I tweeted this the other day, as one of those random things you think to yourself, and somehow end up writing down. It’s possible this is just my own personal way of responding to the voices in my head. Don’t judge.
At the time, I was thinking specifically about leadership. How, as a leader, the more you try to hide from your team, the dumber you look, since they already know what’s wrong with you (probably better than you do).
Your team doesn’t need you to be without flaws, but they do need you to be a good leader. I believe that you cannot be a great leader without authenticity.
This does not mean that you need to be without privacy. Sharing personal information is not authenticity, it’s a personality trait. In fact, being authentic requires you to establish boundaries that are in line with your personality.
Without authenticity there is no trust and without trust you do not have a high functioning team. Authentic leaders build trust because they can acknowledge when they have gotten off course. That helps the team correct and sets the example for collaboration.
When you find yourself wanting to hide behind a facade, remember authenticity is the new black and those who lead with authenticity will ultimately be the most successful.
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