What is Authentic Leadership? Authenticity is at the root of effective, high-performing leadership. It allows leaders to create trusting relationships with their teams and empower their people to apply their full genius to their work. Being an Authentic Leader means balancing being visionary and strategic, showing up with courage and confidence, and creating results that matter, all while skillfully leading your team or organization to, through, or for change and growth. Authenticity augments essential leadership traits and can elevate competencies to the next level. Unfortunately, most leadership development programs focus only on a leader’s Outer Game, offering structures, trainings, and talent management systems in an attempt to coax forth new leadership skills. The long-term results tend to be mixed to marginal. Research shows that a leader’s Outer Game is run by their Inner Game and that underlying reactive tendencies can sabotage their effectiveness. For leadership development to be both successful and enduring, it must simultaneously uplevel both a leader’s internal state of mind and how they show up every day as a leader. In the past, this kind of full-spectrum leadership development might have been considered optional. In these complex, rapidly changing, high-stakes times, it’s imperative.
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