We are continuing the series on how to elicit the thoughts and ideas of others and share yours in a way that real understanding and collaboration can happen. Today we are going to explore the importance of choosing to be authentic. Authenticity, being true to self, your values, and convictions, will help others recognize your leadership.

Some of the failures and blatant unethical practices we have lately seen in business can be tracked back to a lack of authenticity. You need to know and understand who you are before you can address others. You need to clarify what you want and how you want to get there. Then you can have conversations that spring from your authentic self. People will recognize and resonate with this.

Authenticity has to do not only with speaking the truth, but most broadly presenting yourself in a genuine way; being without pretense; taking responsibility for your feelings and actions. To be able to be authentic, you need first to learn to read your own mind!

The concept of authenticity has received a significant amount of attention recently as people search for meaning and happiness, in their personal and work lives. How one chooses to try to live more authentically depends on their own perspective on authenticity. Like many other popular concepts, different people have different views about authenticity.

For some, an individual is being authentic if they are being completely honest and participating in the here-and-now, for example, an honest conversation with a friend, focused on cleaning out the garage, completely present at a board meeting, etc. Others assert that authenticity involves many other features, like being centered with themselves and others, living in an integrated fashion with their own values and principles, feeling complete meaning or sense of purpose in their lives, etc. 'Authentic' is one of those words that we all recognize and yearn for - even if we can't quite say what it is.

Existentialism has studied authenticity for centuries and helps us understand more abut what authenticity is, along with its relationship to the concept of meaning. Existentialists assert that if an individual is not living authentically in their lives, then they lose meaning and can fall into chronic anxiety, boredom and despair.

I was reading today a post by the ”Maverick Mom” which contends that at present it seems that sales and marketing has turn this very powerful word into something ubiquitous and, sadly, mediocre. Nevertheless, regardless of others' perspectives on authenticity, it's important for leaders to live and work as authentically as possible.

To muddle the waters even more on the meaning of authentic, there are many definitions, and the meaning of the word depends on the context it is used. For example, we know that “Authentic” comes from the Latin, Authenticus, and the Greek, Authentikos. It means “worthy of acceptance, authoritative, trustworthy, not imaginary, false or imitation, conforming to an original”. Synonyms include: genuine, veritable, unique, sincere, original, bona fide.

We also have the meanings that different dictionaries give to the word authentic. From the Oxford English Dictionary: trustworthy; of undisputed origin, genuine. From Random House Dictionary: entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy: an authentic portrayal of the past. 2. not false or copied; genuine; real: an authentic antique. 3. having the origin supported by unquestionable evidence; authenticated; verified: an authentic document of the Middle Ages; an authentic work of the old master. 4. Law. executed with all due formalities: an authentic deed.

In the context of leadership, I think it pretty much boil down to two perspectives: Either an individual is authentic to themselves, their hopes and dreams, and their projects of self-development, or an individual is authentic to a situation, the social context in which they find themselves.

Authenticity is not about seeking the approval of others or dancing to the tune of public recognition. It is about being true to ourselves, our colleagues and customers, our friends and family. In the words of the character of Polonius, in Hamlet, by William Shakespeare (1564-1616),

This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

To me, authenticity is a state of healthy alignment between one’s values and behaviors. Feeling authentic, living a life that is strongly connected to one’s belief system, is energizing and intrinsically linked with knowledge, promoting growth, learning, and psychological well-being. Let’s explore what kind of knowledge do we need for developing authenticity.

1. Know yourself. Issues in your life are rarely about others, they are almost always about yourself and your reaction to others, which arises from your background and experience, as well as from your internalized values. To be an effective leader, you must be yourself. People want to be lead by a person, not a role or a position.

   A special issue dedicated to authentic leadership development was published by the Leadership Quarterly in June 2005. In the lead article, Gardner, Avolio, Luthans, May, & Walumba (2005) propose that that increasing self-awareness  is a key component in developing authentic leadership and that authentic leaders are "more aware of, and committed to, their core end values" (p. 9).

   In the same journal, Avolio and Gardner (2005) reports that "self-awareness is an appropriate starting point for interpreting what constitutes authentic leadership development" (p. 12). To provide clarity, self-awareness is "an emerging process where one continually comes to understand his or her unique talents, strengths, sense of purpose, core values, beliefs and desires" (p. 12). Understanding what you care most about—your values, likes, and dislikes—is key. This might sound simple, but in today’s complex world people face such a wide array of choices, pressures, and distractions that selecting what is most important to them can be difficult.

2. Know what you know (and what you don’t know). Some times we choose to ignore knowing things that we do know. For example, a business partner is sabotaging your efforts, but because you have been friends and partners for a long time, you ignore what is obvious to everybody else. Many times this special kind of “knowing” is more like a “feeling.” Because we can not put our finger exactly on the rational explanation of how we know, we dismiss it, or ignore it, or push it down so deep in our unconscious that we forget we know. It is better to own that knowledge and have a conversation with the other person.

   Further, if there is something you truly want to know, it is your responsibility to go out and seek that information from wherever you can. In our time and age, the internet is a resource through which we can find almost anything we really want to know about. On the other hand, deep transformative learning is possible only when you take the time to reflect in order to learn from your experiences and to integrate new knowledge into who you are and what your values are.

3. Know what you want. You will bring to your life what yo have most clarity about. Therefore the clearer you are about your goals and needs, the easier it will be to fulfill your dreams. Besides, when you know what you want you are empowered to “go get it.” Why do we seem to struggle so often to get what we think we want, only to be disappointed once it shows up? Probably most of us don't have a clear picture of what we truly want and what it will do for us if we get it. Knowing what you want makes for a more focused and effective life.
4. Know how to align who you are and what you live (don’t pretend) To align values and behaviors you need to evaluate your stated values as they compare to your active values. Many times struggles between beliefs and behaviors drain managers and executives of energy, and that hurts first their performance and then the organization’s performance. If leaders conclude that they have to leave their organizations to achieve authenticity, the loss of talent is a further blow to those organizations. To reach peak performance, managers and executives must be able to bring their real, whole selves to work.

   Pat Murray said:

   If you want to see someone in real pain, watch someone who knows who he is and defaults on it on a regular basis.

   You will be successful only to the degree that who you are and what you live are in alignment.

From our perspective, living authentically happens from the inside out. It is about having the courage to take risks and the willingness to make mistakes. It includes been able to admit our shortcomings and most especially to learn from them. It is about being vulnerable, accepting our humanness and acknowledging our interdependence on others. It is about searching for what is best and highest, what is original and unique. It’s being in a constant position of learning, never fully knowing, always curious, always ready for surprises. . . a work in progress.