Authentic leadership begins with you. You won’t excite people and get them to follow you unless you can:
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Show them who you are
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What you stand for
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What you can and cannot do
Research shows that authenticity in the workplace leads to increased levels of trust, a more positive working environment and greater productivity. So, not only is it good for morale, it’s also good for business.
Workplaces often make it difficult to express yourself without fear of ridicule, rejection or failure, so we save the best of ourselves for home, friends or the local community.
How well do you know yourself and show yourself?
Self awareness is about really knowing yourself, enough – your opinions, attitudes, knowledge and the impact your behaviour has on others.
Self-disclosure is about passing on information about yourself, understanding what works for you with others. This will be constantly evolving because you learn from interactions with others. There are risks to self-disclosure so act with care to get it right!
You need both of these: awareness of who you are and what you stand for and finding the right vehicle to express them. What characterises effective leaders is a sense of what works for them with others.
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What values are most important to you, and how do they show through in your leadership?
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Which personal characteristics do you have with the potential to inspire and excite others?
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What holds you back from revealing more of the real you?
