Be authentic
March 19, 2009 · Print this post
As a follow-up to Tuesday’s post about being smart with heart, here’s a thoughtful and useful article on why and how to be an authentic leader.
A fallout of working for, or being associated with, an inauthentic leader is that this person robs us of our own authenticity as we tread carefully around them. We focus on what keeps us safe in our jobs. In the process they don’t get the best out of us – they get our labor, but not our full engagement… Lack of authenticity in a leader carries a hefty price tag.
– Bruna Martinuzzi, from “The Talisman of Leadership”
You’ll find ideas about authenticity and transparency, and concrete suggestions for how to bring more authenticity into your own work experience. Remember, authenticity is a skill like any other. “Practicing” authenticity doesn’t make you a manipulator or a hypocrite — it makes you better at being truly authentic. It can be scary. It can make you vulnerable. And the results will certainly surprise you.
This is a great article. I actually have been practicing doing exactly this kind of thing at work the last few days, and I can already see a marked difference. Thank you.