Core Concepts: The Self-Aware Leadership Compass #3 - AUTHENTICITY
Knowing Self-Aware Leadership Minimalistical
Hello KSKOers
Welcome to today’s Knowing Self-Aware Leadership minimalistical!
The first nine Knowing Self-Aware Leadership blog articles of 2025 are exclusive extracts from my book, The Self-Awareness Superhighway, focused on the nine directions of the self-aware leadership compass. Here’s the minimalistical all about authenticity. You can read the full article here
Looking forward to joining you on your learning journey!
Authenticity
“Authenticity is the alignment of head, mouth, heart, and feet – thinking, saying, feeling, and doing the same thing – consistently. This builds trust, and followers love leaders they can trust.”
Lance Secretan, as shared by Sarah Fisher, HR Business Consultant, on LinkedIn, May 2023
The nine core concepts from the article are:
Self-Awareness as the Foundation of Authenticity: Understanding your core values, strengths, weaknesses and personal principles is vital if you want to know who you really are
Authenticity and Reputation: Authenticity is about aligning your behaviour with your values to build trust and meaningful relationships. It’s not about oversharing or revealing every facet of your personality, indiscriminately.
Balance Between Authenticity and Adaptability: Leaders can embody different facets of their authentic selves depending on the context while still remaining true to their principles.
The Role of Reflection and Feedback: Self-awareness grows through reflection (self) and feedback (others). You need both introspection and introspection to give you a 360 degree view of your authentic self.
Authenticity and Trust: Trust in leadership is built on consistency, transparency, and alignment between your words and actions. Disingenuity erodes credibility in a heart beat.
Peeling Back Layers with Care: Leaders must strike a balance between sharing their authentic selves and maintaining professional boundaries to ensure emotional self-preservation.
Impact of Authentic Leadership on Organisations: An authentic leader fosters a healthy organisational climate, influencing both team trust and collective morale.
Relational Transparency: Authenticity requires openness in interactions with others, which builds trust and mutual understanding in relationships.
Authenticity as an Evolving Concept: Authenticity must be tailored to the workplace. It’s not about exaggerated individualism. It’s about aligning personal values with professional roles.
The Last Word
Authenticity in leadership is a dynamic balance of self-awareness, transparency and alignment with core values. It requires reflecting on who you are, adapting without compromising integrity, and building trust through consistent, meaningful actions. By fostering authentic relationships and maintaining professional boundaries, leaders can inspire trust, promote a positive organisational culture and remain true to themselves in an ever-evolving landscape.
Nia is an expert leader who talks the talk and walks the walk. She is an academically awarded thought leader in self-aware leadership and practices self-aware leadership every single day in her role as a Director in a Children’s Charity.
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