Are You for Real? Principle 11 of Characteristics of a Healthy Leader
Dr. David Rafeedie
Note: This is the first article in a series taken from Characteristics of a Healthy Leader. https://davidthecoach.com/blog-1/2018/2/15/characteristics-of-a-healthy-leader
Fred always thought of himself as a good leader. It’s true, he never seemed to reach what he thought was his full potential, but wherever he worked, colleagues liked him. He came across as confident but always seemed to “hedge his bets.” This lack of clarity and focus was confusing to those around him. Therefore, his team members ran everything by him to make sure they were going in the right direction.
Fred was a man of principles. He lived and worked by those principles but seemingly had very few standards for those who worked for him. At least the standards were not articulated clearly. His team had a general sense of Fred’s expectations but at times found themselves unknowingly at odds with those expectations. In those times the team member would realign her or his direction.
The fact is, Fred held everything close to his vest. Trying to get him to articulate vision, direction, or solid expectations was like trying to nail jello to the wall. Apart from being a nice guy, he was hard to read when it came to his leadership.
The kind of leadership Fred displayed slows everything down. There could be many reasons for Fred’s lack of clarity. Self-doubt, personal issues going on in his life, problems with his superiors, any number of issues might be in play. Fred didn’t realize that if he let his team in on the issues, they would understand. They would probably work that much harder, and it would relieve a lot of stress.
Authenticity in leadership is an important characteristic of a healthy leader. I am not talking about hanging your dirty laundry out in the open for all to see. But a leader who exhibits authenticity wins the respect of their team. Authenticity in leadership makes the leader relatable and engenders loyalty in his team.
You can’t make this stuff up!
The moment you “try” to be authentic when in fact you are not, well; you’re not authentic. People will see through you in a moment. We learn to identify lack of authenticity as kids. It didn’t take long to tell if our parents meant, “no,” or if they were doing the parent thing before they said yes. Fortunately for me, as a grandparent, I don’t have to say “no” anymore. All I have to say is, “sure!
Authenticity isn’t something manufactured when you need it. You either are authentic, or you are not. Personality has something to do with it. Some personalities find it easier than others to be authentic. But it can be developed if authenticity is a desired quality.
But authenticity looks like something. People recognize it when they see it.
Authenticity communicates consistency
People know what to expect from you. When they make mistakes or when they do well, they know you will be consistent in your response. An authentic leader has a track record that the organization and the team can rely on and trust.
Authenticity communicates character
It affirms the values and principles you live by, whether good or bad. If your behavior does not match your words consistently over time, employees, team members, family, and friends will soon be ignoring the words. They will not trust what you say. Walk the talk! Consistency is critical to personal growth and in growing an organization or team. Time reveals the depth of one’s character. Time will also find you out if you are putting on a show. Over time, your words will give you away too.
As Neil T. Anderson says, “No one can consistently behave in a way that is inconsistent with who they are.” He is right. We can fool some of the people some of the time, but we cannot fool all of the people all of the time. Especially those closest to us, like family and colleagues.
Authenticity builds credibility
In their book, The Truth About Leadership: The No-Fads, Heart-of-the-Matter Facts You Need To Know, Kouzes and Posner, write, “The truth is that credibility is the foundation of Leadership. This is the inescapable conclusion we’ve come to after thirty years of asking people around the world what they look for and admire in a leader, someone whose direction they would willingly follow. The key word in the preceding sentence is ‘willingly.’”
Requirements for authenticity
Strong identity
Just be yourself—If your identity is grounded in substance, then you can be comfortable being yourself. Don’t take your identity from your work. Workplaces change and retirement happens to the best of us. Then what?
Identity must be grounded in something sustainable and beyond yourself so that you can be yourself regardless of where you are or what you do. At home, at work with your team, at play, or in any relationship. For example, my identity is in my relationship to God. That doesn’t change regardless of where I am or what I do. I always am in that relationship.
Self-confidence
o In your ability and skills.
o In your standing in the organization. You are in your role. There are reasons you are there, and no one else is.
o Self-confidence makes for the courage to make the right decisions
A “good” authenticity is principled driven
No one likes working for a bully or a sexual harasser. They may be authentic too, unfortunately for those who live or work with them. To be respected as a leader, if you want to inspire those around you, your leadership must be principled driven. Values engender commitment from those you lead. A leader’s character is expressed visibly in his words and actions. In an upcoming article, we will explore how a leader’s character influences his decisions.
Vulnerability
Probably most us at least, have worked for someone who was not authentic. It isn’t a comfortable situation. It causes us to question motives for decisions. It makes it difficult to accept comments at face value. It is probably the biggest barrier to the kind of relationship required to lead and inspire a team. Your team already know you make mistakes. They are aware you don’t have all the answers. But if you act as if you do have all the answers, respect for your leadership will diminish; within the team and the organization.
I’d be interested in hearing what you think. Please feel free to comment.
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