Juliana Silva is a strategic communications adviser at Clarity Media Group, a global communications coaching firm based in New York City. Bill McGowan is the Founder & CEO of Clarity Media Group. He is the author of "Pitch Perfect: How to Say it Right the First Time, Every Time." Follow him on Twitter @BillMcGowan22. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. View more opinion articles on CNN.

(CNN) If the comedian George Burns were alive today to witness the current state of politics, he might say, "Authenticity is the key to winning elections. And if you can fake that, you've got it made."

Juliana Silva

Bill McGowan

In the workplace, the cliché has become, "bring your real self to work." For politicians, the imperative equivalent is "bring your authentic self to the campaign trail -- honesty is optional."

It doesn't matter whether you're a political candidate or a breakfast cereal brand, everyone today is on a desperate quest to prove they're authentic. Perceived authenticity in politics has in many cases usurped qualifications and honesty.

There are two big problems this presents. Unlike a voting record or political platform, authenticity is like grabbing a fistful of mercury -- it can be pretty elusive, and hard to measure. Like former US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about obscenity in 1964, "I know it when I see it." The other issue today is the increasingly blurry line between authenticity and honesty, a conflation that has paid enormous dividends for Donald Trump.

Historically, politicians have met their demise when caught in a lie. Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency in 1974 after his persistent denials of involvement in Watergate were proven dishonest. In the wake of that, Jimmy Carter seized on the unparalleled importance (and opportunity) of honesty by making his successful 1976 campaign mantra, "I will never lie to you." It's a declaration Donald Trump repeated during his 2016 campaign. Ironically, according to The Washington Post's Fact Checker database , Trump made more than 5,000 false and misleading claims during his first 601 days in office, a fact that has not deterred his political base from sticking by his side.