How to Identify Your Personal Values so You Can Be an Authentic Leader

I was intrigued to read a study from Harvard Business Review that the demand for "authenticity" as a key leadership quality is on the rise. Authenticity may have been a "nice to have" in the past, but this implies that authenticity is a need nowadays.

"Authenticity, which didn’t register with survey respondents 10 years ago, is newly prized. Nowadays, to be seen as leadership material, executives are expected to reveal who they fundamentally are—not mimic some dated, idealized model."

But what is it that makes a leader "authentic"?

And how can you cultivate "authentic leadership"?

To me, 2 essentials make a leader "authentic"

1. Values: Authentic leaders are clear on their personal values, which helps them choose the right company fit and communicate transparently
2. Intrinsic Motivation: Authentic leaders have intrinsic motivation (not just external motivators and KPIs).

In a nutshell, what makes a leader "authentic" is the depth of their self-awareness (aka "truth"), and how that translates into their work approach.

After writing the above, I looked up the dictionary definition of "Authentic", and here's what popped up:

Authentic means:

1. not false or copied; genuine; real:
2. having an origin supported by unquestionable evidence; authenticated; verified:
3. representing one’s true nature or beliefs; true to oneself or to the person identified:

I hadn't thought about "authentic" being tied to "having an origin". I believe that "origin" is what shapes authenticity. For example, my origin is that I grew up in 2 different cultures, and those experiences have shaped my unique perspective.

What are the benefits of Authentic Leadership?

Even though we've been talking about how the concept of being an "authentic leader" is on the rise and what exactly that means in terms of qualities, what is the significance of having "authentic leaders" in the workplace?

Here are the benefits of authentic leadership and what it is according to Harvard Business Review:

In addition, research detailed in the Harvard Business Review shows that a majority of employees believe authenticity in the workplace leads to benefits such as: better relationships with colleagues, higher levels of trust, greater productivity, and a more positive working environment.

Authentic leadership is a leadership style exhibited by individuals who have high standards of integrity, take responsibility for their actions, and make decisions based on principle rather than short-term success. They use their inner compasses to guide their daily actions, which enables them to earn the trust of their employees, peers, and shareholders—creating approachable work environments and boosting team performance. Authentic leadership’s key differentiator is the motivation behind it. An authentic leader strives to create a meaningful relationship with their team as they work toward goals related to their organization's mission and purpose—not just its bottom line.

In a nutshell, showing up as an authentic leader can feel more heart-centered and aligned for the individual, but it also benefits the company in that employees develop trust and foster a positive work environment, which can lead to longevity in a company and meaningful work.

How can you tell if you're being an Authentic Leader?

Being an authentic leader isn't simply about likeability - you can be a friendly person and have positive relationships without feeling like you're able to be yourself at work.

Here are some questions to help you get in tune with your level of authenticity at work:

Do you feel overwhelmed? Resentful? Unappreciated? Like it's difficult to be taken seriously? Like you have to rush to make decisions? Like you're taking on work that shouldn't be yours? Do you crave more recognition? Do you question if what you are doing is going to be what gets you your next promotion, and simultaneously fear scaling back in case it costs you one?

Authentic leadership doesn't feel that way.

How do you know when you feel like yourself?

I read an article by Korn Ferry on a survey they conducted based on 10,000 professionals:

Less than half (49%) [of employees] feel comfortable being themselves around colleagues.

Most people define "authentic leadership" as the ability to "feel like themselves".

But what exactly does that look like?

Here's what I usually hear:

It's easy to communicate my thoughts.

It's easy to set boundaries.

It's easy to weigh priorities and know which one stands out.

What makes it difficult to be Authentic?

It's not that people don't WANT to be authentic. But identifying areas where you don't feel like your authentic self, and what exactly to work on to feel more authentic, can hold you back.

Based on the 2 qualities I see in Authentic leaders, it comes to two elements:

1. You don't know what your values are (they are there, but maybe there is a lack of awareness)
2. You have been conditioned to external motivators and not internal motivators/goals.

Those are probably the core two reasons. There are of course other reasons that can contribute, like not having psychological safety or being in the wrong culture fit, but usually the elements to start with are the ones above.

How to identify your values so you can be an Authentic Leader

Our values are what drive our behavior. Your behaviors are "what" you do, and your values are "why" you do it. Once you know the "why", you can start to see the "what" pop up all over the place, not just in work but in other circumstances.

So if you're unclear about what your values are, then let's take a look at your behaviors as clues that will trail back to values. For what it's worth, I don't necessarily think there is defined amount of values that one has, but you should be able to identify a handful that are simply the result of you being in your workplace.

Let me share with you a story to help you think of your values:

"Katheryn, I don't know how to communicate with my manager." Rachel said, defeated.

"What indicates that for you?" I asked.

"Well, I have had multiple conversations with her about how our team needs to do more manual work based on the current tools we have, and she just keeps telling me that she knows it's difficult but that this is just what we have to deal with right now. I feel like she isn't even trying to understand our challenges and help us find an alternative solution." she shared.

After uncovering more of Rachel's concerns, I discovered that her company had undergone an acquisition recently. Rachel was originally from a startup company that was now being operated by a large corporation.

The crux of the issue was this: Rachel valued open communication and collaborative problem-solving, which is a common workstyle mentality in startup ecosystems. Her manager, on the other hand, valued chain-of-command communication and top-down decision making so if the answer to Rachel's challenges weren't coming from the top, her hands were tied.

"I used to work in a large corporation with chain-of-command and top-down decision-making, and when I started working in a smaller startup company and experienced collaborative communication and decision-making, I told myself I'd never go back," she said, reflecting on whether she wanted to adapt to this company culture.

This is an example of two workplace values: Rachel values a flat communication structure and collaborative decision-making.

Now it's your turn. Here are a few questions to help:

• What do you care about at work?
• What bothers you at work, and what is that telling you about yourself?
• What does the feedback you hear from others say about your values?

Also, given that "origin" is what shapes "authenticity", understanding more about your origin is important.

For example, I can't tell you how many people I have spoken with who came from families that valued high achievement, being respectful of others, and avoiding conflict. These values have translated into the workplace as overcommitters who people please and hold their tongues.

That doesn't mean that these values can't be translated into the work-place in a positive way. It just means that the behavior has been misplaced - or it used to serve them as they were climbing the corporate ladder, but there comes a point in time when it's no longer beneficial. You can still be mindful of your career path, empathize for others, and create a peaceful working environment without exhibiting these behaviors.

Start being an Authentic Leader

So there you have it, an exploration of what it means to be an Authentic Leader. Here is a summary of the key prompts to start trying:

• What do your behaviors say about you?
• How do they tie back to your origin?
• How can these core values align with your work in a positive way?

I designed a revolutionary wellness approach to developing authentic leaders, with The Sento Mindset. Come learn more about this philosophy, here: www.katheryngronauer.com

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