Authentic Leadership

Genuine, Worthy of Trust, Reliance, or Belief

This is how Bill George, author of Authentic Leadership, defines authentic leadership, and we agree. What does authentic leadership mean to you?

George states that authentic leaders:

Understand their Purpose (passion).

  • If you lack purpose and direction in your leadership, why would anyone want to follow you?

Practice solid values (behaviors).

  • The values of a leader are shaped by their personal beliefs, developed through study, introspection, and consultation with others, and require 100% integrity.

Lead with heart (compassion).

  • Engage the minds and hearts of your employees through a sense of purpose. Greatness (and results!) are achieved when multiple minds contribute to the task.

Establish connected relationships (networks).

  • A detached leadership style often used when providing strategy or delegating will not lead to success as much as developing close and enduring relationships will.

Demonstrate self-discipline (consistency).

  • Converting values into consistent actions lends itself to building respect. We must admit our mistakes and not let ego or emotion impact our actions.

Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment

Ask yourself the following questions and answer honestly.

  1. What’s the purpose of my leadership? Do I really want to devote my talents to the profession I’m currently in?
  2. Am I in a position where I can make a real difference and feel valued?
  3. Do I ever check my beliefs at the office door? When?
  4. How can I stay true to my values when there are so many pressures to compromise?
  5. Can I develop close relationships with my subordinates and still achieve my objectives?

To be truly authentic, validate what’s important to you and align your personal and professional lives accordingly.

We also suggest having clearly defined vision, mission and goals, and ensure all your actions support your ability to achieve them.

Are you authentic?

Relationships Are Not an Option

Do you agree that we all want to work more effectively with people? Whether the interaction is with our manager, customer or coworker, we want to make our interpersonal relationships positive, supportive, clear, and empowering.

An effective leader is proficient in managing relationships and building networks. They must also possess the ability to find common ground and build rapport which significantly improves results and satisfaction levels.

Leadership: It’s not something you do to people, it’s something you do with people.
–Patricia Zigarmi and Drea Zigarmi

Over 300 managers and executives across the globe were asked if the definition of leadership had changed in the past five years. 84 percent responded yes, and attributed it to having more complex challenges resulting in hardships for their organizations.

There was a side benefit to these hardships: greater collaboration, improved work processes, and expanded work boundaries. Interesting, isn’t it?

Keep in mind that the nature and speed of work that is required by most professions do not lend themselves to developing relationships or for allowing time to develop the necessary skills, but they are essential for achieving success.

The TRUST Relationship Strategy

This strategy is used frequently by sales forces, but may also be used for most industries. It stands for:

  • T – Think
  • R – Relate
  • U – Uncover the needs
  • S – Sell the solution
  • T – Take action and close                    

Additional tips and techniques are provided by QwikCoach for Balancing Relationships and Results:

It’s important for teams to dedicate time to specifically assess process and relationships and to look for ways to continuously improve both.

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Building and sustaining strong and lasting relationships is not an option!