One of the most important personality attributes that holds a very high qualifying spot for hiring managers is #Authenticity. It’s a personality attribute that perhaps is the least spoken about but much sought after by recruiters who are constantly discerning the wheat from the chaff. Of the numerous personality #leadership skills that are sought for in C-suite positions, Authenticity is by far the single most discernible trait that indicates exceptional leadership abilities. Authenticity is implicit when we define a leader as one who ‘knows the way, goes the way and shows the way..’
The value of authenticity lies in what it does i.e. create an ease of existence. The ease of existence, both in, personal and professional life, helps us produce our best. Appearances for their own sake have limited usage. Fortunately, the truth always catches up!
In authenticity we don’t have to weigh in the effort of having to over-regulate our true feelings and conform to masked or fake behaviours. We are freeing up the mindspace of encumbrances that holds us back from being our most genuine self. That free space is where ingenuity prospers and all great things come out of.
Years of conditioned social behaviour and living up the façade of the expected professional image, often cloud the Authentic behaviour of a leader. In such cases we see a version of leadership that lacks empathy and generosity. An absence of authenticity, empathy and generosity inherently makes the overall perception of leadership as Trust deficient and insensitive. Such leaders continue to remain caught up in non-inclusive behaviours, hierarchical leadership styles, become unduly process & system dependent instead of people- centric, lose the pulse of the teams; and as an obvious outcome, find themselves dealing with a host of people-issues that mar their progress and productivity.
On the other end, leading with authenticity creates patterns of consistency, genuineness and an honest strengths v/s weakness assessment habit. It encourages one to unlearn, relearn and re-calibrate their personality aspects that can stir healthy work relationships based on trust and genuine understanding. Authentic leaders are naturally empathetic leaders and highly sought for their ability to lead their teams with a non-conformist approach and can strike a real rapport with their inner genuine wholesomeness.
Parallelly, an interesting attitudinal shift towards authenticity is clearly visible with increasing emphasis on inclusive workplaces that specifically and emphatically declare themselves as LGBTQIA+ friendly cultures, and expressly set authenticity and inclusivity as their organization’s culture hallmarks.
It’s interesting and encouraging how business leaders have placed Authenticity at the centre of their Diversity and Inclusion campaigns.
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LGBTQ community and many other minority groups are often under a great stress of discrimination. When opportunities are few and discriminatory perception over ride at workplaces, these communities, compelled to shun authenticity and living up to a socially accepted image, for want of equal opportunities, build resentment over time. Their alienation with the mainstream leads to the society at large being deprived of the tremendous value creation that this marginalized community has the potential to bring in. Because they remain under a shroud of conformist attitudes and forced personalities, authentic engagement and commitment to their roles remains a challenge.
Thus it’s crucial for leaders to engage in and support honest interactions at work to encourage a more authentic workplace. A leader’s conviction is apparent and authentic when it is backed by action. A wholesome authentic personality that is open to acceptance of ‘the other’, nurtures similar mindset in ‘the other’ and creates authentic opportunities for ‘the other’ is undoubtedly a truly authentic leader.
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