An Authentic Leader I Have Known

I am grateful to have worked for many excellent bosses throughout my career. As a student of management and leadership, I have learned a great deal over the years from experiencing many different leadership styles and observing the impact of the leader’s actions on his/her organization.

One particular boss—who I will refer to as Tom—was a truly authentic leader and demonstrated many qualities that made him effective within the business. Upon reflection, here’s what I remember most:

• Self-Awareness—Tom knew what he was good at and what he wasn’t. He surrounded himself with others that complemented his skillset so that, together, we made a great team. He was open and honest about his strengths and limitations and was not afraid to talk about these with his staff. His willingness to share this self-knowledge enabled us to work even harder so that we could all be successful.
• Willingness to Show Vulnerability—As a corollary to his self-awareness, Tom was not afraid to admit that he was struggling with an issue or that he had made a mistake. He was not afraid to appear ‘weak,’ and used these admissions as opportunities for learning and growth. This allowed those of us on his team to take prudent risks, and, as long as we admitted, corrected, and learned from our mistakes, we would not incur the wrath of a reprimand or a performance review that haunted us forever. This is not to say that Tom sugar-coated any of his own shortcomings or those of others. We knew where we stood at all times.
• Alignment of His Private Face & Public Face—Tom was genuine. What he said in private to his direct reports, he articulated in public to the larger organization. This engendered trust throughout the team. We knew that he said what he truly believed and did not just convey the ‘party line’ to be politically correct.
• In Control of One’s Ego—While Tom was certainly aspirational in his own career, he focused more on the goals of the business than his own self-interest. He did not talk about his own power, money, or status within the organization; rather he emphasized the business results that we needed to achieve and everyone’s role in reaching them. He realized that leaders accomplish very few business results through their own individual efforts. To use a well-worn phrase, ‘it takes a village’ to achieve the organization’s success. He freely gave acknowledgement and credit to others publicly and often.
• Connecting with the Heart—Tom knew that he had to win the hearts, as well as the minds, of his organization. He was not afraid to show emotion—and even cried at times—to demonstrate the depth of his feelings. This was not seen as a weakness but demonstrated his ‘human-ness’ to others. It made us closer as a team and more compassionate towards our colleagues. We knew that he cared about us, and that made us care about Tom as our leader and about the success of the business.

Working for an authentic leader like Tom enabled me to become a more effective executive. As I have told managers many times, “It’s not so much what you say or do that people remember; it’s how you made them feel.” Authentic leaders make others feel appreciated, respected, and motivated to do their best work. Isn’t that what we all want in the long run?