4 Ways to Discover Your Authentic Leadership Voice

Finding and exercising your authentic voice is essential for all leaders. Not just as part of your personal practice but to also discover and welcome that same authentic voice in each of your employees. Because without it, companies will not get the best out of their people.?

According to Michelle Obama, “(t)here’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard. In owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.”?

By having an inclusive environment of diverse voices, companies get a much better result. An authentic leadership voice is essential to facilitate changes at scale for a mission-driven company.?

1) Find your own authentic voice first.

Discover corporate belonging by identifying your unique competencies and building on them. This will give you greater confidence, professional success, and comfort in sharing who you are with others.

In this way, doing well in your company will help you to overcome any feelings of not belonging. Do your best to be open and vulnerable with others.

2) Practice your authentic voice every day.

To overcome any feeling of “imposter syndrome” and cement your corporate belonging, Francis Frye of Harvard University recommends creating an environment where you can diverge before you converge.?

Namely, create a space where diverse voices and divergent ideas can be heard before converging on one conclusion. This mindset is useful for teams to create more space and inclusion within the group.?

A leader empowers their team to be their best. An authentic voice in a leader creates trust, which will allow employees to be vocal about issues of diversity and inclusion.?

3) Be empathic to help others with their voices.

Empower others to have a voice by practicing empathy.

Do this by acknowledging what is going on in context. Recognize that things are hard before getting down to business.?

This gives space to individuals by providing time to reflect. Empathy also encourages us to intentionally help others in affirming their diverse voices so that they might bring their best selves to work.?

4) Remember that you absolutely do belong.

Open more space by finding someone to confide in.?

Find the person in the organization who can help you get that necessary entry into a space where you can be heard. And if you can’t find someone who will help raise your voice, maybe that company is not the best place for you.?

If you are a corporate leader, remember that initiatives you implement, such as acknowledging context before meetings, practices around self-care, and engaging in ‘diverging before you converge’ initiatives in group training, will go a long way in encouraging belonging.?

Using these frameworks will help leaders implement proactive engagement.

In sum, you have a right to be in your corporate setting and use your authentic voice every day. Authentic voices enhance and enrich the company.?

As an individual, know that you belong and your authentic self is valuable, even if you feel it is not always valued. As a leader, don’t be afraid to bring your authentic voice to the table to enhance the dialogue.?

Next Steps?

Be the invitation for others to find and ultimately use their authentic voices and to be their best selves. To learn how to cultivate your authentic voice in leadership, explore the Foundation for Effective Leadership program or get personalized guidance with coaching.