Why authenticity is the key to great leadership and how to embrace it

Think about the best manager you've ever had. Now think about why they were the best. It’s probably down to how they made you feel, the belief they gave you in yourself but also in them, you probably felt connected to them and maybe even inspired by them.

That’s the power of authentic leadership.

For too long when we talk about great leaders we’ve focused on success, results, the tangibles that can be measured.

What’s become increasingly clear is that the key to great leadership is authenticity.

As a result, the business is likely to see an improvement in their results, but that’s the by-product of authentic leadership, not the reason behind the success.

While authentic leadership is about being yourself, it’s not a leadership style everyone can harness effectively.

In fact, it’s been found that women are more natural and impactful authentic leaders than men. In times of crisis where change is needed quickly, it’s authentic female leaders who are brought in to turn things around.

Let’s dive into authentic leadership and its perks.

What is authentic leadership?

On paper, authentic leadership sounds easy. You just have to be yourself…right?

The truth is that it’s so much more than that. Authentic leadership comes down to high standards of integrity, taking responsibility for your actions, focusing on the principle to make decisions rather than quick wins.

It’s about leaning into your natural style of leadership and staying true to that, rather than doing what you think a leader should do.

Bill George, Harvard professor and former Medtronic CEO, explains it as; “Before you can become an authentic leader, you have to know who you are. That’s your true north: your most deeply held beliefs, your values, the principles you lead by, and what inspires you.”

If you want to be an authentic leader, you need to understand what you stand for, what you believe in, and put those beliefs at the centre of your actions, which isn’t always easy.

A shift towards authenticity

Some stats for you.

●????? Only 25% of UK workers have full trust in their company leadership.

●????? 58% of employees say they’d consider leaving their current job if leaders didn’t show empathy to staff needs.

●????? 69% of workers believe the company’s leadership style is important to their personal wellbeing.

?

The working world has changed since the pandemic. Tough leadership, stiff upper lip, separation of work and home, that’s no longer what’s expected.

With so many of us working from home for months at a time, dealing with difficult situations, the working world had to become more empathetic, people shared more than they normally would.

People realised there’s another way to work and succeed in a professional environment, and that’s through empathy, connection, and authenticity.

Fast forward to now and what people are looking for in an employer has changed. People want to be treated as individuals, they want human connection. 65% say working for an authentic leader is more important now than pre-pandemic.

Authenticity is powerful because it inspires people. Whether that’s inspiring people to join the business, or inspiring them to do better and achieve more.

There’s a direct correlation between authentic leadership and high performance. Ignoring that link could be damaging to your future success.

Four components of authentic leadership

While authentic leadership is about being true to yourself, there are four common traits that are found in authentic leaders:

Self-awareness

Leaders aren’t perfect, and authentic leaders know what they’re great at and what they aren’t so good at.

Understanding their limitations allows them to lean on their team to plug those gaps because they don’t need to be the smartest person in the room.

That level of honesty carries across their actions. The person they are at home is the same person they are at work, and that encourages the people around them to do the same.

Balanced guidance

Empowering everyone in the room to have a voice and to use it is a key part of authentic leadership.

By bringing people into the decision-making process, authentic leaders create a feeling of ownership which in turn drives engagement.

Transparency

Their honesty and openness opens up those closed doors and removes any feeling of us and them.

By offering honest, constructive feedback, admitting their own personal mistakes or errors and sharing their thoughts and feelings, the gap between senior leadership and the wider team is bridged.

Focus on the outcome

The greater good - that’s what drives authentic leaders. It’s not about self-interest, it’s about the right thing.

That’s achieved by focusing on the outcome, on the bigger picture and making sure all decisions made are aligned with that.

Innate authenticity

When you think of an authentic leader, there’s a strong chance the leader in mind is female. That’s because female leaders tend to be more associated with authentic leadership styles.

FTSE firms with female leaders are more profitable, research shows that 87% of the top 500 companies reported above average profits, compared to just 78% of those without a female leader.

Research has also found that women outscore men on 17 of 19 capabilities that differentiate excellent leaders from average ones. So it might not come as a surprise that when times are tough, or a business is in crisis mode, female leaders are brought in to turn things around.

This is often referred to as the ‘glass cliff’ because women make it to the top when something is broken, making their chance of failure higher. Then if they do manage to turn things around, they’re replaced with a male leader.

As a result women’s CEO tenures are on average 5.2 years compared to 8.1 years for a man.

This phenomenon of the glass cliff can be seen to reinforce gender bias, as when a business fails with a female leader, the inherent bias that a woman simply isn’t up to the job is confirmed. Rather than looking at the projected trajectory of the business, regardless of who’s in charge.

What does this mean for women?

It’ll be different for everyone but what we can see is that authentic leadership is on the rise both in terms of its impact but also its popularity. People want authentic, human leaders who accept they aren’t perfect but do their best and encourage others to do that.

With a renewed focus on employee engagement and the benefits that come from that, it’s no longer necessary to rule with an iron fist, to have a stiff upper lip or to never mention that you’re tired because you’ve been up with a teething toddler.

Right now, empathy is in demand.

Honesty is in demand.

A soft, human first approach is in demand.

Now is the time to harness your best qualities and lead your team to success.