Why you should aspire to be an authentic leader...

Authentic leadership is a relatively recent leadership construct based on the issue of integrity. According to the theory of authentic leadership, to be a truly great leader you must demonstrate authenticity and trustworthiness. It is no good being one person in the workplace and a completely different person outside of the workplace. Your personality will be inconsistent and your employees will find it hard to trust you. 

“Sometimes leaders have to take risks and if you live by a particular set of values, you may have to take a risk to be true to those values. All great entrepreneurs are risk takers and have strong leadership skills and strong brands. For example Richard Branson and Jo Malone both have strong brand values based around their own personalities. Both Branson and Malone are clear about their leadership role within their chosen business fields and not swayed by the opinions of others. They are risk takers and by not playing safe they have often made the biggest difference to their businesses. Working for leaders such as these two, creates a loyal workforce that buys into their leader’s vision. So how can you make sure you are an authentic leader and what traits do you need to nurture?

1. Authentic leaders do what they say they are going to do.

If you look at great authentic leaders, they put the mission and the goals of the organisation ahead of their own quest for power, money or ego. They are completely consistent, results driven and always have an end goal in mind. 

2. Authentic leaders are self-aware and genuine.

Authentic leaders are well aware of their strengths and also their limitations. They show their real selves to their followers and do not act one way in private and another in public. They are happy to admit to their mistakes and they don’t hide them out of fear of looking weak. 

3. Authentic leaders show their emotions, and because of this, they are able to connect with their employees. Because of this they share their thoughts and feelings with the people around them. They are very direct and this is often critical to successful outcomes. By contrast directness without empathy is cruel. 

4. Authentic leaders are risk takers.

They challenge themselves constantly and are not afraid to take risks to achieve their goals.. They will step outside their comfort zone to get results. 

5. They leave a legacy.

Authentic leaders build a legacy by adding value to everyone that they deal with and leaving the world a better place in the process.

 If you’d like to hear Leona’s expertise 1 on 1, book a 15 minute call with her by clicking here. Alternatively, call the office on 01462 262020 or email [email protected].