The Need for Authentic Leadership

There is both a need and a desire for truly authentic leaders. In this time of unrest we long for meaningful contribution. We want to know that our work and contribution has meaning, purpose, and impact on the greater good.  As a leader you have the opportunity to model authentic leadership, a leader who is not afraid to be vulnerable and inspiring with your people.

This is part 1 of the 5-part series on Authentic Leadership by Diana Gabriel, Certified Strengths Strategy Coach.

It has never been more important for leaders to be authentic. Click To Tweet

Organizations and companies can no longer be impersonal buildings where their people show up each day, carry out their job responsibilities and shut off their brains before going home each night. Most people are no longer satisfied with simply following procedures, checking boxes or mindless activities without a sense that they are doing this for the sake of something. They are seeking professional fulfillment through engagement, passion, and a sense of contribution.

The most successful leaders know that their people desire a rewarding work life—an environment that cares for them, values their contributions, and gives them a chance to grow. Research consistently confirms that organizational health directly depends on employee satisfaction. When your people are unhappy, the organization suffers. When employees thrive, the organization flourishes. There seem to be no exceptions.

Your people want to follow you, their leader who engages and inspires them, relates to them and instills trust. I believe it has never been more important for leaders to be authentic, avoid deception, contradiction, hidden agendas, and ulterior motives.

Leadership experts like Bill George, a senior fellow at Harvard Business School, have studied how authenticity impacts organizations and how the lack of it destroys them. Old-school thinking of autocratic, power-based management, which keeps employees controlled and compliant, has failed. Distant, deceptive, and insincere leadership repels people, causing multiple dysfunctions. Only legitimate authenticity works.

Unfortunately, many leaders have yet to grasp what authenticity leadership genuinely is, and consequently fail to implement it. While authenticity’s facets are broad, its general principles are relatively uncomplicated and well worth the effort to embrace and implement.

Branding and leadership expert Anna Crowe outlines four of its key attributes in Get Real: The Power of Genuine Leadership, a Transparent Culture, and an Authentic You (Lioncrest Publishing, 2019):

1.  Adaptability
2.  Direct communication
3.  Putting values into action
4.  Leading with passion

We’ll dive into these attributes in this series. In the meantime, where are you with being an authentic leader? In what ways do you demonstrate authenticity in your organization? Do you see a need for more authentic leadership? I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me here and on LinkedIn.