I recently had an opportunity to watch an authentic leader speak during his live presentation. I was invited to participate in the annual offsite leadership conference for an organization, there I was witness to the type of leadership that is often discussed, but rarely seen. A leader that demonstrated a deep abiding concern for his people and at the same time, held them to account for their attitudes and performance.
Like you, I have seen both of these behaviors before. It is not unusual to find leaders that care for their team members and do so in powerful and meaningful ways. It is not unusual to find leaders that are driven to deliver results. The pressure for leaders to provide ever-improving performance is constant in today’s organizations. What is rare, is to do both, simultaneously. The combination is powerful, maybe even intoxicating.
Note: It will be helpful to you to have a copy of the Authentic Leadership Checklist™ as you read the rest of this article. When we created the Authentic Leadership Checklist we built it with the purpose of helping you prospectively evaluate a situation in which you needed to demonstrate leadership. Using a checklist, you could be assured of thoroughly evaluating any leadership situation. The checklist would work for any leadership situation whether you are an experienced leader or a novice.
I have found a new use for the Authentic Leadership Checklist. It can be used to reflect retrospectively and determine what skills were present or lacking in a particular situation. For instance, in the opening story I shared how the leader captivated his audience and moved them forward in a way that was both compelling and clear. In the moment, it was so seamless it was hard to see what was at work. With the distance of time however, I was able to use the Authentic Leadership Checklist™ to see what had occurred.
When I ran this list by the founder of Keynote Speakers who works with some of the leading experts on this subject, I quickly found that I was right on target. I had originally thought that there were two checklist elements being demonstrated. Upon a deeper review, it turns out there were four checklist elements this leader demonstrated in concert with one another. It was this seamless mix that engaged everyone, including me. The four elements he demonstrated are:
It is not surprising that two of the elements are from the character component of the checklist. His values were evident in every interaction he had over the three days. He clearly sees himself as a servant to the team and the organization. He leads based on a set of positive core values that are demonstrated through his leadership actions.
In addition to demonstrating those positive core values he is focused on people. He sees his team members as people possessing talent that can be applied to goals creating success for everyone. He uses his influence to draw out the best in everyone because he knows that success includes the health and welfare of the people involved.
Continuing to use the checklist, I found two more elements that were evident. He knows his industry. He has an intimate and objective understanding of the organization’s industry and his group’s place in that industry.
Finally, within the competency component this leader understood and applied accountability. He focused on accomplishing goals, holding himself and others accountable to propel the organization forward to achieve results.
Each of these four is powerful on their own but when they are demonstrated in harmony with one another the effect is so powerful that people are compelled to follow.
You can practice using the Authentic Leadership Checklist™ as a tool for preparing for any leadership situation or as a retrospective device to analyze how well you have practiced your own authentic leadership.
