When it comes to leadership, authenticity has become a highly prized attribute. Described by Harvard Business Review as ‘the gold standard for leadership’, authenticity demands a high degree of self-awareness and can be difficult to attain.
Why does authenticity matter? Well, employees and
customers expect transparency and they value leaders who are open, honest and
genuine. We want our leaders to act with integrity. This has become
increasingly important in recent years as the pace of change increases in our
unpredictable world.
When I was researching my Connected Leadership book, which explores how to
create more agile, customer-driven organisations that are equipped to meet
complex challenges, I identified authenticity as a key factor in becoming more
connected.
Much of
the focus on leadership development over the last two decades has been on
developing inspirational or transformational leaders. Authentic leadership represents a more inclusive
and less individualistic style of leadership than transformational leadership:
more in keeping with a shared process of connected leadership.
So, how can we create a more authentic, values-led culture in our
organisations? I will explore this during a lunchtime webinar on
Thursday 25 January. Drawing on research into authentic leadership that has
been conducted over the last fifteen years, I’ll highlight the characteristics
of an authentic organisation and talk through the four key attributes of an
authentic leader. If you’d like to know more, please join us. You’ll have the
opportunity to post your questions and comments during the webinar, and I look
forward to some interesting interaction.
Further reading: