We are often told to be more professional at work. I was told this early on in my career. But the unintended consequence of this is we become more polished. We learn the corporate speak but we start becoming less of ourselves. We lose our sparkle.
Fast forward to me leaving my corporate career in Melbourne and moving to Byron and I found myself presenting to a group of 16 entrepreneurial Byron Bay CEO’s and I introduced myself with my corporate background like a badge of honour. It landed like a tonne of bricks.
I have had to unlearn the corporate jargon and bring more of me into the work that I do, and it is something I am conscious of still.
The word authenticity gets thrown around a lot. To me authenticity is about understanding and how you can dial up more of you in what you do. If your anything like me I’m sure you’re thinking, I can’t bring my whole self to work! Fearing how you will be judged by others. I know I sure did. Or it can feel inauthentic to adapt your style to the person you are with.
Authentic leadership is about being transparent, honest and genuine. To be a successful ‘authentic’ leader, you need to balance being assertive, empathetic and adaptive. There can be tension between these three styles of leadership, for example, balancing being assertive and empathetic at the same time. The key word here is balance. You need to spin your authentic leadership dial to flex to the situation.
Think about authenticity as the volume on the stereo. How we create our own authentic leadership dial and dial up and dial down different parts of your personality depending on the context and situation. Depending on the situation you may need to pump up the volume and motivate your team with an assertive inspiring vision, or perhaps turn the volume down to show empathy and support. Or move that dial to the middle if you need to deliver feedback with compassion and facts.
How can you be a more authentic? How will you dial up more of you, in everything that you do?
P.S. Facing challenges with team alignment, culture, or retention? Here are some ways we can work together:
Leadership development programs that empower your leaders to lead with confidence and navigate change.
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Read Thriving Leaders: Learn the Skills to Lead Confidently, you can purchase it here.
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