Authentic Leadership

1. Authentic Leadership

2. Today we will cover • What is Authentic Leadership? • Why is Authentic Leadership Important? • Five Touchstones • When Authentic Leadership Goes Wrong • Reflection

3. What is Authentic Leadership • Authentic is defined as “conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features” or “not false or imitation.” (Merriam-Webster) • Authentic leadership is knowing, and acting on, what is true and real inside yourself, your team, and your organization AND knowing and acting on what is true and real in the world.

4. What is Authentic Leadership? • Do our actions originate from deep within ourselves, or are they coming from a more superficial place? • Is our leadership arising from our character? Or is it coming from our persona, the external personality we’ve created to cope with life’s circumstances? • Are we doing things because we believe in them, or because we think they’ll look good?

5. Why Is It Important? • Credibility/Authenticity is the key to leadership. We must believe that a leader’s word can be trusted, that they’ll do what they say, that they’re personally excited about the organization, and that they have the knowledge and skill to lead. • Credibility is earned! • DWYSYWD: Do What You Say You Will Do

6. Why Is It Important? • With credibility • Be proud to tell others they a part of the organization • Feel a strong sense of team spirt • Feel attached & committed • Have a sense of ownership • Without credibility • Produce only if watched carefully • Be motivated primarily by external factors • Say good things publicly, but criticize privately.

7. 5 Touchstones of Authentic Leadership • Know Yourself Authentically • Listen Authentically • Express Authentically • Appreciate Authentically • Serve Authentically

8. Know Yourself Authentically • If we want to be effective with others, we need to become effective with ourselves. • Get to know your total self. • Clarify Your Values • Explore Your Inner Territory • Listen to the Masters • Practice being what you wish others to become.

9. Listen Authentically • To influence others, we must first be open to their influence. • It’s about being generous - listening with a giving attitude vs. listening with our opinions. • Authentic Listening creates the platform for true synergy and team effectiveness.

10. Express Authentically • Authentic Expression is the true voice of the leader. • It’s not about how good the presentation is, it’s about where the words come from. • It means sharing your real thoughts and feelings and not sugar coating things. • In order to express authentically, you must find your own voice.

11. Appreciate Authentically • As leaders we tend to do too much and appreciate too little. • Appreciation creates value, energizes people, and makes people want to exceed their goals. • Appreciation must be personalized and fun. • It doesn’t always have to be public, but it helps.

12. Serve Authentically • A leader is not judged by how well they lead, but how well they serve. • When we move from control to service, we acknowledge that we are not the sole origin of achievement. • Our real job is to serve all the constituencies of our life and, in the process, to genuinely appreciate the fact that only through our interdependence with others that we create value.

13. When Authentic Leadership Goes Wrong • Being an authentic leader does not give you carte blanche to be a jerk. • It is not an excuse for bad or immoral behavior. • So what do we do when it goes wrong? • Find out how you seem to others • Talk back to yourself • Find an alternative • Apologize and clean up the mess • Raise the stakes for repeating the same mistake

14. Reflection/Response • In what ways am I already an authentic leader? • In what ways can I improve as an authentic leader? • How important is authenticity to me as a leader?