Authentic leadership is one of the types of management styles where leaders engage in transparent behaviours in an effort to foster stronger relationships. Authentic leadership works with the tenet that leaders can demonstrate their legitimacy by cultivating genuine relationships with their employees and giving weight to their contributions.
Authentic leaders are cognizant of their own shortcomings and weaknesses, meaning that they are able to understand and embrace those of others. Because authentic leaders are self-aware, authentic, and lead from the heart – they get the best out of people. Authentic leaders care for others because they care enough about themselves to do the internal work necessary to come forth as integral, holistic human beings.
These leaders do not simply find and build on the strengths of those around them -they leverage their strengths in order to become an authentic leader that continually helps others to learn and grow. Authentic leader always adds value to the people with whom they are in contact, helping them achieve higher professional goals that also translate into better personal lives.
Ultimately, authentic leaders instil confidence, loyalty, and trust in their employees, resulting in better results, success in the mission, and growth in the individual. Authentic leader is capable of inspiring loyalty and confidence amongst their employees through consistent displays of who they truly are as a person, as well as their feelings on the effectiveness of their employees.
An authentic leader will keep a hand on the wheel of their team members’ development, helping them to overcome challenges and simultaneously empowering them to become better teammates. Consistency breeds trust and team members put their trust in authentic leaders.
If people do not trust their leaders, they will be unmotivated to accomplish goals or follow instructions. Leaders who cannot take hard decisions are likely to find their teams always second-guessing them. Leaders who are unethical will probably make decisions that are not in the best interests of the people with whom they are working.
If leaders are playing a role that is not the authentic expression of their true selves, followers will feel, sooner or later, as though they are being duped.
As a result, we believe that it is fair to say that no leader can ever successfully build their authentic self if they cannot effectively manage the connection between their own past and the connections of followers to their roots. While the expression of the authentic self is essential for excellent leadership, the notion of authenticity is often misunderstood, especially by leaders themselves. Great leaders realise that their reputations of authenticity must be carefully earned and managed.
A great leader displays authentic behaviours while getting their ego out of the way. The difference between a good leader and a great leader can be in their ability to be authentic.
As a leader, it is crucial that you develop a strong sense of self, including your strengths, weaknesses, and values. A strong sense of self-awareness is one of the most important traits leaders can possess. This does not happen overnight. They have to spend some time alone to reflect on their experiences and how they can grow personally and professionally. Leadership courses such as HBDI can help you to understand the different thinking preferences of people better, while LSI Coaching can help you to develop a deeper understanding of your natural leadership style and how you can improve it.
In addition to having self-knowledge and self-disclosure skills, a great leader must also have the ability to discern what aspects of their authentic self are sought by specific groups of followers. For leaders to successfully turn their vision into reality, inspire their employees, and capture their customers’ hearts, they have to be perceived as authentic. Leaders who are adept at managing their authentic nature are the most effective because of this, being more capable of both energising loyal followers and retaining them.
To make sure that you are able to lead your team the way that they deserve, it is crucial that you stay laser-focused on showing authenticity when you can. Your authenticity is your differentiation in a crowded, competitive market.
To really cultivate authenticity, it is crucial that you stay authentic, direct, and honest with your team. Authenticity and trust are created when there is consistency between what you say and what you do.
Anyone who has ever been in a leadership position will tell you it is essential that you are authentic. Authentic means acting consistently on your core values in order for you to build credibility with your community. Authenticity does not just make people better individuals but also makes for stronger corporate cultures and greater performance in general.
Clearly, authentic leadership is not just one thing, but it is the set of many traits and behaviours of a persona, and that is what pushes back against the older style of leadership, one that is more concerned with creating a personality – a picture of the leader – rather than doing the hard, transformative work that authentic leadership requires.
A leader who truly displays authentic leadership styles puts just as much energy into connecting with the lived experiences of the people around them as they do in meeting financial goals. Ultimately, the focus for a leader must be on doing what is right for the business’s long-term success – not themselves. To summarise, it is also crucial to realise that leadership does not mean simply being the boss at work.
In a nutshell, to make sure that you are in a position to guide your team and make a positive, meaningful, long-lasting impact on them, as well as engage, motivate, and inspire them, authentic, genuine leadership is the key.