Chapter One:
What is an Authentic Leader?
Relax into your authenticity and live this day with just a little more ease.
The focus of this book is largely about the âHowââhow can a leader become authentic? In order to set the context, though, it is first helpful to understand the âWhatââWhat is Authentic Self? What is an authentic leader? What are the key characteristics of an authentic leader?
What is Authentic Self?
In order to understand Authentic Self, it is helpful to discuss another, often more dominant, aspect of our minds - our personality. By learning to distinguish between the two, authentic leaders develop the important understanding that their potential is broader than what they are currently aware of.
They may be aware of their strengths, and they may also be aware of their opportunities to be more effective. They may have noticed, for example, a tendency to react too quickly, or to interpret situations incorrectly, and the impact this has had on themselves and others.
Leaders may also be unaware of aspects of themselves that are undiscovered or, more accurately, have been forgottenâjoy, compassion, creativity, as well as the ability to be clear and firm; aspects of authenticity that have been covered up by layers of personality.
By developing awareness of habitual ways of thinking as well as forgotten, and possibly more joyful, ways of seeing the world, a leader can start to differentiate between personality and Authentic Self.
Authentic Self is who you are when at your bestâa creative and compassionate person with the unique qualities that make you who you are. Authentic Self is guided by intrinsic motivation, personal clarity, and ethics. It is your potential and your birthright.
According to Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson, our Essence (or as we call it our Authentic Self) is ââŚ.what we fundamentally are, our Essential Self.â They also describe it as âan individual spark of the Divine, although we have forgotten this fundamental truth because we have fallen asleep to our true nature.â8
Personality includes the aspects of self that develop from birth to adulthood as a result of influences and experiences in your life. Some aspects of personality are helpful (strengths) and others are no longer benefiting you (self-limiting thoughts and beliefs).
According to Riso and Hudson, personality is âthe familiar, conditioned parts of a much wider range of potentials that we all possess.â 9
The distinction between Authentic Self and personality has also been likened to a set of Russian dolls where as you remove the top off one, another and another appears within until finally the one at the centre is left; a diamond that has become dusty; or a clear windowpane on which layers of dirt have accumulated over many years.
The images are many, though the idea is consistent. Beneath the layers of personality lives the true nature of the personâthe Authentic Selfâalways there and waiting to be rediscovered and remembered. The number of layers of personality, particularly those that are unhelpful or unhealthy, depends on many factors including genetics, upbringing, culture, and lifestyle.
Generally, we do not experience our Essence and its many aspects because our awareness is so dominated by our personality. But as we learn to bring awareness to our personality, it becomes more transparent, and we are able to experience our Essence more directly.10
Our Authentic Self shines through more often as we understand and engage our strengths, see the self-limiting thoughts and beliefs for what they are, and let them go in order to make choices aligned with who we truly are.
What is an Authentic Leader?
Before discussing what an authentic leader is, it can be helpful to first define what a leader is and then to clarify the distinction.
What is a leader?
A leader is anyone who steps forward and influences others, and whom others choose to follow.
In an organization every employee has the potential to be a leader, whether they are a CEO, an experienced manager or a companyâs most recent arrival.
Leadership also exists in other parts of our lives. A leader can be a volunteer, a friend, a teen or a parent. For the purposes of this book, however, we will focus on leaders in an organizational context.
What is an Authentic Leader?
An Authentic Leader is a person whose life and leadership is guided by a strong inner clarity about the right thing to do.
Margaret Wheatley, in her book Leadership and the New Sciences, discusses the need for leaders to develop different ways for the future and the importance of a new way of thinking, or new consciousness:
I believe that we have only just begun the process of discovering and inventing the new organizational forms that will inhabit the 21st century. To be responsible inventors and discoverers, we need the courage to let go of the old world, to relinquish most of what we have cherished, to abandon our interpretations about what does and doesnât work. We must learn to see the world anew. As Einstein is often quoted as saying: No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.
Authentic leaders can provide this new way!
An authentic leader lives and leads in alignment with their Authentic Selfâwho they are when at their best. They are clear about their ethics and unique way to help others; they make life-affirming or powerful choices to make the organization, community and world a better place.
In addition to having a drive for results and technical and professional excellence, an authentic leader has an inspiring way of being that others can sense and may not be able to describe.
The Four Cs of an Authentic Leader
There are four characteristics of an authentic leaderâclear, choiceful, consistent, and caring. Each is described below.
1. Clear
Authentic Leaders are guided by a strong personal or inner clarityâan inner guidance system (think GPS) that is made up of different components.
First, they are clear about who they are. This includes their Authentic Self, their strengths as well as the self-limiting thoughts and beliefs of their personality.
Next, they are clear about what they believe in. They have taken the time to articulate their values and to understand boundaries around what is acceptable to them. They also understand what their higher purpose isâwhat they believe they are on this earth to do with their life...