Courageous Leader BLUEprint™ – 7th edition
Welcome back leaders!
This is the seventh edition of our Courageous Leader BLUEprint™ newsletter.
Every three weeks, you’ll get quick, thoughtful leadership insights without the fluff.
Read time: less than 5 minutes
This edition of the Courageous Leader BLUEprint™ will focus on authenticity.
Authenticity is the courage to drop the mask and to be the real you.
This seems pretty simple, but it can be harder than most people realize.
First, we’ll discuss some of the reasons authenticity can be challenging for leaders. Then, we’ll talk about why people need authentic leaders and how to become more authentic.
Why authenticity can be challenging for leaders.
There are lots of reasons leaders struggle to be authentic.
They include impostor syndrome, feeling pressured to prioritize tasks over relationships, a lack of training in management/leadership skills, minimal feedback from peers and subordinates, minimal support or accountability from next-level leaders, and the risk of losing authority, to name several.
In my opinion, the (perceived) risk of losing authority is one of the biggest challenges.
When I was in law enforcement, I often observed two primary paths for new leaders.
Some leaders would get promoted and then try to be everyone’s friend.
Others would get promoted and try to become the “new sheriff in town,” even over the small group of people they were charged to lead.
Neither approach proved very effective.
If you try to be everyone’s friend, they may like you, but that does not mean they will respect you.
The relationship will feel like it’s being held over your head, and ironically, your authority will be minimized.
For leaders who acted like the new sheriff in town, their direct reports would soon realize that rewards were rarely used, yet punishment and fear were often used.
Unfortunately, this kind of culture produces leaders who HAVE TO rely on their authority to get the job done.
The most successful leaders I saw took the third road (a road much less traveled) of authenticity.
These leaders let their team know that performance standards and attitude were important, and they would hold people accountable.
At the same time, these leaders would get to know their team members as individuals and strive to understand how to support them in achieving both personal and organizational goals.
These leaders didn’t always do it right, but they knew that being a leader was more about being a human and accomplishing organizational objectives through other humans.
Why do people need authentic leaders?
This may seem obvious, but as a leader, you are always being watched.
Always.
People are always watching to see if your words match your actions.
And it’s not because they are trying to actively catch you in a lie, though some will do this.
They want to see if you’re trustworthy, consistent, and safe to be around.
Without authenticity, trust is fragile, consistency is questioned, and psychological safety disappears.
How to become a more authentic leader.
Here are a few practical suggestions:
Drop the mask when it’s appropriate
It is OK to let someone know that you also struggled at one point with X/Y/Z.
Just because you’re a leader, you’re not a superhero.
And even the best superheroes aren’t perfect.
Superheroes literally wear masks to hide their true identities.
But isn’t it their flaws that make them relatable to us?
We root for Batman’s mission, but we relate to his pain.
We admire Spiderman’s strength, but we connect to his guilt and loneliness.
This isn’t a call to be continuously self-loathing, self-deprecating, or gloomy.
It’s OK to be you.
As cheesy as that sounds, many leaders would rather wear the mask.
Align your words and actions
One of my all-time favorite leadership books is “The Leadership Challenge” by James Kouzes and Barry Posner.
In fact, it is at the very top of my suggested reading list for leaders:
Bluelionleadership.com/reading-list
In one of the chapters, they talk about modeling the way and phrase it as:
Do what you say you will do.
It’s simple, but not easy.
Remember, your people are always watching.
Admit mistakes and course correct quickly
You will make mistakes.
You are not perfect.
And your people know that (because they also make mistakes and are not perfect).
You will gain much more respect by acknowledging your mistakes and explaining how you plan to take corrective action.
Be consistent
Be consistent:
day to day in temperament
in daily efforts to be a better leader
in both recognition and accountability
in holding yourself accountable, rather than first looking for who is to blame
in every setting: the boardroom, the break room, and at home
Blue Lion Leadership’s core values are integrity, authenticity, and generosity.
These are values we challenge ourselves with and strive for on a daily basis.
Not because they are easy, but because we believe they matter.
Leadership isn’t about pretending to be invincible; it’s about having the courage to be real.
That’s authenticity.
Authenticity takes courage: the kind of courage that builds trust and creates a culture people want to be a part of.