Harvard Business Review published an article on Discovering Your Authentic Leadership in February 2007. At that time, the ongoing problems in business leadership underscored the need for a new kind of leader in the 21st century: the authentic leader.
Anyone can learn to be authentic. To me, it’s about being real; being genuine. It means showing up to your life with awakened consciousness and full presence. It means coming to the table with who you really are – the good, the bad and the ugly. As Simon Sinek (author of Start With Why) says, “when we are authentic, we do and say the things we actually believe.”
According to the HBR article, anyone can learn to be a leader. You don’t have to be born with any particular characteristics or traits to lead. The journey begins with leaders understanding their life stories, learning from their experiences, developing self-awareness and practicing self-reflection. Authentic leaders are those who: demonstrate a passion for their purpose, practice their values consistently, lead with their hearts as well as their heads, establish long-term meaningful relationships and possess the self-discipline to get results.
Can you imagine a world in which people were leading authentically ALL the time?
How would being an authentic leader in your business change the way you interact with your customers? How would it change their engagement level with you and your service offerings?
Embrace your entrepreneurial spirit and tune into the essence of success. Whether you’re at the start-up level, wish to escape the nine-to-five grind, or looking for a dose of inspiration to create a life you love, my book Conscious Business will help strengthen your mission and will remind you of all the elements required to create a conscious and sustainable enterprise that makes a difference in the world.