Authenticity - How can I become a more authentic leader?

Authentic people achieve remarkable things. They don’t need motivation because what they do and who they are is not separate. When you meet a truly authentic person their passion just shines out. They are “in their element”.

We might say that on a personal level authenticity means knowing who you are as a person, what your core values are and then acting and behaving in all areas of your life in concordance with these values. But often there is a tension between “being true to oneself” and “meeting the team or the organisation’s goals, strategies, needs and expectations” which are equally important. If individual managers act purely on the basis of their own convictions and aspirations while ignoring the needs of others in their team and of their organisation they will not be authentic leaders, or at least not for very long!

Authentic leadership is about attuning or aligning your own values and convictions with the organisation’s legitimate goals - without compromising either! There are no doubt certain situations where this is impossible - the clash of values is just too great - and in such circumstances a truly authentic leader will be willing to stand outside the comfort zone of others, and chart new terrain, so others may move forward.

However, in the vast majority of cases there will be numerous creative possibilities for aligning the two. Indeed, when organisational and personal values and needs are in harmony or are congruent, experience has shown that the results are spectacular. Becoming an authentic leader, like all transformations, starts first with self-awareness and insight and then extends to behavioural competence. It is a process that can’t be taught in the class-room but can be coached and facilitated.  

In consultation with clients we design programmes, which use an array of coaching, consulting and experiential methods, to help develop effective and authentic leaders.