Authentic leadership requires courage and vulnerability
If there’s anything that organizations need more of in 2024, it’s authentic leaders.
An academic study from the Frontiers In Psychology journal, which appeared in the National Library of Medicine in 2021, concluded that that the authentic leadership of team leaders is positively related with subjective and objective team performance.
What Is Authentic Leadership?
“One promising leadership construct that has the potential to enable a high-quality work environment in healthcare is authentic leadership—a pattern of transparent and ethical leader behavior that encourages openness in sharing information needed to make decisions, while accepting followers’ inputs,” the study explains. It continues to state that the benefits of authentic leadership—which is grounded in positive psychology—include healthier, happier, and more productive and high-performing workplaces, and even boosted job satisfaction and stronger collaboration.
Another study published by the same journal in 2022 found that when managers and leaders lead with authenticity, a trustful relationship between manager and team members is established and team members perform better and flourish within their roles—regardless of the workload or job demands.
Therefore, we can define authentic leadership as having these three core characteristics:
- Building trust
- Maintaining transparency
- Being supportive
Here are three easy ways to put this into practice:
1. Define Your Values
The first essential step to take in the journey to being authentic in the workplace, whether you currently work in leadership or not, demands that you be proactive in identifying your own boundaries and ethics. Create a values system that you adhere and refer to at all times.
For example, some core principles that you might choose to adopt to guide your behavior and inform your decision-making could be honesty, clarity of communication, delivering excellence at all times, accountability, fairness, and equality. This will ensure that in every meeting, transaction, or decision, you are abiding by a set of ethical principles that will not only help others know what to expect from you, but will boost your reputation and personal brand image within your industry because people trust in the integrity of your character as a leader.
2. Be Genuine And Transparent
One of the most important steps you can take to adopting authentic leadership is not only to be true to your values (as noted above), but to be true to yourself.
What’s the difference?
While it’s critical to abide by your values, being true to one’s self also entails recognizing your own areas of improvement, being self-aware, and analyzing and playing to your strengths.
It also means that you’re not afraid to show vulnerability or admit when there are times that you don’t have all the answers. Instead, you are open to pulling from the support and know-how of your peers and team, using their expertise to complement your knowledge gap. You can also share personal stories or stories of previous failures in business or in your career, to establish a trust and build a connection.
The final aspect of being genuine and transparent is ensuring open communication. Get right to the point, and avoid making statements that could be ambiguous or misinterpreted. Be prompt in sharing important news and information with your team members, and master the art of being courageous enough to approach and handle difficult conversations with team members, without dreading or shunning them.
3. Empower Others
The third way to demonstrate authentic leadership and build trust is to empower your team towards your shared vision. Where possible, delegate according to their strengths and areas of development, and remember that your primary goal when leading people is to coach and support them towards reaching their full potential. Offer guidance where appropriate, but always ensure you encourage autonomy and innovation, and provide them with opportunities for professional growth.
Additionally, show your team that you care about their well-being and careers, and what matters to them—not just their performance.
Authentic leaders create and live by their values consistently, and become an example for others to … [+]
The idea of leading authentically might be uncomfortable for you initially, especially as it involves a level of vulnerability, compassion, and self-awareness you may not be accustomed to. But when employees see you switching over to leading by example and with empathy, it will make all the difference in improving their engagement, retention, and performance.
