Who wore it better?

Who Wore It Better? We both did!

HR. Merriam-Webster defines authenticity as, “true to one's own personality, spirit or character.”?

As a Leader and Coach, I speak to the people about the impact of being authentic as a person and as a leader, in all situations. This is critical because in times of crisis or disruption, a leader will most likely harness their innate our authentic abilities, with little or no thought.

"How you do anything, is how you do everything".

Using this knowledge effectively begins with “awareness of self” and shows up as you build self-trust and then trust with others. It is critical to being an effective leader, being someone who knows the job and yourself, well.

We use assessments from KornFerry and tools such as the Clifton Strengths finder to uncover this information about “self.” On a regular basis, we see the power of this awareness as we witness individuals and teams unlock and harness their innate abilities or their “talents” and turn them into powerful strengths. We see the moment leaders realize their team members possess the strengths that they do not, and the possibilities begin to take shape. Being aware of your team member's strengths and actively embracing other teammates talents, can be a game changer.

This awareness unlocking, is similar to what I experienced when I came across Image Consultant Laura Frantz and her team at?Lincoln NE House of Color . Her team was introduced to me by my daughter and work colleague, Jessica Urbanovsky.

I am fortunate to work with my daughter and weekly we get together virtually to discuss how we can be the best at “unlocking the amazing” of individuals, teams, and organizations. It starts with understanding the awesome power of one! The abilities within each an everyone of us. Starting with US!

At this weekly meeting, I noticed that Jessica was “having a great day.”

She was fired up, engaged, and coming across the screen in a very powerful manner. She appeared to me as having a “good day”. When I asked why she was having such a good day, she mentioned that she was displaying “her colors”. Specific colors that match her natural presence, and personality. She went through a color analysis with Laura’s team and was displaying some of the results of that analysis. I simply had to find out more.

Jessica is “winter.” I am “summer.”

In my analysis, I was shown choices of colors that were draped over my shoulders, as in the initial picture. My analysis revealed my complimenting colors were in the “summer spectrum. When I wear the colors within my “summer spectrum” I can see my natural features “pop”. It’s about my features and not just the colors, however the colors draw out the best in me. I realized these are my “go to” colors, my favs, or wardrobe selection that just “feels right”, when I put them on. I realize that when you look good, you do feel good!

"Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself".?– COCO CHANEL

Never have more truer words been spoken and match the work that Jessica and I get to do with business leaders. Unlock the amazing by simply helping leaders understand their innate abilities that make them aware of “who they are and who they are not” when they come to work every day. Something feels amazing when you are working in your natural talents.

Focusing on your strengths, makes it a very good day and one filled with energy.

Great leaders don’t have a specific set of strengths that make them better than the rest. The greatest leaders are the ones who understand how to use their unique strengths to advocate for those they lead and create a successful organization.

Leadership Authenticity Starts with Knowing Yourself.

Authentic Leadership has no formal definition; however, I believe the best leaders are authentic. Real and true to themselves, their team, and their mission. The best leaders I have worked with, understand who they are and who they are not. What they do well and what they need help with. They are not afraid to ask for help. Great leaders are self-aware and emotionally intelligent. They can “read the room.” If a leader cannot read themselves, I would not worry about the room as they might not be there for very long.

Authenticity is the Key to Effective Leadership: Authenticity builds trusting relationships as It delivers a humble, dependable consistency which attracts others.

Care, Competency, and Integrity are key to building trust and key to being a good coach and leader according to Lou Holtz, legendary Notre Dame Head Football Coach. Coach Holtz shared this simple visual to a group of managers at a meeting I was attending a few years ago and I use to this very day when meeting a new team. He reminded all of us that when we walk into a room, the people meeting us for the first time are asking these questions silently:

·?????????Does this new leader really care about us?

·?????????Is this new leader any good? (And getting better!)

·?????????Is the new leader trustworthy.

If we could answer those three questions positively in our own minds before we met our team, we would be ready to back up these answers to these questions every time when we were meeting the team in person. ??

When you act with integrity, competency and care, you are more approachable. You are more "human", especially when you admit you have strengths, and you have weaknesses. Knowing that and not being afraid to admit it, is key.

"No one signs up to work along side SuperMan and Wonder Woman each day."

When you are genuine, you are more likely to share both your accomplishments and challenges and the humility you demonstrate, is endearing. You realize sharing this information is not a threat, but a reality that you have encountered on your journey. The reality is that there is no perfect person, but there can be a perfect team. The key to successful leadership, team building and any relationship, is authenticity.

“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” Oscar Wilde

Larry!

Larry Keiter - Executive Coach Development Coordinator (larrykeitercoaching.com)