Effective Leadership Principles for the Younger Generation: Authenticity

Calling all aspiring leaders! This is a post you’ll want to read!

In this series of posts I will be discussing effective leadership principles for the Younger Generation, principles I wish I had known about or learnt when I was starting out on my leadership journey. No matter your style, niche or scale, these principles will form the foundation of your leadership behaviours. In this series I will be covering the following principles explaining why it’s important, how you develop in this area and what you can do to start now: Communication, Authenticity, Influence, Decision Making and Behavioural Accountability.

The next principle I want to explore is essential for all leaders looking, not only to make a connection with people and an impact, but to be a leader for a prolonged period of time: Authenticity.

I want you to imagine if Obama wasn’t him, or if Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson wasn’t himself, or if Beyoncé wasn’t herself. Would they be as successful, popular or as influential as they are today? Being Authentic is a huge part of a leader’s success.

Why?

As I was starting on my leadership journey something I wanted was to quickly climb the ladder. I wanted growth and thought that success as a leader came from the position I held.

I was wrong. I realised that the more managers I worked with, not all of them were leaders. In fact, very few were. At that isn’t their fault because their style was based on what they have experienced. I learnt that to see exponential growth as a leader I needed to understand who I was authentically first because people trust and are drawn to authentic people.

A leader who behaves in a way that is natural and right, by being themselves and acting in accordance with their values, are more likeable and seen as more trustworthy. The same goes for the uber-successful people I mentioned above. If they weren’t authentic to their dreams, goals and style then they may not be as likeable. Many successful leaders, including the ones mentioned above, speak often about being true to yourself. That is Authenticity.

How?

So how can you be Authentic? The key message with Authenticity is to act in accordance with what you feel is natural and right to you. Your actions should be aligned to your values and goals.

This will allow you to develop your leadership style. For example, with me, whenever I tested out being an aggressive leader or too soft I realised that it wasn’t me and I wasn’t as influential. However, when I explored the leading by example, assertiveness and a more coach-leadership style I found that those were more aligned to who I was. And it work. My influence level grew!

What?

So what should you do next? The following are a series are steps that you can take to better discover your authentic leadership style:

1. Discover what is important to you and your values
2. Act to what you feel is natural and right
3. Experiment with different leadership styles, such as direct or coach
4. Practice practice practice

This isn’t an overnight fix. Remember, leadership is a journey and you will be constantly evolving and growing as a leader as your experiences in life change!

Thanks for reading, JT. Don’t miss part three: Behavioural Accountability.