3 Ways to Boost Your Leadership Authenticity
There's a word trending in my universe right now. It's Authenticity.
Communicating with authenticity. Leading with authenticity. Making decisions honoring your authenticity. Managing change with authenticity.
Authenticity seems simple: be yourself, speak truthfully, and share your ideas.
The simple answer is it's not that simple.
We have inner assumptions that hold us back. We have organizational norms and structures to operate within. We have people we're aiming to please.
Let's do a quick check in here…
Where and when do you hold back sharing an opinion?
How often do you find yourself communicating a decision you're not bought into?
Do you feel caught in internal politics?
How many groups are you trying to please?
What do you notice as you read through these questions? Did you notice a lot of head nodding or easily thinking of situations where these were true?
If that's the case, and this might sting a wee bit, there's a high probability you're not leading as authentically as you're wanting.
This does not mean you're not an authentic person. This means that you're likely not showing up fully as you, the best of you might be waiting in the wings.
Here's the good news!
You can boost your leadership authenticity. You can start to unlock what might be holding you back.
Check out these 3 actions my clients and I have been using.
#1 - Take Notice
Begin to pay attention to the situations where you wanted to speak up and you didn't. The situations where you held back. The situations where you felt funky about what was being messaged or asked.
Write these down. What do you notice as common trends?
Are you afraid of being wrong? Are you assuming they wouldn't value your insight? Are you afraid of disappointing? What might you be protecting?
What's here when you get curious about the moments when you want to speak and don't?
#2 - Be Your Favorite Self
When are you your favorite self? When do you feel you're firing on all cylinders? When do you feel unstoppable?
What's it like to feel that way? Who do you become when you're fully your favorite self? What do you love about your favorite self?
What are the factors or variables at play that invite your favorite self to the party?
Write these down.
Which of these characteristics do you want to bring MORE into your management and leadership? Pick one and begin to consciously enable others to see this favorite side of you.
#3 - Name Your Values
Being a value fit within an organization is a real thing. If your personal values aren't in alignment with an organization's values, it's going to be a rough slog to enable you to show up as a fully authentic leader.
And I'm not talking about shiny values posters.
I'm talking about the organization's way of communicating. Their way of decision making. Their way of engaging with one another and customers.
What do you hold most dear? What way of being do you value in others? What bothers you (this is a value being stepped on)?
Write down the words that start to come to mind.
Flexibility? Independence? Consistency? Honesty? People? Integrity? Ambition? Achievement? Creativity? Problem Solving?
You get the idea.
Now look at your list. Which of these values isn't as present in your management and leadership as you'd like? What would it look like to more fully honor this value and your other values?
These are 3 tangible actions you can take to step more fully into your authenticity as a leader. What else is coming to mind? What element of your authenticity are you wanting to unlock? I'd love to hear from you!
