4/4/2016
BEING AN AUTHENTIC
LEADER
MICHELLE POOLE & AMY WOLFGANG
LEADERSHIP
“Leadership is both a very private and public journey. It is
private because it requires personal transformation. It is public
because leaders have to learn out loud.” Bill Adams
1
4/4/2016
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
‣ Learn what authentic leadership means
‣ Understand the 3 components of authenticity
‣ Identify the barriers of authentic leadership
‣ Understand the benefits & how authenticity relates to
leadership effectiveness
LEADING AUTHENTICALLY
‣What does it mean to lead authentically?
‣ Being true to yourself; doing & saying what you truly believe
‣ Being honest, ethical
‣ Following through, especially with tough trade-offs
‣ Take tough stands, bring up the “un-discussables”
‣ Share the struggle and the risks with your people
‣ Empowering employees
2
4/4/2016
LEADING AUTHENTICALLY
‣ Guided by compassion and heart in everything they do
‣ Being open with others
‣ Consistent with personality and core values
‣ Being yourself
‣ Not having to take on the “tough guy” persona
WHY AUTHENTICITY IS NECESSARY
‣ Connection with workforce
‣ Builds trust, respect, enthusiasm
‣ EQ accounts for 58% of performance in all job types
‣ Emotional beings 1st, thinking beings 2nd
‣ Feeling machines that think; not thinking machines that feel
3
4/4/2016
BRENE BROWN, PHD
‣ Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of
Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the
past 13 years studying vulnerability, courage, and shame.
‣ Author of three #1 New York Times Bestsellers: Rising
Strong, Daring Greatly and The Gifts of Imperfection.
‣ Founder and CEO of The Daring Way and Courageworks
‣ 2010 TEDx Houston talk, The Power of Vulnerability, is one of
the top 5 most viewed TED talks; 25 million viewers.
WHAT IS AUTHENTICITY?
‣True to one's own personality, spirit, or character
4
4/4/2016
AUTHENTICITY
‣The daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re
supposed to be and embracing who we are.
Choosing authenticity means:
‣ Cultivating the courage to be imperfect, to set boundaries,
and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable
‣ Exercising the compassion that comes from knowing that
we are all made of strength and struggle
‣ Nurturing the connection and sense of belonging that can
only happen when we believe that we are enough
The Path to Being an Authentic Leader - Courage, Compassion
‣A
and Connection
‣B
‣C
‣D
5
4/4/2016
COURAGE
‣ What does it mean to be a courageous leader?
‣"To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart."
‣ Ordinary courage is the willingness to be vulnerable; to
navigate uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure
SENTENCE STEM EXERCISE
6
4/4/2016
MYTHS OF VULNERABILITY
‣Myth #1: Vulnerability is weakness.
‣Vulnerability is actually courage.
‣Myth #2: I can opt out of vulnerability.
‣To be human is to be vulnerable.
‣Myth #3: Vulnerability is oversharing.
‣Oversharing often disconnects or connects superficially.
Vulnerability is sharing with the intention to connect.
‣Myth #4: I can go it alone.
‣We romanticize the idea that we can do even vulnerability
alone. The point is to connect.
COMPASSION
‣ Compassion is a feeling
‣ Empathy is the skill that conveys compassion
‣ Empathy is the anecdote to shame that fuels connection
7
4/4/2016
WE ARE NOT IN IT TO FIX IT
ATTRIBUTES OF EMPATHY
‣Staying out of judgment
‣Taking the other’s perspective
‣Understanding the emotion you are hearing
‣Communicating our understanding about the emotion
‣Practicing mindfulness
8
4/4/2016
EXERCISE: WHAT DOES EMPATHY LOOK LIKE?
BARRIERS TO EMPATHY
‣ Confusing sympathy with empathy
‣ Feeling sorry for them rather than feeling with them
‣ Seeking sympathy
‣ Seeking validation for having unique pain
‣ Stacking the deck
‣ ‘One-upping’
‣ Failing to dig deep
‣ Thinking that shame is a good way to control behavior
9
4/4/2016
“Connection is the energy that is created between people
when they are seen, heard and valued – when they can give
and receive without judgement.” – Brene’ Brown
STRATEGIES OF DISCONNECTION
‣ Moving away – Withdrawing, hiding, silencing ourselves, and
keeping secrets
‣ Moving toward – Seeking to appease and please
‣ Moving against – Trying to gain power over others, being
aggressive, and using shame to fight shame
10
4/4/2016
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
AUTHENTICITY LEADS TO
‣ Respect
‣ Community
‣ Positive Relationships
‣ Humanity in the workplace
‣ Energy
‣ Organizational Change
‣ Leadership Effectiveness
11
4/4/2016
BRINGING IT FULL CIRCLE
NEXT STEPS
‣ In what ways am I already an authentic leader?
‣ In what ways can I improve as an authentic leader?
‣ What is keeping me from being an authentic leader?
‣ How important is authenticity to me as a leader?
‣ What is one behavior I am going to start or stop in the next 30
days to lead more authentically?
12
4/4/2016
BEING AN AUTHENTIC LEADER
Q&A
THANK YOU!
MICHELLE POOLE & AMY WOLFGANG
‣ [email protected]
Body Level One
‣ [email protected]
Body Level Two
‣ www.coaching4good.com
Body Level Three
‣ @coachwolfgang
Body Level Four
‣ Body Level Five
“What if I fail? Oh but my darling, what if you fly?” – Erin Hanson
13