Authentic Leadership — How to Lead While Staying True to Yourself
As I started taking leadership roles in my career, I thought I had to copy the exceptional leaders I’m inspired by. Over time, I realized that authentic leadership contributes to the biggest positive impact on my teams. It turns out the key to being a great leader is learning to be yourself, just in a leadership position.
HubSpot asked marketing leaders about the most important qualities they consider when deciding to promote an individual to a senior position. Of respondents, 39% said leadership, making it the top factor.
Like you, I was motivated to become a better leader, so I sought guidance. In this article, I’ll go over what authentic leadership entails, why it’s important, and how to discover which type of leadership feels most genuine to you.
Table of Contents
- What is Authentic Leadership?
- What is Authentic Leadership Theory?
- Why Authentic Leadership is So Impactful
- The Challenge of Authentic Leadership
- How to Be an Authentic Leader
Common authentic leadership characteristics include:
- Humility.
- Integrity.
- Empathy.
- Discipline.
- Transparency.
- Self-awareness.
- Commitment to personal development.
These qualities help those in charge inspire their teams, which is crucial for anyone who wants to be an effective leader. In a survey of marketing leaders, 39% of respondents listed “motivating and empowering their team” as the number one thing they can do to make the biggest impact in their role.
What is Authentic Leadership Theory?
In Bill George’s book Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets To Creating Lasting Value, the highly successful former CEO outlines five leadership principles he believes comprise an authentic leadership style: Purpose, values, heart, self-discipline, and relationships. He argues that authentic leaders create far more value than leaders who rely solely on financially oriented decision-making.
While reading this book, I made the discovery that started my journey to authentic leadership: Compassion and matters of the heart aren’t weaknesses for leaders. They’re superpowers.
Here’s a closer look at the puzzle pieces of authentic leadership, according to Bill George.
1. Purpose
Authentic leaders have a strong sense of purpose that drives their work. Examples of purpose in business can be innovation, product excellence, or even social change.
Having a clear purpose makes it easier to identify priorities when I have an endless list of tasks and not enough time. In those moments, I ask myself which strategies and projects most align with my business’s long-term goals.
2. Values
In addition to having a clear purpose, authentic leaders honor their values by incorporating them into decision-making and actions. Doing the right thing from a moral perspective has always served me better than focusing on what I’d want for myself in particular. In short, authentic leadership is also ethical leadership.
3. Heart
Heart refers to the compassion that authentic leaders have for others and their well-being. It may sound like a soft skill, but it has paid …read more
Source:: HubSpot Blog
