Written by: Marcus Cecil, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What do you think about when you hear the expression “authentic leadership?” Well, being yourself as a leader, I suppose. And indeed, it is, at least to some extent. Yet while you must somehow let your true self become an integral part of the world in which you lead, you obviously can’t behave as if you were in a completely safe environment.
Being an authentic leader doesn’t mean “wearing your heart on your sleeve.”
The challenge with holding back is that people want to connect with the real you, not the façade you may display as a leader. Even while they may not be able to explain it, people will feel something is not right if you aren’t genuine.
So how exactly can you be genuine without showing aspects of your personality that may be detrimental to your leadership efforts? Let’s start with defining authentic leadership in more detail, and then I will share 5 tips that have helped me on my own leadership journey.
What is authentic leadership?
Researchers generally highlight 4 key elements to authentic leadership. First, authentic leaders have a solid ethical foundation, a strong moral code that dictates everything they do. Second, authentic leaders build credibility through honest and transparent relationships. Third, authentic leaders are inclusive and truly value other people’s input, which they try to assess fairly with minimum bias. Fourth, and implicit in these last two points, authentic leaders have high levels of self-awareness.
Take a moment to reflect on how you would rate yourself in each of these 4 elements. It might be interesting to think about yourself in two differing scenarios: when you are operating in a reasonably stress-free environment and when stress has a significant impact on you. Do you feel you behave differently as a leader when you are under a lot of pressure? The truth is that it is easier to be an authentic leader when you feel your life is more balanced. Your positivity comes through in all your behaviors. There is little you need to hold back from others.
"Being an authentic leader is easier when you aren’t feeling stressed."
Feeling balanced all the time is a utopia for most of us. So, to make sure your emotions don’t dictate behaviors that might not lead you to what you want to achieve, a fair degree of self-regulation is key. So let’s see how that can be achieved.
1. Authentic leadership: Have a moral compass.
Authentic leaders have a strong moral compass that guides them through life. This makes their behaviors more consistent with who they really are. It also makes them more trustworthy to others. This moral compass is typically established through a set of core values that the person won’t deviate from. When the path ahead is unclear, ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ are defined by these values. Giving sense to the moral compass is a purpose – this is the person’s reason for being, the achievement of which produces fulfillment.
I have written elsewhere on the benefits of leading with purpose. Essentially, getting to know your core values and articulating your purpose will allow you to align everything you do. People around you will perceive this moral compass and trust you to lead them towards whatever vision has been set.
2. Authentic leadership: Aim for long-term relationships.
Authentic leaders seek deep connections with the people they lead, just as they would in other perhaps more personal spheres of their lives. Rather than interact with others simply to achieve a specific short-term goal, which you could call a ‘transaction,’ they interact with others to build a long-term relationship. This doesn’t mean that they want to be best friends with everyone, but it does mean they are genuinely themselves within the context they lead.
"Show interest in the people you lead, not only in what you need them to do for you."
Share openly about yourself, as you would among friends. Inquire about others with genuine interest and curiosity. The more people perceive you as a person rather than a figure of authority, the more they will allow you to get to know them as individuals. Set clear boundaries, of course, but within those boundaries, let yourself be yourself.
3. Authentic leadership: Accept vulnerability.
A trait common to many people in leadership positions is the desire to show oneself as an omnipotent-omniprebsent know-it-all. People are afraid that by being themselves, which sometimes implies not having all the answers, they become exposed to potential rejection or ridicule.
An authentic leader minimizes the façade and embraces vulnerability. An authentic leader is guided by what the mind values and what the heart feels rather than an overinflated ego. He or she knows that being vulnerable is, in fact, a way of experiencing human connection. If you have trouble taking this leap of faith, perhaps my article on losing the fear of vulnerability might help.
4. Authentic leadership: Walk the talk.
There is probably nothing more detrimental to effective leadership than leaders expecting more of others than from themselves. Whatever standards you set, make sure you are the first to meet them. Demonstrate self-excellence and rigor – attributes which others can respect and follow – rather than autocratic power. Do things, don’t simply tell others to do them. Lead from the front!
5. Authentic leadership: Develop emotional intelligence.
I firmly believe that anything a leader does can be improved through the development of emotional intelligence. Self-awareness, the first skill set of emotional intelligence, helps you understand why you behave the way you do. Self-regulation, the second skill set, helps you develop behaviors oriented towards your goals and positively impact others. Social awareness and relationship management, the third and fourth skill sets, help you become an inspirational leader and a transformational agent for others.
"Emotional intelligence and authentic leadership are intricately connected."
Self-awareness is difficult to kick-start on your own, and often asking someone you can trust to give you honest feedback works well. You can also enlist the help of a leadership coach or an executive coach or even consider taking a personality test to highlight traits you may not be aware of. Developing other skills associated with more conscious living tends to be easier thereafter.
Authentic leadership: where to start?
Authentic leadership isn’t always easy, particularly as it is intrinsically linked to how well the leader feels at any point in time. It’s back to the conundrum of being yourself while managing aspects of your personality that may be detrimental to your leadership.
Keep your fears to yourself, but share your inspiration with others.” – Robert Louis Stevenson.
I believe I most spontaneously display authentic leadership when interacting with people close to me for whom I am a figure of authority. If you often interact with children, here’s a good analogy. You want to be yourself around children, particularly when you display the most positive aspects of your personality. And yet you realize that sometimes you won’t be at your best, so you want to manage what they will learn from you at these times. This is authentic leadership – it comes from good intention and allows you to be yourself while ensuring a positive message comes across even when you don’t feel that great.
So, think about it? How can you become a more authentic leader?
Marcus Cecil, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Marcus Cecil is a life coach and a career mentor, helping successful corporate highflyers and business owners transform their lives radically to achieve more fulfillment. His approach to personal transformation, the 9 Steps to Conscious Living, is based on raising self-awareness to support a more purpose-driven life.
As a boutique global leadership development firm partner, Marcus is also a leadership mentor and business transformation facilitator for large corporations. His approach to fostering business change is based on a purposeful leadership framework – aligning strategic goals, culture, organizational structures, and leadership behaviors to an overall corporate purpose.
Before becoming a full-time coach and consultant, Marcus had a successful career in business, working for 20+ years at Fortune 500 corporations around the world. He has lived in 8 countries and has a solid understanding of what it takes to work effectively and enjoy life across cultures. He applies his lifelong experience to help both private and corporate clients find more holistic success. His mission is to raise the world’s level of self-awareness, one leader at a time.
