A+ Lady Leader Series - Courageous Authenticity

Can they trust you?
 
The #1 thing people are looking for in their leader is authenticity and integrity. You need to be real, and you need to be honest. Your followers want to know that they can trust you.
 
Authentic leadership means that you are leading authentically with courage and leading with high integrity.

​How do you measure up?

​Leadership Competencies
Over the last few weeks in the Excellence in Leadership series, we have been focusing improving yourself so that you can be an A+ Lady Leader. I’ve asked you to consider the skills you need to work on, to have the impact you desire. These skills hail from The Leadership Circle Profile. This is a 360 tool I use with my Lady Leaders who join the Women with Grit Program.
 
The Leadership Circle measures a set of well-researched competencies that gauge how leaders achieve results, bring out the best in others, lead with vision, enhance their own development, act with integrity, and encourage and improve organizational systems.

Authentically Leading begins with you
This week’s focus has turned to leading with authenticity and integrity. Authentic leadership is not masked by organizational politics. It is not when you are worried about looking good or focused on winning approval and being liked. Authentic leadership is the willingness to act with integrity and to courageously tell the truth, even when it is risky.
 
According to TLC, authentic leadership is made up of 2 core skills. The skills an authentic leader possesses are integrity and courageous authenticity. Let’s take some time to explore them in more detail.

Integrity
When you are in integrity, your inner and outer lives are congruent. It means you walk your talk. If you lead with integrity, you practice what you preach. People will describe you as sincere, trustworthy, and they will say they respect you. Leaders with high integrity are known to keep their promises and follow through on commitments.
 
Lacking Integrity
When you are not in integrity people, see the incongruences. The way you act, what you say and the decisions you make suddenly become situational. People will often describe you as a hypocrite because you behave one way in certain situations and another in other places. People don't know what you stand for, or where you stand. It creates environments where people tend to walk on eggshells around you.

Courageous Authenticity
Courageous authenticity is when you are open and honest about what you think and feel. It is a high level of integrity with your communication. When you are courageously authentic, you honestly express what you feel. Additionally, you are willing to admit your mistakes, and you take responsibility for your role in problems.
 
Lacking Courageous Authenticity
When you are not courageously authentic, you tend to avoid conflict, play the blame game, and play political games. You might tend to stay silent rather than voicing your opinion. This could lead you to be passive aggressive or simmer with resentment instead of putting yourself out there.
 
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Make your list
When you lead authentically, you need to know your values, ethics, and principles. You need to get clear on who you are, what you stand for and what you believe in. You must know what is important to you and what hill you will die on.
 
Live your list
The list of values, beliefs and principles are critical, but it is only a list. Without acting on that list, you are not courageously authentic or leading with integrity. You must lead and live that list. You need to take each of those standards and follow them every single day. When you do that, it’s said that you have morals. Your list of values and ethics become living actions. They become your day-to-day behavior, your ways, and your attitudes.
 
How do you measure up?
Leaders who live with high authentic leadership don't gossip, don't talk behind people's backs, and act the same way in a crisis as they do any other time. Consider the following points and see how you measure up.

• ​If you say you have an open door policy, what happens when someone comes knocking on your door?
  • Do you honestly make time for them?
  • Or do you let them in the door but continue to check your email out the side of your eyes as they are sharing their challenges?

 

• Do you say it's important to be on time for meetings and with deadlines?
  • Do you follow that yourself?
  • How do you handle it when your favorite employee is late?

 

• Do you have a high standard of work?
  • Do you ensure that your work meets that high standard?
  • Do you hold that high standard for everyone, including your boss?

 

• Are you authentically you, at all times?
  • Do you act the same way regardless of who is in the room?
  • Or is it dependent on their level in the hierarchy?

 
Leading with courageous authenticity and integrity requires you to be yourself, at all times. That entails you removing the layers of protection you’ve built up, and uncovering who you are at your core. Then, you need to be vulnerable and be that person, regardless of what is going on and who is around.

 
​Want to learn more?
You can learn more about leading with integrity by listening to this session.
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Then, start your list to live by downloading the guide which will help to identify your 

Weekly Facebook Live Session
Join me most Thursdays at 12:15 MDT for a Facebook Live session.
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Ask me questions and gain insights as you learn to lead and live with more balance and enjoyment.

If you aren't sure how Facebook Live sessions work, learn more here.