I am determined to make myself a better leader, and I just may be able to take some of you with me on this journey. I wouldn’t bother if I didn’t always end up in a leadership role in almost every area of my life. I once had a corporate trainer tell me that if you label someone a leader and continue to treat them as such, they will begin to exhibit the traits whether they particularly want the job or not. Obviously, negative labels work the same way. I personally blame my first grade teacher, Mrs. Haynes, for planting this leadership bug in me. The label: Tall kid leads the line. I ran into her at Wal-Mart in Huntsville, Texas a couple of months ago when I was visiting the family and got the chance to tell her how she was still impacting my life today, LOL! She seemed to love that.
How many times have you been at the dinner table with family or friends and the next question is: “What does everybody want to do next?” Some folks just sit there and wait on the answer, and I feel as though they are asking me to decide. So the label of leader sticks with me, and I’ve decided to embrace that role more effectively and authentically. I truly appreciated the following post by Susan Tardanico, and wanted to share it with you.
Susan Tardanico, Contributor
Forbes.com 9/08/2011
Phonies. Have you ever worked for one? They say one thing and do another. They
tell people what they want to hear. Their views morph with popular opinion.
They’re the ones you can’t pin down, and they avoid taking a stand on just
about anything. When we work for someone we deem inauthentic, we do not
willingly support them because we don’t trust them. On the flip side, research
reveals that when we believe a leader is the real deal –- a person of
integrity and character – we are much more likely to go the extra mile and
stand by them in the best and worst of times. With trust in leaders at
all-time lows, it’s time to consider that personal authenticity may be our
greatest leadership asset.
I used to believe that phonies made a conscious decision to hide their true
selves from the rest of the world in a duplicitous identity shell-game. But
after working with leaders for many years, I’ve concluded that only a small
percentage is actually that Machiavellian and that the majority is simply
lost. They don’t know who they are, and nowhere does this become more obvious
than when they’re in a visible leadership role.
Perhaps in all the gymnastics of leadership – the politics, the management
fads and techniques, the expected behaviors imposed on us by our bosses,
organizations and subordinates – we’ve lost ourselves as people. Or maybe
we never really found ourselves to begin with. Leadership guru Warren Bennis
said that letting the self emerge is the essential task of leaders. Indeed,
leadership is, first and foremost, all about you. People often have a
misguided notion that leadership is about everyone else. But if a leader
hasn’t journeyed inside first to get clear on his or her values, strengths,
passion and vision, their lack of authentic grounding will cause them to
behave in inconsistent ways, eroding trust and undermining their leadership
effectiveness.
Curiously, most MBA and leadership development programs barely focus on
the topic of authenticity. There are many assessment tools that help leaders
become more aware of their management style and how they’re perceived, but
most stop short of helping them dig down deep and answer some fundamental
questions about who they are and how it manifests in their leadership. Maybe
there’s an assumption that these questions already have been asked and
answered; that we’ve all heeded the words of the great Socrates who implored
us to “know thyself.” But experience tells us otherwise. Take an informal
polling of your friends and colleagues. Chances are they, like most people,
are unable to answer four basic yet all-important questions: What’s most
important to you? (Core values) What are you good at? (Strengths) What excites
and inspires you? (Passion) What do you want? (Vision).
If you don’t know how to answer some or all of these questions, you’re not
alone. Answering them fully and honestly is not an easy task because it
requires intense introspection. But the payoff can be transformational, giving
you the kind of clarity that enables you to lead your life, lead others and
manage your career with intention, making choices that are more aligned with
who you are, and in the process, gaining the commitment and loyalty of those
around you.
Values
Our values are what we believe and stand for; our convictions about the things we deem to be most important in life. Values are the stuff of our character; the core of what drives and fulfills us. To get clearer on your values, try using the “Values Explorer” tool from the Center for Creative Leadership. To successfully identify your core values, you must suspend your inner judge and set aside what you believe society, your family or anyone else expects of you. If you make choices based on what you should care about – or shouldn’t care about – then you are moving further away from the core of who you are – not closer to it. When identifying your values system, there are no right or wrong choices – just authentic and inauthentic ones. Then, think about how you’re living and leading within the context of your top five values. Ask yourself, “are my values evident in how I behave, the choices I’ve made and the way I communicate? Am I truly using my own voice?”
Strengths
As leaders, job No. 1 is to surround ourselves with the right people; to build
a team with complementary strengths and diverse perspectives. How can we
effectively accomplish this if we don’t understand our own strengths and, in
turn, are able to recognize the strengths in others? Strengths are our innate
talents, the things we’re naturally good at. Business culture has long been
focused on trying to address the weaknesses in people versus unlocking the
potential of their strengths. As women, we tend to focus more intensely on our
weaknesses than men do. This translates into missed opportunity for us as
leaders and organizations.
Passion
Simply put, passion is what jazzes and excites us; what consumes us with
palpable emotion. When we’re engaged in something we’re passionate about,
we tap into a seemingly unending wellspring of energy and resilience.
If you are unclear on what you’re truly passionate about, the best thing you
can do is pay attention. Only you know how you feel as you move through the
circumstances and activities of your life. Where do you find your greatest
joy? In what circumstance do you feel you’re in the zone, in harmony with all
that’s around you, excelling without even trying, filled with unending energy?
Many people feel that when it comes to our work life, having passion is nice
but not necessary. I cannot think of worse drudgery than getting up every day
and doing something you’re not passionate about. Passion is what carries you
through the tough times, helps you inspire others and excel at what you do.
Vision
Our vision is our desired destination; the end-game we’re striving to achieve.
It’s what we want. Writing a personal vision statement is a very powerful,
often life-changing exercise because it focuses, informs and illuminates your
way forward. You describe in vivid terms the ideal picture of all aspects of
your life – career, family, community, health, spirituality — unbounded by
current constraints and circumstance. A good vision answers the questions,
“what do I want to be, do, have, and contribute in life?”
Developing a vision requires you to think big and long-term. Try not to get
caught up in issues of process (how you will get there) – that’s the job of
strategies and tactics. Also, understand that you won’t travel a completely
linear path from current state to the achievement of your vision. Finally,
remember that your vision will evolve over time. The key is to get started!
Leadership may ultimately be about leading and inspiring others, but it begins
inside, with each of us as individuals. Our ability to achieve greatness as
leaders hinges on our ability to know ourselves, know what matters, and act in
accordance with who we are. When we go through the process of exploring
each of these “prongs of authenticity,” we gain inspiring and invigorating
clarity that helps us be exceptional leaders — of our lives and of other
people.
Egos & Buffaloes 
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a
comment is added I get three emails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
Cheers!
Please delete the entire comment. That should work.
Hi there, I wish for to subscribe for this webpage to obtain newest updates, thus
where can i do it please help out.
Thanks for visiting my blog. You can subscribe at the home page. Go to http://tenaciousmblog.com. There is a place on the right side of the page to ad your email address.
Can I simply say what a relief to discover a person that really understands
what they’re discussing on the internet. You definitely understand how to bring
an issue to light and make it important. A lot more people have to check this out and
understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you aren’t more popular since you surely have the gift.
Thanks so much!
This is a very good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.
Simple butt very accurate info… Many thanks for sharing this one.
A must read article!
Thanks for the compliment and for visiting my blog!
navi test
Thanks for the marvelous posting! I truly enjoyed reading it, you’re a
great author.I will be sure to bookmark your blog and definitely will come back later on.
I want to encourage you continue your great work, have
a nice weekend! navi test
Navi,
Thank you for the compliment and for following my blog!
I’ll immediately clutch your rss feed as
I can not find your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service.
Do you have any? Kindly let me know in order that I
may just subscribe. Thanks.
Hello, you can email me at Tenaciousm11@gmail.com or tweet @tenaciousm11
My brother recommended I may like this blog.
He was entirely right. This submit actually made my day.
You can not imagine just how so much time I had spent for this information!
Thanks!
Thanks for the compliment and for visiting my blog!
This is a good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere.
Short but very accurate information… Appreciate your sharing this one.
A must read post!
Thanks so much for visiting my blog!
I have been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles or blog posts on this sort of space .
Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this site. Studying this info So i’m satisfied
to express that I’ve an incredibly good uncanny feeling I
came upon exactly what I needed. I such a lot surely will make sure to don?t omit
this site and provides it a glance regularly.
Fantastic beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your site,
how can i subscribe for a blog web site? The account helped me a acceptable
deal. I had been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast
provided bright clear concept
Hello! You may submit your email on my homepage on the lower right-hand side of page for subscription.
smartphone test
each time i used to read smaller posts which also clear their motive, and that is also
happening with this piece of writing which I am reading here.
smartphone test
Hola me ha gustado mucho tu articulo
Es conmovedor, buena averiguación la que he encontrado.
Muchos besitos.
Por fin alguno que me lo ha explicado para que yo lo puede comprender.
Estoy bastante contenta.
Grande, que contenta estoy, es lo mas. Gracias.
Muchas gracias! And thanks for visiting my blog!
The First Dollar You Save Is The Seed From Which Your
Tree Of Wealth Shall Grow ‘ The Sooner You Plant That Seed ‘ The Sooner Shall The Tree Grow.
So fishing in the evening with really smelly bait to attract
will give you a great chance at catching that big fish.
Sometimes bait substances work despite a very great
degree of lack of proven scientific information on why this
is.
At least you would not be facing a zero chance winning streak with a
good craps strategy. Do I have enough troops in front of the enemy to hold him
in position, and stop him from wheeling. The rest settle for the
average run of the mill sports games, or solitaire, or interactive checkers.
What’s up to all, how is the whole thing, I think every one is getting more
from this site, and your views are pleasant in favor
of new people.
I usually do not leave a comment, but I browsed a great deal of comments on Authenticity:
Your Greatest Leadership Asset | Egos & Buffaloes.
I do have 2 questions for you if it’s allright. Is it just me or do a few of the
remarks come across as if they are written by brain dead folks?
😛 And, if you are writing at other sites, I would like to follow you.
Could you post a list of all of all your social networking sites like your linkedin profile, Facebook
page or twitter feed?
South Korea chanel Bag
I like what you guys are usually up too. Such clever work and reporting!
Keep up the fantastic works guys I’ve included you guys to my blogroll.
Quality content is the secret to invite the users to pay a quick
visit the web site, that’s what this web site is
providing.
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
Look advanced to more added agreeable from you!
However, how could we communicate?
Thanks! You may contact me at tenaciousm11@gmail.com
You can certainly see your expertise in the work you write.
The world hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid
to mention how they believe. At all times follow your heart.
Highly energetic article, I loved that a lot. Will there be a part 2?
Stay tuned! Thanks for the visiting my blog!
My programmer is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP.
I have always disliked the idea because of the costs.
But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on a number of websites for about a year
and am nervous about switching to another platform.
I have heard good things about blogengine.net.
Is there a way I can import all my wordpress posts into
it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!
Fine way of telling, and pleasant post to obtain facts about my presentation focus, which i am going to deliver in
college.
Thanks for the compliment and for visiting my blog!
What’s Going down i am new to this, I stumbled upon
this I have discovered It positively useful and it has aided me out loads.
I am hoping to contribute & help different customers like its helped
me. Good job.
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto
a friend who has been conducting a little research on this.
And he actually bought me breakfast because I discovered it for him…
lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah,
thanks for spending time to talk about this issue here on your site.
Thank you!
Admiring the time and effort you put into your website and detailed information you present.
It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that
isn’t the same out of date rehashed information.
Excellent read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m
adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.
Thanks for the compliment and the visit to my blog!!
Hey there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group?
There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy
your content. Please let me know. Thanks
Please share. Thanks for visiting my blog!
Localiser le merveilleux e cigarette grace
a le net
Ici : commander des ltc pas cher par paypal simplement
Trouver votre serrurier Lyon
Do you have a spam issue on this site; I also am a blogger, and I
was wondering your situation; many of us have developed some nice practices and we are looking to exchange techniques with
other folks, be sure to shoot me an e-mail if interested.
I used to be recommended this blog through my cousin. I am no longer sure whether this post
is written by way of him as no one else recognise such particular
approximately my problem. You’re incredible!
Thank you!
I do not even know the way I stopped up here, however
I assumed this put up was great. I do not realize
who you are but certainly you’re going to a famous
blogger in case you aren’t already. Cheers!
Great blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?
A theme like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand out.
Please let me know where you got your theme. Cheers
Hey thanks for the shout out! I am using wordpress.com for my blog template.
Découvrir notre serrurier lyon
Thanks for the good writeup. It in truth used to be a amusement account it.
Look complex to far added agreeable from you! By the way, how could we communicate?
Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I in finding It really helpful & it helped me out a lot.
I’m hoping to present something again and aid others such as
you helped me.
Piece of writing writing is also a fun, if you be acquainted with after that
you can write otherwise it is complex to write.
Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Taking a few minutes and
actual effort to create a great article… but what can I say… I put things off a whole lot and never seem to get nearly anything done.
Thanks for the shout out and for visiting my blog!
It’s hard to find educated people about this subject, however, you
sound like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your
sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your
site to come back down the road. Cheers
Hey there! I simply would liuke to offer you a huge thumbs up for the excellent information you’ve got here
on this post. I am coming back to your blog ffor more soon.
Great! Love it!
Normally, there will be two fittings scheduled to make sure that the dress is going to fit in all
the right places for your wedding day. Don’t feel like you need to pose and direct your couples either,
just tell them to go out and have fun doing whatever it is.
The perfect location, perfect man as well as your
perfect dress, there might be anything you could have desired
for.