval?

Yes - I've learned that external approval doesn't create lasting fulfillment

Yes - I'm finally ready to choose myself over others' expectations

I want to be, but years of external validation are hard to release

Not yet - I still need the approval, even though I know it's hollow

No - I'm not sure I can survive without external validation

Q15: If you continue performing for another 10 years instead of leading authentically, how will you feel?

Devastated - I'd have wasted the second half of my career

Deeply regretful - I'd know I chose safety over truth when it mattered most

Resigned - maybe this is just what corporate leadership requires at senior levels

Accepting - there are other ways to find meaning in this season of life

Relieved - 10 more years of security sounds safer than risking authenticity now

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