Eight uncommon characteristics of authentic leaders

17 Feb

This is the first in a two-part blog on leadership, the second will focus on the seven uncommon characteristics of counterfeit leadership.

There is a purist view that leadership is either authentic or it’s not and if it is not authentic, then it is not leadership. There is the basis for a good argument here that leadership is a construct that can be clearly defined by a set of standalone behaviours, characteristics and competencies.

To that extent, authenticity can be evidenced and proven. It is the seal of approval for that which has sustained examination and passed the test. With authentic leadership expectations are backed by demonstration and principles are proven by practice.

As with previous blogs that have covered uncommon characteristics, this one avoids references to what you would expect to see. There are no references to empathy, trustworthiness, decisiveness, judgement or other well-known traits of authenticity. Not because they are unimportant, but because they are not uncommon.

Instead, this blog highlights those traits that you would not necessarily expect to see. Most of these will unite opinion, but others may not. Notwithstanding, set out below are eight uncommon characteristics of truly authentic leadership.

1. Their conviction costs them personally

If you have truly experienced what it means to be a leader, then you will have the scars to show for it. Put in the simplest terms, leadership requires sacrifice and sacrifice is seldom without cost. At a fundamental level, leadership is not just about what you give it is about what you give up. It could be the financial benefits of a promotion that you turn down, to enable a subordinate to progress further or faster than you. It could even be a principled position that you take on an issue that ultimately costs you your job. Irrespective, when leadership is authentic it will be evidenced by sacrifice.

2. They are peacemakers not peacekeepers

The ability to agree to disagree is the art of peacekeeping. However, to make peace, a completely different skill set is required. Fundamentally, peace-making requires accountability and maturity not ‘whataboutism’. Without the willingness to address accountability for action, the various issues that foment discord can never be confronted and will not be resolved. The absence of resolution means that those in conflict will always be one disagreement away from another, perhaps even more serious, conflict. In their approach to peace-making, authentic leaders recognise that doing what is right in seldom easy but doing what is easy is seldom right.

3. They attract deep admiration and intense jealousy

Unsurprisingly, when authenticity is reflected in leadership, those who exhibit such a competency are widely admired and respected. Even more so when the standards that they set inspire others to do better and achieve more. But I wonder how many of those reading this blog would recognise that authentic leaders can also be perceived through the lens of intense jealousy. As counter intuitive as it may seem, the sentiments of admiration and jealousy are often expressed by the same people. As inspiring as authenticity can be, its presence can also make the insecure feel uncomfortable and be threatening to those who crave significance without sacrifice.

4. They speak truth to power and when in power, will speak the truth

An easy contrast between the authentic and the counterfeit is how they deal with truth. Authentic leaders are driven by integrity and when leaders are driven by integrity they do not change. In addition, it is because those with integrity are not intimidated by consequence, that their discretion is not fettered by the need to be economical with facts. Authentic leaders speak as they find, irrespective of who needs to hear it and regardless of whatever the cost may be. As one would imagine, this commitment to truth-telling extends to the personal accountability of authentic leader themselves. Therefore, they hold themselves to the same standard as they hold others.

5. They get it wrong as frequently as everyone else

Perhaps the number one rule of leadership is that no-one is perfect. In leadership, depth of experience matters as it offers leaders a deeper well of learning from which to draw. Likewise, because leadership is an exercise in enlightenment, new experiences will present fresh opportunities for trial, error and correction. Authentic leaders understand this and therefore do not see mistakes as a judgement on their competence. Consequentially, they are in no way judgemental towards others, who make mistakes. Due to the maturity of this approach, authentic leaders can stimulate a culture of sharing, learning and openness.

6. They are ready when they are ready

Reading this blog, you could be forgiven for thinking that authentic leadership is to be found amongst the most experienced. However, if that is what you imagine, then you would be completely wrong. Attitude and practice, not ambition and position are the primary determinants of authentic leadership. Similarly, you can also discount factors such as age, hierarchical standing, or number of followers as determinants. Whilst these factors may resonate in other settings, in the grand scheme of what constitutes authenticity, they are redundant. Instead, authentic leadership is a demonstration of what you do, with what you have, wherever you are.

7. They turn dignity into a superpower

A good example of the dignity of authentic leaders, is the way in which they conduct themselves when faced with accountability for serious error, that could lead to grave consequences. Here, the approach can best be described as conspicuous visibility. Even when presented with the opportunity to avoid accountability for their actions, or the actions of those they oversee, authentic leaders will openly embrace it. The ability to take what appears to be their weakest moment and transform it into their greatest strength is unique. Not only that, but it demonstrates how authentic leaders can deploy dignity as a superpower.

8. You may never know who they are

Did you expect to see this uncommon characteristic on the list? The fact is that authentic leaders are more likely to be known by their works than their names. These leaders do not seek the spotlight and to the extent that it finds them, they will redirect it towards others. Authentic leaders do what they do because it is fundamental to what they believe. They would do it even if no-one was looking and even if nobody cared. However, as set out above, that does not mean that they are unknown. On the contrary, authentic leaders are known by the lives they have influenced and the difference they have made.

Ultimately, the key message from this blog is that authentic leadership is leadership. To that extent, it is a definitive determination, rather than a subjective one. Remember, when something is judged to be authentic, that judgement becomes a standard of verification and validation against which everything else can be tested. Not unlike when you visit a store, the seal of authenticity is the assurance that what you purchase is the genuine article. It differentiates that which is real from a cleverly designed fake. However, here is the rub: the term authentic is not a euphemism for perfect. Leadership is a journey not a destination. It is weighed and measured as much by its abject failures as its great successes, but that it was makes it authentic.

Paul Aladenika