December 14, 2020 5 min read
This article was translated from our Spanish edition using AI technologies. Errors can occur due to this process.
The opinions expressed by the entrepreneur’s contributors are their own.
- Self-confidence.
- Relational transparency.
- Well-balanced processing.
- Moral perspective.
According to a survey by the Gartner Group, authenticity is the most valued attribute of a leader. Authentic leadership is one that is liberated from masks, false attitudes, and real human closeness. In short, it is to be completely true to yourself and to show yourself as such, without fear or obfuscation.
His approach shows a certain deficit in driving level, where due to the nature of the being of people: behaviors, habits; and also because of the business culture, it has been privileged for decades to have leadership, to enforce consensus and to distance oneself from people instead of dealing with emotional intelligence.
Years ago, Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, a company in which he held various positions for several decades until he became its chief executive, summed up the concept of authentic leadership with some of the characteristics that he himself found in the Company applied that grew by the company 4000% during their administration.
The 9 points he pointed out are: character and integrity, competence for the job, ability to think globally, focus on customers, be receptive to change, good communicators, building effective teams focused on achieving focus on goals and give energy and encouragement to others.
In modern times, four behaviors have been identified that have been identified as essential to effectively leading people based on the authenticity of being and acting. In relation to that postulated by Welch, the perspective is now deeper in relation to r, i.e. part of the person’s inner development, and from there it is projected radially.
The 4 components of authentic leadership today
These are soft skills that, if not present, can be trained and improved to be more effective and to inspire and motivate teams. There are four components that authentic leadership rescues that, when balanced in day-to-day relationships, produce better results.
1. Confidence
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This ability is acquired through self-knowledge. True leadership is achieved by knowing yourself. It is not feasible to lead others if self-leadership does not exist first. Self-awareness is the ability to go into each individual, discover the innate or acquired aspects that are helpful for one’s own development and that of others, and recognize those that need improvement. In return, there is an awareness of the impact and influence that the person has on others, and how this affects and changes the environment.
2. Relational transparency
In the process of authentic leadership there is an essential basis that starts from being and then from concrete daily actions. The way of being, the manner and the behavior define the transparent relationship with others. Here it is important to be a person of integrity and coherence between what is thought, said, done and felt. This consistency increases the credibility in relationships with teams. For example, a leader who hides essential aspects of his being or interweaves confabulations and conspiracies creates suspicion. Instead, one that assertively projects authenticity is transparent and encourages deeper bonds.
3. Balanced processing
In order to develop this aspect, the balance of emotions and the use of the two halves of the brain contribute to it: left, more rational and right, softer.
As a result, the expression and exercise of authentic leadership is improved by weighing the various alternatives when making decisions, not relying so much on one’s own mental models to include valuable information from others, and achieving consensus on the steps to be taken can be achieved.
From the point of view of emotional intelligence, the field of self-regulation is of strategic importance in this perspective of human development applied to authentic leadership.
4. Moral perspective
The willingness to remain true to the principles of the person seeking authentic leadership is also very important, as this way their behavior will conform to their core values.
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The standards of good leadership practice make it possible to reinforce the above-mentioned coherence and to create frames of trust that build bridges with others. The authentic leader integrates, supports, stimulates, motivates and identifies with positive values that make it possible not only to achieve results for the company, but also to consider the employees as an essential part of this process.
Along with the collaborative, exponential and conscious leadership that are other aspects that emerge strongly at this time, this style shares traits with these and is encouraged, among other things, in building new ways leading organizations and companies project them with more integrity, care and Transparency: three pillars, of which today’s world is missing not only in business life.