Authentic Leadership: What does that mean today?
- Feb 27, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 13, 2023
What does it mean to be an authentic leader? It is a question that plagues many leaders today.
Does it mean that we need to be vulnerable or share the challenges going on in our personal and business lives? Do we really want to “parade” ourselves in public or in front of our team?
Well, this is a question for each of us to answer on how much we share of our personal or business challenges. Our level of comfort to share will depend on our relationship with the people around us.
So, what does it mean to be authentic? It means:
· Being available and actively listening to your team.
· Showing genuine concern for their well-being.
· Communicating openly and regularly with your team.
· Being the buffer between your team and the “turbulent” outside world.
· Leading by example
· Being honest about where you are today. If you are having a challenging day, admit it.
· Admitting mistakes and doing better the next time.
· Having the hard conversations when needed.
A saying we probably use regularly “Let’s be real” comes to mind for me when describing an authentic leader. We are not perfect; we will fail and not everyone will agree or like us as leaders.
This how our team should get to know us.
An authentic leadership style can have many benefits for a leader and organization.
For the organisation:
· It creates a culture of trust, where team members feel valued, heard, and supported.
· This leads to higher levels of employee engagement and motivation, which can result in increased productivity and performance.
· This fosters an environment of open communication and collaboration, which can lead to new and innovative ideas.
For the leader:
· They experience a greater sense of fulfilment and purpose.
· They develop stronger relationships with their team.
· This can lead to improved job satisfaction, and a more positive work-life balance.
In a nutshell, an authentic leader is someone who leads from the heart, is self-aware, and is true to their values and beliefs. It takes courage to lead in this way, but the rewards are well worth it.
Some suggestions to follow on the topic of authentic leadership:
1. Simon Sinek: https://www.youtube.com/@SimonSinek / https://simonsinek.com/
2. Andy Rolston: https://www.andyrolston.com/
3. Servant Leadership Institute: https://www.youtube.com/@ServantLeadershipInstitute/videos / https://www.servantleadershipinstitute.com/articles