It was a pleasure to spend some time with the Common Purpose team & their latest Beacon Programme cohort at Birmingham Botanical Gardens this week. I was last at this venue in 1996 working security for a Summer Ball (the things you do to earn money as a student) & what a space in which to hold an event it still is.
The brief was exploring the idea of ‘authentic leadership’ – what it means, how you can develop it, how your values guide your actions & what are the benefits & the challenges of bringing your authentic self to the workplace.
A curious cohort of leaders from public, private & third sectors all exploring their own leadership journey – something that the Common Purpose team do so well, creating connection & making a difference.
For me as a leader being authentic boils down to three key things:
Being Transparent – open & honest whatever the context. Sharing the highs & the lows when you are most certain & uncertain. You are a human being after all & whilst you may be paid more & have more responsibility (& the stress that comes with it) those you lead do not expect a superhuman robot – in fact, it makes them suspicious & can be very disconcerting.
Being Consistent – we all have our moments but being led by someone who is consistent in the way they treat colleagues, partners & suppliers. Someone who can meet both triumph & disaster & treat them both the same, in the long-term builds trust as people come to know what to expect.
Being Self-Aware – being humble enough to know that there is always work to be done personally & being motivated enough to be actually doing something about it.
Leading from who you are & not who you think you should be is not easy, especially in the early days of your leadership journey but over time it is what will make you stand out, create followership & ultimately opportunity.
