How to be an authentic leader

(originally posted on stoicleaders.com)

Many people read Walter Isaacson’s wonderful biography on Steve Jobs and felt it gave them permission to act like an asshole. While Jobs was an impactful leader, we don’t need another Steve Jobs. We need YOU and YOUR leadership. When you lead like someone else, your followers can sense the lack of authenticity and it breeds mistrust. When you lead authentically, you can build a team of passionate followers committed to achieving a mission. Let’s talk about authentic leadership.

WHO ARE YOU AS A LEADER?

Every leader has strengths, but trying to be just like another leader comes at the expense of being yourself. Followers recognize this and will inherently mistrust a leader who is not authentic. While you can admire and emulate strengths in other leaders, remember that your authenticity is what gathers followers to your mission.

Which leaders do you admire? And what is it about them that is admirable? Do you like Jobs’ affinity for design? Do you like Bill Gate’s vision of having a PC on every desk? Do you like Alexander the Great’s respect for his adversaries? It is agreeable to aspire to better leadership, fill holes in your skillset, and emulate others. But this emulation must be authentic. For example, if you are an introvert and try to force extroversion, prepare for poor reception.

“The one essential quality a leader must have is to be your own person, authentic in every regard.” – Bill George

WHAT IS AN AUTHENTIC LEADER?

An authentic leader is one who is clear on their purpose and values and behaves accordingly. Bill George, ex-CEO of Medtronic, wrote a fantastic book on leadership where he defined 5 essential qualities of authentic leaders:

• They have a clear purpose
• They practice solid values
• They lead with heart
• They establish connected relationships
• They live with self-discipline

You may look at this list and think, “Well, yeah, leaders should do all these things,” but putting them together and demonstrating these qualities at all times can be challenging. For example, you are likely responsible for hitting growth targets. If you and your team are tracking to miss those targets, how will you respond? Will you emotionally react out of frustration? Or will you lead with self-discipline and address the challenge with calm collection?

“Leaders are pulled in many different directions, yet must keep a clear vision of where they and their organizations are headed.” – Bill George

Leading is difficult. Leaders and managers have responsibilities which can be stressful. Even so, building solid teams with inspired followers requires authentic leadership. Let’s look at each quality:

PURPOSE

There is a line in Alice in Wonderland where Alice comes to a fork in the road and asks the Cheshire cat, “Which road do I take?” The cat replies, “Do you know where you want to go?” “No,” says Alice. To which the cat replies, “Then any road will get you there.”

Purpose is your where, what, and why: where are you headed, what will you achieve, and why is it important to you? Do you understand your motivations and passions? Are you working toward something greater than yourself? Robert Greenleaf, the father of servant leadership, advocates service to others as a primary purpose. This service should be specific to your motivations. Do you wish to help people achieve more? Do you strive to provide clean drinking water to rural populations? Do you wish to restore people to health?

What mark do you want to make? This is your purpose.

VALUES

Your values are the deeply held personal beliefs that shape your actions. Common values include honesty, dignity, and respect. These values must pervade through every interaction and decision. When faced with a difficult decision, clarity of your values will help you choose the right path to take.

One value all leaders must have is integrity. Do what you say you will do, and tell the whole truth. Anytime you act without integrity, you demonstrate a lack of trustworthiness. This is repellant to followers and will breed toxicity in a group.

HEART

You have identified your purpose and values. Now it is time to connect those through your actions with heart. Bill George recommends engaging with followers through a greater sense of purpose. This shared purpose strikes at the emotions of the team. Heart also means caring about others and their journeys. It means showing empathy for your followers. Heart is at the root of the saying, “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

This aspect can be difficult for some leaders. Sometimes we are fearful to care about employees as we may need to discipline them, or even fire them. However, without heart, your team will tend to be uncommitted to the mission and performance will suffer.

CONNECTED RELATIONSHIPS

While Heart focuses on how you act, Connected-Relationships refers to who you interact with. Leaders can establish strategies and delegate work without risking emotional connection with the team. However, great leaders connect and establish relationships with followers.

Think of the best leader you ever worked for. Did they make time to connect with you? Did they take a personal interest in your development? Napoleon was beloved by his soldiers as he made time to walk through the camps and speak with his men. Alexander the Great showed respect to his soldiers and adversaries alike.

Again, great leaders connect and establish relationships.

SELF-DISCIPLINE

Can you lead authentically in times of stress? How do you act when times are tough? Self-discipline means you have the self-control to manage your emotions and think clearly even in difficult situations. Self-discipline allows your followers the safety and predictability of your interactions. Can they bring you difficult news without you losing your temper? That’s self-discipline.

As with the other qualities above, self-discipline extends beyond the workplace. Your interactions with family and friends should mimic how you act with your followers. As a team is like one big family, your authenticity and consistency with self-discipline creates a work culture not unlike a familial culture.

Self-discipline does not mean you have no emotions. By all means, share your passion, enthusiasm, fears, and frustrations. However, be intentional and in control at all times. You can read this article to learn a strategy for emotional control.

BECOMING AUTHENTIC

To develop the 5 qualities authenticity, there are 5 associated behaviors you can focus on.

PURPOSE: PASSION

How are you showing up? Does your purpose inspire you? Living with passion is infectious and acting with passion demonstrates your commitment to your purpose. Share your passion. Live with passion. Spread your passion.

VALUES: ACTIONS

Values are shown in how you act. Also, your values shine through when in what George refers to as “the crucible.” Think of a difficult time that tested you and pushed you into new growth and development. How did you adapt and overcome? Were you able to make difficult decisions in alignment with your values? Tough times show a leader their authentic self. They also show a leader where they have room to grow.

HEART: COMPASSION

Compassion = empathy + action. You develop compassion by feeling empathy and taking action on behalf of another person. Get to know the life stories of those you work with. Understand their goals and desires. Recognize their strengths and weaknesses. You must also do the same for yourself. Recognize your own journey, and your own strengths and weaknesses.

RELATIONSHIPS: CONNECTEDNESS

Staying connected means you make time to connect with others. This is not a one-and-done approach. Check in regularly. Acknowledge accomplishments. Coach followers on their struggles. These repeated actions will build trust on the team and can actually strengthen the group when challenges arise. When you are connecting with someone, pay full attention as if they are the only person in the world.

SELF-DISCIPLINE: CONSISTENCY

Show up as the same leader every day and at every opportunity. While you may be in the midst of a crucible, your followers will still look to you for leadership. Your leadership should not change depending on your mood. Lean into your purpose, your values, and your care for the team. Consistency will also breed trust. As you navigate stressors and pressures your followers will look to you as a rock in tough times.

AND SO….

We do not need another Steve Jobs. We need you, and so does your team. Authentic leadership simply means that you show up as yourself… your true self. It also means that you develop the self-awareness and self-control to build trust, build relationships, and build a purpose driven team.

Until next time,

Clark