Authentic Leadership

03/13/2020

When people try to tell you who you are, don’t believe them. You are the only custodian of your own integrity, and the assumptions made by those that misunderstand who you are and what you stand for reveal a great deal about them and absolutely nothing about you.
Maria Popova

“A visionary leader won’t be satisfied with building a team of competent, skilled people,” writes Deepak Chopra, in his book, The Soul of Leadership. "Important as that surely is, it’s even more vital to show the group – and the world at large – that your actions are authentic. Every time you stand up in a group, you affirm the truth voiced by Italo Magni, prize-winning public speaker: ‘If you’re talking with your head, you’re going to speak to their heads. If you’re talking with your heart, you’re going to reach their hearts. If you talk with your life, you’re going to reach their lives.’”

And in one of the articles in the book, Leading Early Childhood Organizations (part of the Art of Leadership series), Johnna Darragh Ernst writes about the importance of authenticity in a leaders’ communication with others:

“What does it mean to truly connect with someone else? Is connection merely having your messages understood and understanding the messages of another? Or is the goal of connection deeper than that? One possible goal is that of authenticity – where communication is infused with integrity and empathy and your interactions represent your truest, most powerful self…authenticity emerges from a sense of personal worthiness and courage. Authenticity creates a climate of respect. When you communicate authentically, others can communicate from a space that represents their truest, most powerful selves.”

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