Saturday, August 4, 2012

Be your authentic self

Today's Business Lessons




Be your authentic self
 

By Francis J. Kong  
(The Philippine Star) Updated August 04, 2012 

I once bought a book entitled, You Were Born An Original, Do Not die A Copy. I found the title so humorous I bought the book without bothering to check the content. It turned out to be a very good read though. And I’ve discovered that the title makes a good philosophy when it comes to authentic leadership.

I’ve met leaders who try to project a certain persona that’s anything but their true self. It’s pathetic. A person can’t be an authentic leader if he or she is just copying someone else. The person can learn from the experience of others, but that person can’t expect to be successful just by copying another who has been.

People trust leaders when they’re authentic and genuine, not just a replica of someone else.

The thousands of leaders I’ve trained to this date have realized that authentic, inspiring and effective leadership has little to do with position, and much to do with influence. But the influencer needs to be accepted first before he or she can do any influencing. Acceptance is a result of trust, and trust is earned by those who are authentic and genuine.

Authentic leaders are those who demonstrate a passion for their purpose, who practice their values consistently and who lead  with their  hearts  as  well  as with their  heads. They establish long-term, meaningful relationships, and have the self-discipline to get results. They have a life story that’s distinctly theirs; they’re not just copies of somebody else.

Have you ever wondered why so many authors continue to churn out books on leadership and why such books are perennially on display in book stores? It’s because leaders aren’t defined by a fixed universal set of characteristics, traits, skills and style. Rather, leaders emerge from life episodes that tested them, that they’ve prevailed over, and that gave them a better understanding of who they are and what exactly they can accomplish. These findings are extremely encouraging. So authors write about it: You don’t have to be born with specific characteristics or skills to become a leader. But you do have to be authentic.

The novelist John Barth once wrote, “The story of your life is not your life. It is your story.” It’s what you tell yourself. It’s your narrative, and it’s personal. It’s not just a collection of random facts that have happened in your life.
 
The story of your life is unique. Leaders become inspiring when they embrace and live out this uniqueness, not when they live as a duplicate.

Good leaders are honest. They make mistakes, they admit it, and they learn from it. They are ethical, and do not scheme and manipulate people to achieve their own selfish interests.
The next time you see someone in a leadership position who’s not honest, genuine and authentic, be careful. Better still, do not copy him.

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