https://www.forbes.

com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/05/12/what-is-authentic-leadership/#7b60ba9def77

MAY 12, 2013 @ 08:34 PM 216,802

What Is Authentic Leadership?

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Kevin Kruse ,
CONTRIBUTOR

I help you to fulfill your potential as a leader.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

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I'm the Founder + CEO of LEADx.org, providing free leadership advice and training so everyone can achieve their full potential.
I'm also a NY Times bestselling author and speaker. My books include Employee Engagement 2.0 and 15 Secrets Successful
People Know About Time Management. As a serial entrepreneur my companies have won both Inc 500 awards for growth, and
Best Place to Work awards for company culture.
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

What is authentic leadership?

It continues to surprise me how many leaders attempt to be one way at
work, while their “true” personality emerges outside of work. Once a
CEO reminded me, “Leadership is acting.” And it surprises me when
these same leaders seem shocked or confused when their employees
don’t trust them, don’t like them, and can’t really wait to work
elsewhere.
Authenticity has been explored throughout history, from Greek
philosophers to the work of Shakespeare (“To thy own self be true.” –
Polonius, Hamlet). Authentic leadership has been explored
sporadically as part of modern management science, but found its
highest levels of acceptance since Bill George’s 2003 book, Authentic
Leadership.
But what is authentic leadership?
While different theorists have different slants on the concept, most
agree that:
1. Authentic leaders are self-aware and genuine. Authentic leaders are
self-actualized individuals who are aware of their strengths, their
limitations, and their emotions. They also show their real selves to
their followers. They do not act one way in private and another in
public; they don’t hide their mistakes or weaknesses out of fear of
looking weak. They also realize that being self-actualized is an endless
journey, never complete.
2. Authentic leaders are mission driven and focused on results. They are
able to put the mission and the goals of the organization ahead of their
own self-interest. They do the job in pursuit of results, not for their
own power, money or ego.
3. Authentic leaders lead with their heart, not just their minds. They are
not afraid to show their emotions, their vulnerability and to connect
with their employees. This does not mean authentic leaders are “soft.”
In fact communicating in a direct manner is critical to successful
outcomes, but it’s done with empathy; directness without empathy is
cruel.
4. Authentic leaders focus on the long-term. A key tenet in Bill George’s
model is the company leaders are focused on long-term shareholder
value, not in just beating quarterly estimates. Just as George did as
CEO of Medtronic MDT -0.57%, and as Bezos has done for years at Amazon,
leaders realize that to nurture individuals and to nurture a company
requires hard work and patience, but the approach pays large
dividends over time.