 March 2007 | Newsletter | Issue 4  | ||||||||||
Authentic Leadership - "Know thyself" “Leaders need to be authentic to be truly effective”. You might have heard this from a leadership coach, read it in an HR initiative strategy report, or been told that it’s a “key competency” to be on the lookout for when you are recruiting. Perhaps you’ve nodded sagely at the importance of ‘authenticity’ whilst wondering how on earth you are supposed to recognise it, find it or develop it in your people!
“Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...values and beliefs are important but I’ve got a team to motivate, sales targets to hit and a boss breathing down my neck!!” The pressures of work are always upon us, and often they feel uncontrollable. Here is the fundamental paradox of effective leadership where we find two potentially conflicting needs. On the one hand is the need for the leader to be ‘true to oneself’, to act out of personal awareness and conviction. On the other hand is the need for the leader to be ‘true to the organisation’ – to act in ways that meet the needs of the organisation through others. My suggestion is that Authentic Leadership is a balancing act between these two poles. The most effective leadership is the result of managers being able to sustain and work within the tension between personal goals and needs and those of the organisation. To adhere too closely to the needs of the organisation and suppress personal preferences, may often result in managers effectively maintaining the status quo and being a “safe pair of hands”. However, there is often a lack creative spontaneity and future-oriented planning. Without personal passion, no passion is communicated and consequently the ability to motivate others is difficult. Equally, disproportionate emphasis on personal needs can often result in leadership power and influence driven by a personal agenda and a lack of attention on the development of others. Leadership, then, should be considered as an ongoing creative process to get this balance right. If, for example, an individual has a personal need to express their passion about environmental issues in an organisation that priorities the pursuit of profit at any cost, then a creative response is required. Perhaps by that individual leading the organisation’s environmental policy it could become an important marketing message that could ultimately effect turnover and profit. A new set of circumstances needs to be created where neither the individual nor the organisational needs are compromised or sacrificed. Effective leadership involves a multitude of these creative solutions, often that need to be maintained simultaneously. Authentic leadership at all times seeks to find the balance between individual and organisation needs. Phil Jefferis, Consultant Psychologist, Thompson Dunn Ltd | > Find out more Read these articles in full by clicking the links below: Leadership - Is there a universal leadership style? Authentic Leadership - "Know thyself" The Difference Between Leadership & Management
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From my perspective as a business coach, authenticity in leadership is not merely important – it is the essential component that leaders must have to be effective long term. Put in simple terms, authentic leadership is grounded in knowing who you are; knowing why you behave as you do; knowing your preferences to behave and how it is likely to effect others. Put another way – it’s about your beliefs and values and being clear about that which drives you. Without this self-awareness, how can we be expected to influence others?