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.