Leadership Authenticity

Recent developments on the global stage convey some of the excellent lessons in leadership. They highlight the importance of leadership authenticity and tell us that it is only when you believe in the beauty of your own dreams, that others become ready to share it. One of the main responsibilities of leaders is to take their people from a room called “fear” to a room called “hope”. Leaders who are perceived to be authentic, generate the much-needed hope amongst their people.

In UK, finally, it was Rishi Sunak’s authenticity that compelled the Conservatives to root for him as the country’s Prime Minister. Earlier, he had preferred to sit out of the Liz Truss government, because he didn’t believe her agenda offered any solution to the country’s massive economic problems. On the other side, after her initial setbacks, when Liz Truss reversed most of her populist policies and wanted to switch over to tougher economic policies, her party was not convinced as she simply lacked authenticity. Even though, Sunak’s prescriptions demanded a lot of sacrifices on the part of the British citizens, he was preferred as he looked authentic and generated hope.

The latest example to display leadership authenticity on the global scene is Parag Agrawal, whose gritty innings as the CEO of Twitter has aroused huge appreciation. He negotiated a great deal for Twitter, carried his Board and employees together with him, defended the high valuation and even took a maverick and mercurial Elon Musk to court to enforce the deal when the latter looked inclined to back out of the deal. Even though the tumultuous takeover cost him his job, by skillfully defending the valuation of the company, Parag safeguarded the interests of his shareholders.

Leadership speaks in many voices and you need to find your own. Your journey of finding your own voice begins with you being yourself and believing in yourself. The beauty of everyone in this world lies in their own individuality, originality and uniqueness. Therefore, to be an authentic leader, awaken the little Buddha within you, be yourself and believe in yourself.

#Leadership #Management #Authenticity