How Authentic Leadership Can Empower Humanity

A guide to authentic leadership

Gallups research on employment engagement showed that In 2022, only a mere 23% of the world’s employees were actively engaged in their work. While it’s encouraging to see a positive trend of this number over the last decade, this figure remains disappointingly low.

In this year’s State of the Global Workplace report, we estimate that low engagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion. That’s 9% of global GDP — enough to make the difference between success and a failure for humanity. - Gallup

The key determinant of employee engagement is trust in leadership. Extensive research on this topic yields pessimistic results, with findings indicating that only 20% of the US employees strongly agree that they trust their organisational leadership.

Business leadership has become associated with a lack of respect. This negative perception extends to individuals who naturally possess strong leadership qualities, but they hesitate to take on leadership roles, feeling disconnected from the values and personality they believe a successful leader should embody.

Why does this negative perception persist?

This phenomenon can largely be attributed to the lack of authenticity displayed by many leaders in their daily behaviour and actions.

Bill George's perspective on authentic leadership

What is authentic leadership?

Authentic leadership signifies being genuine, true self, and acting consistently with your principles and values, without showing any sense of pretense. It is closely associated with honesty and integrity.

Authentic Leadership is a relatively recent theory in the field of leadership. It is closely associated with Bill George, executive fellow at Harvard Business School. In 2003, Bill elaborated on this idea in his book Authentic Leadership, and later he published his best selling book on this topic True North.

Character vs charisma

Bill believes that the negative emotions we experience today towards business leadership arise from our frequent preference for charismatic leaders over those with character-based leadership qualities.

We often favour individuals based on their image rather than those who consistently demonstrate integrity in their daily work. This tendency to prioritise style over substance leads to a command-and-control leadership approach. However, leadership based solely on image, without foundational integrity, is short-lived, and it won't be long before we lose trust with the decisions made by such leadership.

New generations ask for authentic leadership

Today, as the world faces numerous crises, we need a different type of leader —authentic leaders. Millennials and Gen Z know that. They value purpose over appearance. They seek workplaces that prioritise saving lives, support environmentally conscious initiatives, champion diversity and inclusion, and make the world a better place to live.

Bill George's personal journey

Bill George himself understands the downside of pretending to be someone he's not. He recalls a time when he worked in an environment where his values did not align. He felt like a stranger to himself, engaging in superficial gestures like wearing cufflinks to impress the board of directors. One day, while driving home on a beautiful day—he looked in the mirror and realised he felt miserable.

Upon joining Medtronic, he felt like coming back home to a place he had never been before. It was then that George truly comprehended the essence of authenticity. Medtronic's values and mission resonated with his own, allowing him to be his genuine self and lead with unwavering integrity. Under his leadership, Medtronic achieved remarkable success, with the company's growth exceeding 40-fold.

Core tenets of the authentic leadership

There are several key aspects that make the core of Authentic Leadership: purpose, values, heart, relationships, and self-discipline.

Purpose

Authentic leaders are driven by a strong sense of purpose. This purpose is bigger than their personal interests and is rooted in the desire to make a meaningful impact on the lives of customers and contribute to a better world.

Making money for shareholders is not a purpose. Saving lives, addressing climate change, offsetting income inequality—these are valid purposes. - Bill George

Bill George's leadership at Medtronic illustrates what purpose truly means. The company developed a product that significantly improved people's quality of life. While achieving remarkable growth, with revenues increasing from $750 million to an astonishing 40-fold, the true measure of success for Medtronic was the value delivered to the customer. The company’s key metric was the time it took to restore a person using Medtronic's product. And they managed to reduce this number from 100 seconds to only 0.5 seconds.

When a purpose-driven metric becomes the core of a company, employees gain a profound understanding of the true purpose behind their work. They recognise that their diligent efforts are not aimed at impressing their managers but at saving people's lives. This sense of purpose instills in them a strong sense of responsibility to deliver their best work.

Values

Authentic leaders have values. These values are not just mere words; they are real, deeply ingrained in their personality. They understand their values and never compromise on them. Every decision they make aligns with their values.

It's not about the perfection of their decisions. Mistakes are a natural part of any growth. What sets them apart is their unwavering integrity in decision-making and the transparency they exhibit. This transparency encourages others to follow, trust, and feel at ease with the decisions they make.

Heart

Targets and metrics matter significantly, but leaders should also show qualities beyond a strict focus on numerical outcomes. They ought to demonstrate empathy and genuine concern for their team members. This entails genuinely caring about the needs of others, recognising the importance of their needs, and being willing to make personal sacrifices to enhance employee well-being.

Leaders should foster an environment where open and honest closed-door discussions are encouraged. Freely expressing frustrations, acknowledging feelings of failure, or expressing career growth dissatisfaction—everything is welcomed. Open communication is what can unveil all bottlenecks, enhance people's well-being, and ultimately boost productivity.

Relationships

Authentic leaders care about their people beyond work. They take the long-term view. They maintain an open dialogue about career development with their team members while avoiding unrealistic promises.

When the time comes for an employee to transition to a new role or organisation, authentic leaders continue to offer support to the individual. While work is important, the well-being of people matters even more. Leaders provide assistance when possible, prioritising the well-being of individuals over the work itself.

Self-discipline

Leaders often find themselves balancing a lot responsibilities and competing priorities. Keeping focus and effectively moving an idea into tangible outcomes can be quite challenging.

An essential trait of authentic leaders is their capability to sustain unwavering focus and persistent dedication to tasks until completion. It entails the ability to remain cool, calm and focused, even in the face of stressful circumstances.

A heartening example of authentic leadership in action

Sean Georges shares an extraordinary personal story that serves as a powerful demonstration of what authentic leadership truly means in practice.

A young girl named Peyton was driving a car when she collided with a fully loaded coal truck, leaving her life hanging in the balance. First responders, comprising a diverse team of a police officer, volunteer firefighters, and an ambulance crew, rushed to the scene to save the life of this young girl. The outlook was pessimistic, and saving the girl's life appeared nearly impossible.

The team explored every opportunity without wasting a single minute. They managed to find a small sunroof opening. With strong determination, one of them climbed through the sunroof and found a way to extract the girl from the car. The girl was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent multiple serious surgeries.

They achieved what seemed impossible. After two years, the girl not only survived but thrived. She rejoined her class, graduated from high school, and now attends college.

What the crew demonstrated was an exceptional example of authentic leadership.

They had a clearly defined, shared, and powerful purpose: save the girl’s life. They were guided by their values, acting with integrity and compassion. It didn't matter who performed which action; it was all about the mission. They worked with a wholehearted commitment, driven by a profound sense of empathy and selflessness. They displayed an incredible level of self-discipline and focus knowing that every second is precious.

This story serves as a reminder of what authentic leadership can achieve. It demonstrates how humanity can reach incredible heights when these principles guide our actions.

How to foster authentic leadership style within your team

Is authentic leadership an inherent trait, or can it be learned?

I believe it necessitates a blend of both. Having a genuine personality, values that align with the core principles of authentic leadership, and alignment with the company's values should be integral to a leader's personality.

Once this foundational alignment is established, you can refine your leadership skills and continually improve. While some aspects may come naturally to some leaders, others may require deliberate attention.

1. Establish psychological safety in your team: Cultivate an open and transparent environment that embraces vulnerability. This creates a safe space for team members to do the same and share their challenges.

2. Share the purpose: Achieving goals begins with a shared purpose. Communicate regularly this purpose with your team, connect metrics to this purpose.

3. Practice active listening: Learn to listen until you have a comprehensive understanding of others' viewpoints. Ensure that every team member's voice is heard, not just the loudest ones. Practice one-on-one discussions to connect with each team member individually.

4. Share and seek feedback: Offer feedback constructively. Acknowledge achievements and point out areas for improvement. Don't forget to seek feedback from your team, you’ll uncover valuable insights.

5. Connect beyond work: Find opportunities to connect with your team members on a personal level outside of work. This fosters authenticity and a sense of safety within the team.

We owe authenticity to our people

Authentic leadership goes beyond appearance, image, or communication skills; it entails leading with genuine sincerity and a well-defined purpose.

In today's complex world, authentic leadership is not a preference; it's a necessity. This is what the new generations rightfully expect from leaders, and it's a path toward making the world a better place to live.

Authentic leadership is our responsibility to our people.

Originally published at https://blog.logrocket.com on November 28, 2023.