Are you an authentic leader? How do you know?

One of the most common questions asked during Liminal Space workshops is “How do you know if you’re leading authentically?”

Authentic leadership refers to leading with integrity, being true to oneself, and having a deep understanding of personal values, beliefs, and principles. Authentic leaders are genuine and trustworthy and, as such, they inspire trust and respect from the people they interact with and lead. Authentic leaders also create positive work environments where people feel valued and empowered to achieve their full potential.

So, back to the question - are you an authentic leader? More importantly, how would you know? One way to answer these questions is to courageously reach out to trusted colleagues or critical friends and ask for their honest feedback, especially if they experience your leadership daily. Self-reflection is also crucial - authentic leaders have a clear sense of their own story. Try answering the following questions:

Do I act with integrity when leading?

Is my decision-making transparent?

When I make decisions, do I stay true to my values and beliefs?

Do I empower and support those I lead to reach their full potential?

Do I understand and accept my own superpowers (strengths) and learning edges (gaps)?

Do I try and improve the effectiveness of my leadership daily?

Am I a different leader now to when I was a year ago? Three years ago? Five years ago? In what ways have I evolved?

If you can answer these questions positively, it's a good sign that others view you as an authentic leader. It may pay to triangulate your answers with surveys or questionnaires such as the Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment by Riggio, Kim, & Colella (2018), tools that measure the self-reported authenticity of leaders.

It’s not enough, however, to stop at the feedback collection stage - you’ve got to act on it. Our suggestion is to reflect on feedback collected from self and others, discern what’s important then set, and work toward achieving, small, micro improvement actions rather than design and pursue “big-bang”, revolutionary goals that, in all likelihood, will fail and deter future change efforts. Making small changes to the rudder of your leader ship, over time, will result in monumental change. Finally, bear in mind that authentic leadership, like leadership in general, is a never-ending journey, not a destination, so there’s always room for improvement.

References:

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338.

Riggio, R. E., Kim, Y. Y., & Colella, A. (2018). The Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment. Journal of Leadership Education, 17(4), 361-371.

Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., & Wernsing, T. S. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89-126.

ACEL Australia Dr Mathilda Joubert AISWA - Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia Chris Massey Lisa Rodgers PSM Fiona Donaldson Dr Ray Boyd Rachael Lehr Dr Daniel Groenewald FACEL, FAIM Ryan Shelton Jeff Allen John Finneran GAICD Dr Lucie McCrory GAICD Dr Alec O'Connell FACE, FAIM, FNAAUC Dean Dell'Oro Alan Jones Ross Barron Mathew Irving Luke Callier Rocky Collins Silv lombardi Kalea Haran Fiona Johnston GAICD Rebecca Clarke Cate Begbie Jennifer Oaten Stephmarie Snyman (MAHRI) Donella Beare Penny Houghton Clare Johansen Adam Selwood Karena Shearing Ben Calleja Meg Watson Meg Melville Ron Cacioppe Professor Gary Martin FAIM

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