“The first responsibility of a leader is to define what can be. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor.”
-Max DePree
People long for leaders they can trust, leaders who are authentic. These are the men and women who are willing to be real, who are willing to come alongside others and influence, empower, and encourage. Authenticity in leadership enables you to understand and feel the struggles of those who work for you.
Remember, leadership is about the people you lead, it is not about you!
Two questions to help you examine yourself:
1. As a leader, what does grace enable me to be?
2. Why does this organization need me?
Grace – a sense balanced perspective and a self-knowledge of what is right and proper builds authenticity. Grace enables you to admit: I am not perfect; I am here to help you succeed.
When we learn to share small pieces of ourselves, our wisdom and our mistakes, we then extend trust and authenticity to others. Sharing ourselves enables others not to feel so alone, and thus helps remove obstacles that limit productivity, communication, and trust. Sharing pieces of ourselves brings credibility.
Self awareness, trust, and communication are critical precursors for any successful organizational change. When openness and trust are extended a greater willingness to communicate about feelings and about problems will ensue.
Always strive to maintain open communication and authentic dialog in your day-to-day conversations with those around you. Remember, we can’t change others we only have control over ourselves, so we need to be conscious of how we verbally are acting, or re-acting.
Building trust comes from listening first, then focusing on how to help. Sometimes this will mean our opinions or fantastic ideas really don’t matter. What does matter is creating ownership and confidence in those who are doing the work—your direct reports. Helping these people develop their best ideas and applications will build a stronger workforce and will also make you a more respected and influential leader.
Before blaming or disciplining others, first scrutinize your own performance and contributions. You might find that you are consistently micromanaging, overriding or disrespecting the very people you are trying to influence. As a leader, please make sure to keep your ego in check!
Workers are successful when leaders have these three characteristics:
- Properly equip workforce
- The ability to pick the right people for the job
- Model confidence and optimism
Look at the leadership responsibilities named above and ask yourself these important questions:
- Proper equipping – Are you equipping your workforce with the tools and support they need to be productive and successful?
- Do you make sure they have the training necessary for the job?
- Do you communicate when work is done well?
- Does your workforce know that you are there for them if they need you?
Authenticity coupled with grace lets you bring your best self to the work that you do. And grace coupled with competence, character, and intent will bring positive and productive results. Leaders who provide the necessary support and who have confidence in their people, will find that as trust increases - results will follow.
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