Be An Authentic Leader
Employees are more likely to follow an authentic leader.
During lockdown I was in a senior leadership role at a medium sized organisation. The team were all working from home, we met every morning to maintain connection. The purpose of the meetings was to check-in with how everyone was feeling about lockdown and to discuss any recent developments, concerns they had and how they were spending their spare time. We also discussed the work priorities for the day so that they didn’t need to think about this during a time of overwhelm for most people in lockdown. Not every day was positive, sometimes the team were feeling low especially after such a long time in lockdown.
I had some significant family health issues during that time. My leadership style is to share this information with my team so that they know why I may not be available or seem distracted. By sharing this information with my team they told me they viewed me as human and they felt comfortable to also share information with me that they may not have otherwise. It showed my team that it is ok to not be ok and that as leaders we are human and have personal issues happening the same as anyone else.
When I needed to take a week off with short notice my team were understanding and stepped up to assist with my responsibilities while I was absent. As a leader I was proud of my team.
When I left that job I felt like I was letting my team down however I also felt that I showed them what authentic leadership is and what is possible. When I met with one of my team members recently she said that she missed my leadership.
Across my career I see my role as a mentor and leader regardless of my job title. Many staff that I have mentored and trained are now in senior roles and I’d like to think that I played a part in their career development.
Some tips to become an authentic leader include:
Lead by example – don’t ask your team to do something you wouldn’t be prepared to do yourself
Be open and honest in your communication
Self awareness – be aware of your strengths and limitations and don’t be ashamed to admit when you have made a mistake. Be human with your team
Focus on the vision, long term goals and be results focused
Be genuine and build trust and connection with your team – find out about them, what motivates them, their career aspirations
Help your team to realise their full potential – provide them with projects that are going to give them new skills and experiences
Empower your team – let your team take responsibility for their role, celebrate success and when they make mistakes have an open and honest conversation and ensure they learn from their mistakes.
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