"Discovering Your Authentic Leadership"

B. George, P. Sims, A. McLean, and D. Mayer

Harvard Business Review

February 2007, pp. 129-138

The authors remind us that "Authentic leaders demonstrate a passion for their purpose, practice their values consistently, and lead with their hearts as well as their heads. They establish long-term, meaningful relationships and have the self-discipline to get results. They know who they are."

To further pursue this concept, 125 leaders were interviewed to see how they became and remained authentic leaders (They were chosen for the study based on their reputation for authenticity and effectiveness as leaders). The authors found no universal traits, styles, skills, or characteristics. What they did find was that the journey to authentic leadership begins with "understanding the story of your life." Most of these stories involved overcoming difficult experiences, and using these experiences to understand who they were at their core. They also discovered that being authentic made them more effective as leaders.

The most common themes from the interviews of how to become an authentic leader were:

• Learn from your life story
• Know your authentic self
• Practice your values and principles
• Balance your extrinsic and intrinsic motivations
• Build a support team
• Integrate your life by staying grounded
• Empower people to lead

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