Authenticity is a big, bold, ambitious word and goal for leaders. It’s also a destination without a clear path to get there. There is no roadmap that can be “copy and pasted” as it’s unique for each one of us. Or at least it should be. Authenticity means staying true to your values, playing to your strengths, being vulnerable, blazing your own path, and also allowing others to be authentic. I was interviewed recently on the How We Solve Podcast with Sean Li and he asked me for a 3-step process to be more authentic. I thought I would share those 3 steps here along with a bonus step to help you become more authentic.
What Does it Mean to Be an Authentic Leader?
Authenticity. It’s a word we hear all the time. But what does it really mean to be an authentic leader? The term is thrown around loosely in leadership and professional development circles and often becomes a nebulous concept in peoples’ minds. Rather than provide a purely academic definition of authenticity, I have included examples of authenticity in action below based on my own experience.
The Enemy Within: How to Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs
WARNING: This post will require reflection and vulnerability.
“I’m not ready”, “I don’t have enough experience”, and “I’m not good enough” are examples of self-limiting beliefs that are toxic. Self-limiting beliefs prevent us from achieving success in our careers and lives. But what are self-limiting beliefs? Simply, they are negative self-perceptions that live in our conscious and subconscious rooted in past experiences, comments by others, values and beliefs of our family and friends, and even messages from the media (or social media).
Meditate to Slow Your Mind and Focus
Tips for Greater Perseverance
Therapist and volleyball coach Dana Upton helps clients make shifts in their lives by deconstructing an ostensibly insurmountable goal into smaller steps, experiencing success with the small steps, and using that success to gain confidence to continue toward the overarching goal. Keep reading to learn how Dana helps clients be more successful.
The Foundation of All Great Leaders
Leadership is a nebulous and often hard topic to define. Many people conflate leading and managing, which is ultimately about marshaling and directing human, physical, and intellectual property resources toward the achievement of a set of business objectives. Leadership on the other hand includes aspects of management, but also has an elevated set of responsibilities including creating vision, instilling purpose, and aligning a team behind a North Star as well as a focus on empowering, motivating, and inspiring individuals, teams, and groups to achieve a common goal. Leadership entails the many facets detailed above and more, but underneath it all are 3 foundational elements needed for success.