It’s very common to see business executives proudly claiming they are “authentic”. I put this fancy word in quotation marks because if you ask 10 people about their meaning for authenticity, you will get at least 5 different answers.
That’s one initial opportunity. We need to understand how this person claiming to be authentic, understand the meaning of this word. It might be very different from your meaning. It may lead you to conclude what type of leader that person is and even help you make a decision about if you want to work for that person or not…
The other trend in the corporate world is to use authenticity as something always positive. Being authentic can make people feel that they have the permission from others to do and behave without boundaries. To be the kind of leader that destroys a team culture…
That’s why we need to bring back a critical question: authenticity for which sake?
Are we talking about authenticity to drive better results AND a better working culture? Or authenticity to treat employees like machines and put the boss’ ego above everything? These are very extreme and distinct approaches.
In the real world we see so many kinds of “authentic leaders” that are between those two extreme scenarios. Which kind of leader do you want to be?
P.S.: click in the link below to watch my conversation about Authentic Leadership with Mircea Cubillos, a business executive with meaningful contributions to several organizations and teams in multiple countries.