Building Trust, Engagement and Motivation as Leader: The Power of Authenticity

Who would you describe as an effective leader? And what is it about that leader that makes them stand out?

Authenticity has become a buzzword in leadership development. It’s important – not because it’s trendy in management circles but because we know from leadership research that truly authentic leadership has a significant, positive impact on leadership effectiveness, employee engagement, and organisational culture.

Authentic leadership is a differentiator—these leaders deliver the most positive outcomes for their people and organisations. Authenticity is the sine qua non of trust and personal connection. What we know from the research is that when people see their leaders as authentic, that drives personal connection. It builds trust in leadership, commitment to the work and the organisation. It builds greater engagement and satisfaction at work. Employees feel motivated to be more proactive in their collaboration and innovation efforts. Authentic leadership really matters in our hyper-competitive, disrupted and endlessly changing world. But authenticity is often misinterpreted. We need to know what it is – and what it’s not.

 

Closing the gap between intention and impact

It’s tempting to equate being authentic with being transparent and unfiltered: sharing all of your thoughts, emotions or feelings. But authentic leadership isn’t about simply peeling away the veil and expressing every emotion you have, such as when you are worried or frustrated, irritated or angry. Being authentic as a leader is not about full transparency. It is about thoughtful transparency – considering what is useful for people to know, and what doesn’t help them.

It’s also not about sticking rigidly to behaviours that come most naturally to us. Authenticity is about knowing yourself, yes: self-awareness is a foundational component. Being authentic requires us to be clear about what kind of leader we want to be, what we value, being aware of our strengths and potential risks, and having the discipline to act in a way that creates the positive leadership impact we want to have. And that can require change.

We all have a gap between our intention and our desired impact. We need reflection and to seek feedback to understand our true impact and consider what needs to change to bring our intention and impact in line.

 

From self-awareness to self-leadership

Self-leadership is incredibly powerful. Research from multiple studies across industries shows that people who lead others effectively, first lead themselves well. This includes our mindset, how we take decisions, and how we engage with others. The way we lead ourselves shapes how we lead other people.

Here are some key strategies for increasing self-leadership and fostering authentic leadership

• Clarify your leadership impact. Ask yourself whether you have clarity around the impact you want to have on others: how do you want them to feel and behave as a result of engaging with you?
• Align your leadership values. Ensure these outcomes align with your personal values, your organisational values and the culture you are leading within. Aligning our values extends beyond the outcomes we’re aiming for and the decisions we take. It’s also, if not more so, about how we come to those decisions in the first place and how we execute them.
• Seek meaningful leadership feedback. Don’t simply rely on annual reviews. Be curious, ask your colleagues and be open to the responses you will get. Try asking open questions, e.g., In order for us to work together even more effectively, what could I do differently?
• Commit to continuous leadership development. Invest in learning new skills and behaviours as part of your own journey towards having the positive leadership impact you want to have.

 

Research tells us that authentic leaders—those who are able to share the greatest sense of purpose and positively influence—are those with self-knowledge and a developed capacity for self-leadership. So, building that knowledge and awareness is critical. Critical too, is understanding that we are not fixed or static as leaders. We change and evolve, and our leadership practise needs to develop and respond dynamically. It’s a journey without a finish line, but one that both merits and demands continuous intentionality and the constant investment and reinvestment in ourselves and in others.

Authentic leaders commit to this journey of development and growth, because they know that the benefits and rewards are more than worth the effort.