“At the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of my life, I want to say I contributed more than I criticized.” – Brené Brown
Brené Brown is a unicorn. In addition to being a best-selling author and celebrated speaker, she holds an eponymously endowed chair at the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work. What she writes, people read; when she speaks, people listen. Her words are a tonic for the soul, her messages inspire any audience. She’s rare, she’s magical, and she’s the prototypical authentic leader.
Dare to lead
My copy of her 2018 book, Dare to Lead, is a bit rough around the edges. It’s never been on the shelf long enough to get much wear, but the pages are dog-eared, tabbed with brightly colored Post-Its, and covered in highlighter and margin notes. After buying it at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in early 2019, the book spent most of the next year stuffed in my backpack alongside my ubiquitous green notebook and bag of petrified wintergreen Life Savers.
The book spoke to me. I’d always had my own style of leadership, but I’d never put a name to it. I’d defied convention – not always a smart thing to do in a profession that celebrated conformity and uniformity – and blazed my own path in the Army. Along the way, I’d committed myself to making a difference for others, while trying my best not to screw up so bad that I’d end up looking elsewhere for employment. Reading the book was an affirmation that maybe I’d done the right things all along.
“We fail the minute we let someone else define success for us,” she wrote. As a goal-driven leader, those words struck a chord for me. But her definition of leadership resonated even more deeply: “I define a leader as anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.” That was something my first platoon sergeant had driven into me: success is not about you, it’s about them. If you take care of them, they’ll take care of you.
Authentic LEADERSHIP
Authentic, or genuine, leadership is a term that is used more often than it’s understood. Typically, it’s tossed around in phrases like, “my genuine self” or “being genuine.” While Noah Webster might agree with the usage, it’s a far cry from the definition of authentic leadership. In a 2022 Author Talks interview, Harvard professor Bill George captured the essence of the subject well: “Before you can become an authentic leader, you have to know who you are. That’s your true north: your most deeply held beliefs, your values, the principles you lead by, and what inspires you.”
According to a 2019 Harvard Business School article from Matt Gavin, “Authentic leadership is a leadership style exhibited by individuals who have high standards of integrity, take responsibility for their actions, and make decisions based on principle rather than short-term success.” Authentic leaders are guided by a strong moral compass. They value integrity over outcomes, people more than process, and relationships instead of transactions. They earn the trust of their teams through consistent daily actions and behaviors that demonstrate their authenticity.
Gavin explains that authentic leaders exhibit five consistent traits: a commitment to self-improvement, cultivated self-awareness, discipline, a mission-focused drive, and the ability to inspire faith. As increasingly more organizations are learning, that level of authenticity is a key to meeting goals, competing effectively, and achieving excellence. Unfortunately, more people promise authenticity than deliver it.
authenticity in action
Authenticity is an ideal to which many aspire. But is also quite rare. Conformity is the norm in most professions, and organizational culture doesn’t always value an authentic leader whose unique brand defies conformity. In a 2023 Forbes article, Kathy Miller Perkins noted, “The core of outstanding leadership is authenticity. It is the bedrock for solid relationships, effective communication, ethical behavior, and sustainable success.”
“In a world where trust is paramount,” Miller continues, “authentic and transparent leadership is not just a nice-to-have quality but an essential one.” In the quest to elevate your leadership ability from good to great, authenticity is non-negotiable. Miller describes five tenets that separate an authentic leader from the pretenders.
1. They are transparent.
What you see is what you get. An authentic leader doesn’t hide behind a façade. They lead with their true self. They don’t worry about being liked, they focus on forging trust and building it through their authenticity. They’re transparent in their actions and genuine to a fault.
2. They are at ease with vulnerability.
An authentic leader embraces vulnerability, using emotional intelligence and openness to create strong connectivity with others, strengthening trust, camaraderie, and growth.
3. They communicate with vision and purpose.
Authentic leaders are deeply aspirational, and they communicate that with a clarity of vision and purpose that inspires others to new heights. In doing so, they extend trust and respect, encourage diverse views, and unite teams with a shared view of what’s truly possible.
4. They build authentic cultures.
Authenticity breeds authenticity. With an authentic leader at the helm, others feel comfortable being themselves, and the inherent openness fosters a strong, cohesive culture under an umbrella of psychological safety. People are happier, more productive, and deeply committed to one another and the team.
5. They forge transformational relationships.
Authentic leadership is fundamentally transformational, focused on building up the others around them. That personal and professional growth ensures that aspirational goals are achievable while affirming the authenticity of the organizational culture.
Although truly authentic leaders are rare, we tend to remember the few we encounter. They lead with a unique blend of humility, empathy, and compassion coupled with a heartfelt commitment to developing others. Authentic leaders don’t lead out of a need for authority or power, but because they honestly want to make a difference. And when they pursue a vision, they do so in a way that draws the very best from everyone around them.
