On the other hand, the authentic leader earns trust with honesty. These leaders gain influence whenever they admit what they don’t know and ask for help. Remember, leadership is about influence, not image.
Would Your Team Say You’re “Authentic?”
If not, you can reverse course by embracing the above suggestions. I say that with a high degree of personal experience. My initial leadership years were marked by insecurity, leading me to walk and talk like a leader while secretly suffering under the pressure of being an imposter.
When I decided (finally) to be the complete and best version of myself, the requests for authenticity stopped. I learned a lot while making this leadership shift:
- People knew I wasn’t being honest or authentic.
- People wanted to know me…really know me.
- People wanted to trust me but weren’t sure I was trustworthy.
- I gained more influence by being less certain and self-confident.
- Our team and organization became more successful as I became more authentic.
- We attracted more leaders when I led with more authenticity.
- I learned more about our staff’s strengths and weaknesses when I more openly displayed mine.
- Better ideas emerged when our team embraced vulnerability.
I could keep going, but you get the point. If being an authentic leader scares you, it’s time to get over it. You’ll find freedom and greater success on the other side of honesty. Trust me.
This article on being an authentic leader originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
