Becoming an Authentic Leader
Authentic leadership seems conspicuously absent from many of the institutions in our society.
No one is immune. Religion, politics, entertainment, business, and education have all succumbed to the worst forms of hypocrisy and maleficence.
Authentic Leadership Defined
My favorite definition of authentic leadership is “Someone who is true to his or her personality, spirit, or character.” (merriam-webster.com)
In other words, someone who is “real.”
Authentic leaders align what they think, say, feel, and do by humbly admitting mistakes or acknowledging what they don’t know.
How to Be Authentic
According to Bates Communications research, six behaviors define authenticity. Here is my paraphrased version.
Being sincere
Revealing the life lessons that form your beliefs and values
Showing how you feel about issues
Saying what you are really thinking
Sharing personal stories; revealing your true identity
Never being fake or phony
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams is one of my favorite children’s books. There is one scene in the story where two nursery toys are talking about what it means to be “real”. During the conversation the wise Skin Horse tells the curious Rabbit that being real isn’t about how you are made but is what happens to you when you are loved for a long time.
He goes on to say that it may even hurt to become real but it won’t matter “because once you are Real, you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
Fear and ego keep us from being authentic. We have been taught to trade our values and beliefs for the approval and acceptance of others, including family. This practice has created a generation or more of leaders that no longer equate personal conviction with practical action in the marketplace.
One More Thing
While any leader can work hard to be sincere or to resist being phony, who ultimately decides if you or I are authentic?
Is being authentic something we can actually see in ourselves or is it only validated through the observations of others?
Every leader is tempted to project biases and opinions onto others, to compromise a value for another’s approval, or to listen through personal filters.
The hardest part about becoming an authentic leader may be having the courage to admit we’re not there yet.
Photo Credit: istockphoto.com
