3 Ways Leaders Bring Authenticity To Their Daily Actions

I was recently on a podcast and one of the questions the host asked me was, “How would you define authenticity?” The question immediately brought me back to a recent experience I had with a rising executive. It was our last coaching session and I had asked her what she felt was most important for her continuous leadership development and impact moving forward. She paused and said, “this may not be what you are looking for with your question but, my most important focus for continuing my development as a leader is to be more deliberate about aligning my daily actions with my divine purpose.”

In that one powerful response, she named one of the foundational elements of being an effective and authentic leader. Leaders who are clear about their leadership purpose and stay true to that purpose stay aligned to their best self in the heat of the moment. These leaders live their values and receive the well-being that comes from being true to their purpose while focusing on achieving their most important results.?

3 Ways Leaders Bring Authenticity To Their Daily Actions

1)?Define Your Leadership Purpose

Most leaders understand the value and necessity of setting professional goals. Goals are important because they create clarity and focus on how a leader should prioritize their time, resources, and energy to achieve the greatest success. Unfortunately, too few leaders take time to define their unique leadership purpose.?

A leader’s purpose is more permanent and personalized than their goals. A leader’s purpose explains a persons' “why” of leadership and should be a North Star that provides clarity and direction when navigating the complex situations that come with leadership. A clear and meaningful leadership purpose helps a leader solidify their values that will act as guard rails for how they aspire to act when engaging in their most difficult times. Great leadership requires this type of moral compass and purpose so others can feel safe to trust and be inspired by their leaders. Without an articulated and demonstrated purpose, a leader’s actions will often feel like leadership manipulation or coercion. Leaders need to have a clear identity of who they aspire to be and what they aspire to accomplish to serve as a guide when navigating through the ongoing storms that will undoubtedly arise throughout their leadership journey.

2)?Align Actions To Purpose

The late Stephen Covey, who authored the popular book,?7 Habits of Highly Effective People,?wrote, “Look at the word responsibility —'response-ability'— the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive leaders do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling."

Leaders must be aware of their “in the moment" intentions and adjust them, when necessary, to align with their longer-term purpose allowing them to be deliberate about choosing actions versus reacting out of fear, anger, loss of control, or frustration. Our intentions are specific to a situation or context and are more immediate than goals and purpose.?Taking the time to answer these two simple questions enables leaders to bring their best selves to their most challenging situations and their important decisions.?

1. How does my leadership purpose direct my long-term goals for this person or group of people?
2. Based on my answer to the previous question, what are my best intentions for my next interaction with this person or group of people?

Pausing to choose one’s best “in the moment” intentions enables leaders to choose actions and behaviors that align with their greater purpose regardless of the situation.

3)?Focus On Meaningful Work

We have all witnessed the magic that can occur when a capable leader is in a role that aligns with their core meaning. Unfortunately, leaders can often find themselves in situations where their leadership role is disconnected from their purpose, making it difficult to lead with the passion, drive, and engagement needed to demonstrate their best self.?

Research from Wharton Business School shows that we experience up to three times higher levels of motivation, engagement, and productivity when our work is centered on meaningful activities. Meaningful work acts as a magnet for maximizing a leader’s effort, intellect, emotional and social intelligence, which are necessary for one to achieve their full potential.?The list below can help you assess if your leadership role is connected to a meaningful and realistic future:

• Has goals that allow you to lead within your value set
• Consistently creates opportunities for you to utilize your strengths
• Allows you to exhibit consistent levels of excellence
• You have a clear vision of desired outcomes
• Allows you to be emotionally committed
• Generates high energy and enthusiasm within you
• You feel a great commitment to the organization, workgroup, and role

The most effective and inspirational leaders are deliberate about defining their leadership purpose and aligning their daily actions to that purpose. They understand that this is the foundation for authenticity, meaning, and well-being as a leader.

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About the Author:?Tony Gambill is the President and Founder of ClearView Leadership, an innovative leadership and talent development consulting firm helping executives and managers bring their best leadership self to their most challenging situations. Tony is also a Forbes Leadership contributor and coauthor of the newly released book,?Getting It Right When It Matters Most .