We hear words added to LEADERSHIP all the time.
Words like genuine, masterful, honest, and authentic. They all serve a purpose to describe the individual but when it comes to the act of leadership the only one that matters is AUTHENTIC.
When it comes to AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP, every leader must be ready to move beyond being open and transparent. You have to work on establishing your legitimacy as an authentic leader by building true and honest relationships with followers that value your input.
While all followers will value your input because they would not be your followers if they didn’t.
However, the level of support by your followers will vary. It varies because each follower is a unique individual with unique needs and wants. That is why building trust, growing enthusiasm and caring and encouraging others to do the same is key to being authentic in your role as a leader.
A few things to aid you in being an Authentic leader is to ramp up being mission driven and stay focused on the long term. The long term being look at the big picture and keeping that picture dynamic.
Anything less and your run the risk of letting mediocrity creep in and settle. Once mediocrity has settled in doing anything else to raise any level will be all but a moot point.
It will be as if you are having to start from scratch. Starting from the beginning is always discouraging especially, when the leader becomes a master of starting from scratch over and over again.
When a leader becomes a master of building and rebuilding it might be the time to change the leader. Change the leader? Yes, he or she has become complacent.
A complacent leader is never going to be a true practitioner of authentic leadership. Well of course, if the complacent leader decides it may be time to change location, altitude, and most definitely attitude he or she might stand a chance but time will tell.