The Top 5 Responsibilities Of Authentic Leadership

Allow me the opportunity to ask you this frank question… Who do you honestly believe to be a great leader?

What exactly is it about this person that makes you feel that they are a great leader? Is it because of specific characteristics, attributes or qualities that they exhibit? The fact is that great leaders are not all the same. Consider the likes of General George Patton, Coach Vince Lombardi or business innovator Steve Jobs.

Clearly, these three individuals were all great leaders in their own right and each of them in their own theater of life. Three remarkably different personalities with three remarkably different leadership styles… yet each of them highly accomplished and respected leaders. So, the question remains… “Why” were they such great leaders?

It is my personal belief that what made them such great leaders was their “authenticity” and their forthright commitment to take the responsibilities of leadership seriously. Following are the Top 5 Responsibilities of Authentic Leadership which are:

Be A Great Communicator. Clear and concise communication lies at the heart of every undertaking and is essential to the ultimate achievement of the organization’s goals and objectives. According to a Wall Street Journal survey of several years ago… The most important thing that employees wanted was “open communication”.

Be Authentic. True authenticity all comes down to own thing… You have to be the “real deal”. It starts with being who you already are complete with your strengths, weaknesses and yes, even your flaws. No one is perfect and your potential followers will not expect you to be. What they do expect is that you will be genuine in nature and conduct yourself congruently with your core values and beliefs. People want to know what it is that you truly stand for and should they share the same values and beliefs… Then they will choose to stand beside and with you.

Be Accessible. As human beings, everyone has times when they are unsure of themselves or are uncertain as to exactly what or how to do what they are supposed to be doing. People have questions, need direction, require encouragement, motivation, praise and more. There will be countless times when your people will need available access to you for your varied leadership abilities, inspiration and wise counsel.

Be An Example. The really great leaders are invariably those who make the conscious decision to lead by example. When it comes to authentic leadership, the picture truly is worth a thousand words. People take notice of the leader that walks his or her talk and who is willing to roll up their sleeves and help out when the going gets tough. So, choose to be the example that people will take notice of and then follow.

Be A Mentor and Coach. The truly great leaders are also great mentors and coaches because they take advantage of every available situation by turning it into a learning opportunity for their people and organization. In business, these are the leaders who build loyal employee bases who will then in turn not only love what they do and who they do it for… They will in turn build loyal relationships with the organization’s customers.

While there are literally hundreds of characteristics, attributes and qualities that can be observed in leaders from all walks of life, highly effective leaders key on the leadership attributes that best mesh with their personal strengths and their personal leadership style.

Your quest to grow your business and thereby create a high performance organization begins and ends with your ability to create high performance people through authentic leadership.

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward  | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

America: Leadership In Crisis

You hear about it every day on television, on radio, in print and online. Failed leadership… faltering leadership… incompetent leadership… ineffective leadership and various other references for leadership that is simply no longer working or effective.

The leadership crisis is not just an issue in Washington, DC, it’s a global epidemic. From a national perspective the crisis is a lot bigger than the GSA or ICE. These agencies simply represent the tip of the iceberg at the federal government level. There are also a vast number of leadership crises in state government all across the country.

And the same holds true for county governments, city governments and local townships. For example, here at home you need only to think of the revolving door of the Town Manager position in Surfside Beach or the never ending story of the Mayor and Town Council in Atlantic Beach.

The leadership crisis is not isolated solely to government, it is just as rampant in business, industry and even civic organizations. So, the looming question is “why” is there such a glaring lack of qualified leadership?

Clearly this is a highly complex issue for which volumes could be written, so for now let’s keep it simple. Here are several straight forward perspectives for your consideration:

The first factor to consider with regard to the leadership crisis is that it’s very much a perception problem. When you see, hear of or encounter an individual who has for what ever reason been placed in a highly visible or high profile position -- You and the general public automatically view, consider and leap to the conclusion that this individual is in fact a leader. As well, you have been conditioned over time to also perceive that said individual is also a “qualified” leader.

In most cases… nothing could be further from the truth. The second factor to consider is that the vast majority of people who are perceived to be in a leadership role have never in fact had any formal leadership training.

The other critical factor which represents your third consideration is that there is very little leadership development training that is actually available. Virtually all of the leadership training that is available is in the form of 3 day seminars and 5 day conferences. Clearly these training vehicles do not provide enough depth or time to create viable leaders. Even renowned trainings such as Dale Carnegie and Disney are typically only 1 day to 5 day events. And if you happened to read my last article about seminars and conferences… then you are well aware that only about 2% of the training information presented is ever retained by the participants.

When you consider these three factors alone, it is easy to comprehend how our country has ensnared itself in a leadership crisis. Many of our viable and proven leaders are part of the Baby Boomer generation that has already retired or like Steve Jobs and others, have passed from this life. They are readily absent at a time when they are critically needed.

There was a time when leadership was about doing the right things, regardless of how difficult, for the right reasons. Leadership was about being willing to take on trying circumstances, execute the hard decisions and then accept full responsibility for them. These are the kind of leaders that we need now more than ever to heal our country, invigorate our economy, fuel business expansion and motivate our future generations.

Yet in the here and now, leadership seems to be doing everything but the right things. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us all as citizens and business professionals to start taking the role of leadership in our society more seriously than ever before. Begin now by taking a fresh look at what is going on around you and your family, your work and your hometown. Start the search for authentic people that have the potential to become authentic leaders and then truly do the right things for the right reasons.

And while you’re at it… start being a better example that others can take notice of and then follow.

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.