What makes an authentic leader?
"It's personified by someone who has a very clear understanding of their true self, who they are, their values and how those values relate to their personal and professional lives. Authentic leaders are therefore very values-driven. They walk the talk; they don't just espouse things that seem to be important, they demonstrate them and are transparent about it.
You can detect a person's authenticity not just by listening to what they say they will do, but by watching them. Authentic leaders lay out a set of ideals and provide people with an opportunity to think about them and hopefully work collaboratively to resolve issues that undermine performance.
Authenticity is also about inclusiveness and genuinely understanding and being empathetic towards other people. An authentic leader empowers others."
So how do you lead authentically?
"Lots of people get trapped in the hubris of leadership and lose the sense of connectedness with the people that really matter.
Richard Branson says the customer comes second at Virgin. His staff come first, and he lives that ideal. He's continually trying to connect with staff in a grounded way, at any level of his business. So you see this brash, rich, hedonistic entrepreneur, but underneath he is authentic and people believe in him. When he says he's going to do something, he does it.
Even unofficial leaders who uphold good ideals of human behaviour in the workplace can attract support from others. Authenticity is desirable at any level, and we should all be aiming for it in our personal and professional lives. However, it is an ideal; it doesn't mean perfection. It's striving to be a good global citizen based on values and empathy towards others, but accepting that all leaders have flaws. I really want to stress this point. Failure is very OK in life. It is the assessment of ourselves and the choices and actions we take when we do fail that separates authenticity from blame and denial."
Dr Peter McClenaghan is a Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour and Leadership and a Master Coach in Leading Managing and Coaching by Values, based in the Business School at the University of New England. He consults to industry on human resources, strategic leadership, Crucial Conversations, values-based leadership development and team building. He has delivered strategic leadership programs for the Australian Institute of Management (now IML), the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the ESADE Business School Barcelona Spain and the School of Economics and Business University of Tartu Estonia. Peter also presents programs in Malaysia, China and Vietnam, as well as a wide range of other public and private sector clients within Australia.
UNE offers a variety of leadership and management courses to suit your individual expertise and future career needs, including the Bachelor of Organisational Leadership, Bachelor of Business, Graduate Certificates in Business, Human Resource Management and Management that articulate into our Master of Business Administration and Master of Strategic Organisational Development and Human Resource Management. For more information, head to the UNE Business School website.
Go back to Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 of this series for more.
