The Three Keys to Increasing Authentic Leadership
We’ve often seen the word “authentic” being used to describe leaders, influencers, and personalities, especially in the time of digital media. But what does being authentic actually mean, besides being a trendy hashtag? What does authentic leadership look like and can we be more authentic leaders?
A leadership coach and consultant with senior operations experience in several Fortune 500 companies, David Brown Jr. has uncovered revolutionary ideas on authenticity in leadership while continuing his doctoral studies at Temple University. His first book, Letters to Lucia: 8 Principles for Navigating Adversity is a product of a cathartic transformation, the philosophies of which have helped shape Brown’s ideas on authentic leadership.
On this episode of The Corelink Solution, David Brown Jr. shares his findings on authentic leadership, after years of study and personal discovery. We discuss how authenticity is not only about “being true to one’s self,” but is a product of many factors, including environment, experience, and synergy between the intrinsic and extrinsic.
Leadership, Inside And Out
David believes that authenticity occurs when there is agreement between our intrinsic processes and extrinsic demonstrations. According to David, intrinsic processes are the thoughts, feelings, emotions, beliefs, values, and internal concepts that we carry with us in our everyday lives. Extrinsic demonstrations are the outward set of actions and behaviors that follow these internalizations. “The more aligned those two are, the higher the person's level of authenticity. The more misaligned they are or less congruent, the less authentic they are… Think about someone who believes something truly, and they go out and pound their chest in that belief, then they’re being authentic. But put yourself in the corporate world - how often do we have a thought, as a leader, and we choose not to act on it? In that environment, we are revealing less of who we are. However, it doesn’t mean that that’s not truly a part of you, because it’s a part of you in a very specific context.”
The Self In Leadership
As David shares in this episode, a lot of self-discovery and transformation first had to take place before he formed his thoughts on authentic leadership. Fresh off of his personal trauma, David’s journey to authentic leadership began when he acknowledged what was in his control - the self - and what was not.
“Authenticity is a journey of self. To me, that’s such an important starting point because we are conditioned and taught to try to control the environment. To ‘go make it happen.’ The way I look at it is that the environment is simply a reflection of me. You can get three of us in a room, and we’re all seeing the same thing, but we’re all perceiving and interpreting it differently because of our experience and our underlying belief. So, instead of focusing on changing the environment, focus on changing yourself.”
Be Open To Possibilities “A few years ago, I developed a mantra. I was in meditation, and I saw myself running towards the edge of this cliff... As I’m watching this image unfold, I heard this voice or I had a sense. It basically was, ‘There will either be more road or you’ll grow more wings.’”
This mantra not only carries David through difficult crossroads or uncomfortable situations, but at its core, encourages him to be open to possibilities. In realizing that each person experiences a different reality, David links this to several different possibilities being presented at any one time. Once you can let go of your own reality, what you believe to be true, the possibilities then shift. More roads are discovered, and others may even grow out those wings.
Fear Is The Mindkiller
We often think of fear as being the direct opposite of bravery, but as David researched, fear also reduces authenticity, one hundred percent of the time. It’s not uncommon to find instances of repressed authenticity because of fear of judgment, repercussion, or ridicule.
“When we’re in certain environments where we feel more authentic, it’s because our own values, beliefs, etcetera, align to that of the environment. We have a feeling of being in resonance, where we feel connected to the environment. That’s one group. The second group feels resistance in that space. They potentially leave, and find a new environment that matches them. The third group feels resistance, but they’re not willing to leave. So instead, they do what I call silently suffer. People are constantly in one of those three buckets, and in my mind, as we move from context to context, we’re constantly changing.”
Watch or listen in full at https://thecorelinksolution.com/podcasts/episode-35/