Modern leaders need every edge they can muster, from having strong values that they steadfastly stand by to being open to new concepts and perspectives.
Transparency and authenticity in leadership lead to higher levels of performance for teams and organizations alike, building trust and encouraging their loyality.
1. Empathy
Empathetic leadership is a core characteristic of modern management. Empathic leaders recognize their teams are human beings with families and individual challenges; they show care for their needs and wishes while striving to increase overall wellbeing.
Empathetic leaders understand that effective conflict resolution requires more than simply solving an immediate issue; they also take into account any deeper underlying emotions or factors which may have led to it, in order to mediate and assist in finding a mutually-beneficial resolution.
Leaders who display empathy tend to be approachable and provide guidance and motivation when needed, which allows them to build trust while encouraging innovation at work. Furthermore, these leaders communicate ideas clearly and often among members outside their direct team.
2. Accountability
Modern leaders recognize that employees make decisions about the trustworthiness of an organization by evaluating its supervisors and leaders’ trustworthiness, with this perception heavily dependent on consistency between beliefs and actions taken, moral values upheld, and behavior integrity of each leader.
Authentic leaders take the initiative in setting clear and aligned goals and accountability within their teams, so their employees understand how their work fits into overall business priorities and feel connected to one another as well as to the purpose of the company.
Accountability encompasses setting clear expectations and consequences for meeting or failing to reach goals, as well as open communication about this matter. Leaders must recognize and address misalignments among team members so as to maintain trust within the organization.
3. Transparency
Transparency in business refers to being open and honest with others, such as disclosing information about finances, operations and other aspects of your company. Furthermore, being transparent means being able to clearly outline any challenges or threats your organization might face, along with plans on how these will be addressed.
Transparency is one of the cornerstones of authentic leadership that all leaders must work on developing. Leaders can promote this quality by communicating honestly with their team members, accepting constructive criticism freely, and sharing information regarding the business.
Leaders should recognize that transparency isn’t always the solution. Some situations necessitate secrecy, such as negotiations or law enforcement and national security situations in which disclosing information could compromise investigations or endanger lives.
4. Collaboration
Modern leaders understand the significance of collaboration. They bring people together to align on strategy, combine different perspectives and efforts, modulate speed and intensity and foster a sense of renewal for employees by providing an environment in which employees can take risks, experiment and innovate freely.
Modern leaders take the form of orchestra conductors, orchestrating team members into creating an harmonious performance that inspires and pleases. They act as guides through turbulent waters to keep their company afloat.
Authentic leadership necessitates personal growth, self-discipline and transparency as well as genuine consideration of others’ wellbeing and development. Furthermore, authentic leaders should remain true to themselves while building relationships which foster high productivity, engagement and job satisfaction for everyone involved.
5. Accountability
Modern leaders must be able to hold themselves accountable for their actions. That means both accepting their mistakes as well as taking responsibility for how these actions impact others.
Authenticity requires being willing to be honest with your team members even when this means telling them things they don’t want to hear, while giving equal consideration to all points of view.
Many leaders struggle with authenticity because they become fixated on trying to be someone they aren’t; by spending too much time worrying about how they come across to their teams, rather than exerting actual effort to produce results. This leads them down a path towards becoming less effective leaders overall.
