Episode 2. Authenticity: The Shaper

Authenticity.

Or more specifically, Authentic Leadership.

In my last blog, I talked about passion. What sits behind the success. That got me thinking about the relationship between passion and authenticity.

How many of us show up as the person we are outside of work, the realest version of ourselves, versus those who have a separate business persona. The daily disguise that masks their real self.

The performative professionals if you will.

Several years back, I was on the operating board of a large business running some meaty, complex accounts. Strong results, happy clients and a team of legends delivering.

HR recommended a 360 review for the operating board members. In amongst the feedback from my peers, there was an absolute humdinger!

“Allan lacks gravitas.”

Ouch!

That stung. Not because I thought I was carved from gravitas, but how misinformed the feedback felt.

I’m no Poirot, but I knew who wrote it. And I knew why…

...Authenticity

It was a barb born out of someone doing something differently. Someone following their own script versus someone following an old manual that involved wearing a tie and appearing professional at all times, no matter what.

Someone being authentic. And someone being performative.

They thought I lacked gravitas. I thought they were performing a version of what they’d decided a senior leader should act and look like.

I’m open with my teams. I engage them, listen to their opinion and bring them into the big decisions. I want them to learn and be better at stuff than I am.

Bye-bye gravitas.

I’m laid back and like to have fun at work. That’s how my brain works. It builds relationships and engages people on a more human level. My client and team relationships went much deeper because of it.

Begone gravitas!

Funny thing is, one of us went on to bigger things.

One of us didn't.

I'm not telling this story to be unkind. I'm telling it because it illustrates something I believe whole-heartedly in.

People are taught what ‘being professional’ is supposed to look like. The behaviour. The language. The “I’m doing serious business here” persona. At some stage in their career, many move from being their authentic self, and start performing a role.

That performance looks exhausting. It drains creative energy and creates a gap between who you are and who you're pretending to be. That gap is an authenticity plug hole, and over time, the real you, the Authentic Leader, disappears down it.

Authenticity isn't about rocking up to work and being casual or unpolished or refusing to take things too seriously. It's about bringing who you actually are into a business, fully and without apology.

It’s about using that authenticity, your instincts, your genuine care, your actual personality, to make a difference and lift the people around you.

That's what real gravitas looks like.

Not the suit and tie. Not the managed persona.

The person underneath.

The Authentic Leader.