Authentic Leadership Presence - Built on Trust and Integrity
Posted on Mon, Apr 19, 2010 @ 10:49 AM
Genuine, reliable, trustworthy, legitimate, dependable ... you can hardly read or hear a news story these days where authenticity doesn't come into play.
Whether it's about a major auto manufacturer or a financial institution that regularly fills the news; or maybe even the very organization you work for, how often do you ask yourself: what does this organization and its people really stand for? What do their actions say about their beliefs and values? Are they worthy of anyone's trust?
It starts at the top. More than ever, organizations need senior executives who are trustworthy, credible leaders who can inspire others and earn their confidence. As Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist said, "Trust is the new black."
Critical Leadership Skills
The stakes are higher than ever for leaders today. They have more - and often conflicting - priorities, and are under tremendous pressure to produce results. Every personal interaction, decision, and communication counts. These interactions determine whether they are viewed as credible, trustworthy, and someone people want to follow.
But how does a person go from being a competent mid-level manager to being the one with the critical leadership skills to succeed in a more complex senior role?
I believe that developing authentic leadership presence - built on trust and integrity - is an integral step. It is how a competent executive becomes a leader who sees the big picture, knows how to frame issues and goals, is willing to ask thoughtful, meaningful and provocative questions, and whose actions are a reflection of his or her own true character. Such a leader can connect with the hearts and minds of others and have an enormous positive impact on an organization.
Self Knowledge Is the Beginning
I have learned in my own leadership journey that self-knowledge is at the core of authentic leadership presence. As Ann Fudge, current board member for GE and former CEO and Chairman of Young & Rubicam, puts it, "All of us have the spark of leadership in us. The challenge is to understand ourselves well enough to discover where we can use our leadership gifts to serve others."
I know that when an individual is confident and centered in his or her beliefs, when their intentions, communication, actions and behaviors are consistent, that's when they gain the credibility that is the essence of leadership presence. They are viewed as genuine and trustworthy - they are authentic. There is no hidden agenda, no game-playing. There is integrity. These are individuals who approach things with their own style that reflects a conscious attitude about who they are.
Balance and Being Present
Two other characteristics are important to authentic leadership presence: balance, and being present in the moment. Balance can be about a lot of things, but in this context it's about knowing when to act, and when not to act; when to let things happen and when to put on the brakes. That's not necessarily easy, especially for executives who are hard driving, "get it done now" types.
The second characteristic - being present - is often referred to as "being in the moment". I commented before about connecting with the hearts and minds of others. This connection can only happen when a leader engages his or her own heart and emotions and is focused on what is going on in the here and now. That's not easy. With all the distractions - meetings, email, phone, Blackberry - staying focused in the moment can take an extraordinary effort.
In my next blog post I'll talk about steps an executive can take to develop authentic leadership presence.
Do you know a leader who is genuine and trustworthy? Do you think they have authentic leadership presence? Tell us about them in the Comments section below.