Authentic leadership has been shown to increase trust, engagement, and overall performance. These are desirable outcomes, so what does it really mean for a leader to be authentic?
Is it authentic to say whatever is on your mind, speaking with no filter or thought of the consequences?
Perhaps it is authentic to react from emotion because you are expressing what you truly feel? Or is it something more?
Authentic leadership is generally understood to include four attributes:
- understanding yourself and how others perceive you (self-awareness),
- acting based on your personal values (internalized moral perspective),
- making decisions objectively and encouraging questioning (balanced processing), and
- sharing how your actions are consistent with your values (relational transparency).
Note that none of those attributes mentions emotional outbursts. There is a difference between speaking honestly and speaking without forethought. It is possible to be “real” and be an ethical, caring leader. There are key aspects of authentic leadership that an excessive “need to be me” ignores. If being authentic and a good leader is important to you, consider two, relatively simple actions you can take today.
Ask for feedback.
Energetically seek ideas and insights that can increase your understanding of how you come across and how you impact others. Then – and this is the hard part – listen to what is being said without responding. Don’t say anything other than “thanks.” You don’t have to agree with what you hear. Just listen and see if any themes emerge as you talk to a variety of people. The gift of self-awareness is available if you ask and are open to the response.
Encourage questioning and disagreement.
Like the first action, this suggestion to improve your balanced processing may seem fairly simplistic. People want to make the best decisions possible and with the most complete information. Sometimes, though, we overlook important clues or simply aren’t aware of something that could change an outcome. Often we think we are encouraging others to challenge us when we are inadvertently shutting down disagreement or closing ourselves off from information that could provide fresh insights. One of the best ways to demonstrate that it is safe to disagree is to actively seek out those you know will disagree with a decision and ask for their thoughts. As in asking for feedback generally, once you have sought an opinion on a decision, listen to learn, not to refute. Shift your thinking and consider that the strongest and most-lasting decisions are often created through greater awareness.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-does-mean-authentic-leader-phyllis-sarkaria/