Leading By Influence

In recent days, I have been hearing about authentic leadership on different social media platforms. The term has been loosely worded, that people assume that if you want to communicate yourself as a good leader, you just need to be authentic. In other words, keeping it real. Does that ring a bell? What does it mean to be authentic? I looked up the word in the dictionary and the definition of the word means to be genuine. This is where it gets interesting. By keeping it real it means being honest even when you are not perfect. You are vulnerable and you are not afraid to show your true self. Even as a leader, you do not feel the need to project a wrong image of yourself to get your message across. With this definition in mind, now think about how many authentic leaders do we have out there? I am guessing, not that many.

Because the truth is, as leaders we are expected to put up a formidable front. The way you get your team to obey or deliver results is by instilling fear in them. You are seen as weak if you show empathy to your subordinates. As leaders, we need to understand that we are in the business of dealing with people, and that means we need to be building relationships to establish their trust and loyalty. A lot of times, people don't run after leaders, they catch their vision and run alongside them. I have seen many good leaders fail because they struggle in these areas of being vulnerable. They feel the need to overplay or downplay their strengths or weakness to be seen in control. They give in to their fears and their insecurities which keeps them from excelling in their role as a leader. That is why authentic leadership is hard to define because it is not something that can be self-taught or learned from attending seminars. It requires someone to be in touch with them and be ready to put aside their interests for the benefit of the team.

Authentic leadership is about being sincere and open with an awareness of who you are as a person. With authentic leading, you get to promote high levels of self-esteem among your subordinates. It helps to boost their confidence and makes them want to excel in their work. By doing so, employees under this style of leadership take more ownership of what they are doing because they know their efforts are being recognized. It correlates to achieving better performance and increased efficiency. Let's look at some qualities that an authentic leader should possess;

1)Being aware of who you are

You know what are your strengths and weakness and ensure the actions that you take are done without any biases.

2) Lead with your heart

An authentic leader loves to nurture people, so they are not afraid to dig deeper. They have a lot of empathy for their teammates, and they are always open to listening. They are relatable and gains the trust of the people they lead easily.

3) Have a vision

An authentic leader is a visionary, as they are normally driven by vision and purpose. They know how to effectively communicate their vision so their teammates can run towards a common goal. When they raise the bar, the teammates are undeterred and they strive for excellence instead.

4) Open communication and transparency

They don't hide their mistakes and dare to be who they are. They do not have a different image in public and in private. The combination of empathy and open communication brings more than success. It shows that the leader has a vested interest in their team member and is open to helping them achieve their goals.

5)Success is collaborative

What sets an authentic leader from others, is that they recognize team effort. They know how to build a good team and give them credit when it is due.

Experts may suggest that you seek the help of a mentor or a leadership coach to hone your skills. But the best way to build on these is to start being more approachable. Get to know your teammates better, and be more involved in how they are doing on a personal basis. In time, your leadership skill will improve greatly and you will also earn the respect of your teammates.

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