How To Discover One's Authentic Leadership?

I wish to share a bit of knowledge I acquired while working on Life Thinking Paper. It is all about discovering one's authentic leadership. And, very similar seems to be the content of this article, Discovering Your Authentic Leadership, Harvard Business Review OnPoint (Dec 2008), to that of Stephen Covey's theses [7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit # 1, Habit #2].

No Barbie Model of Ideal Leader in the Markets

In the very start of this extremely well-researched article, a layman's approach to becoming a leader by merely imitating and following of them, their styles, characteristic, personalities is knocked out on the basis:

 "During the past 50 years, leadership scholars have conducted more than 1,000 studies in an attempt to determine the definitively styles, characteristics, or personality traits of great leaders. None of these studies has produced a clear profile of the ideal leader. Thanks goodness." Because, "no one can be authentic by trying to imitate someone else."

Learning from Life Story

The thing which I found as most fresh and authentic was the realization of the need for "Learning from Life Story". Perhaps that is why there's a question in LTP which asks us about our past. As the scholars wrote, "It is your personal narrative that matters, not the mere facts of your life. Your life narrative is like a permanent recording player in your head." In order to find our centers, interests, passions, motivations, what we're composed and best made up for till now - look back into your life's narrative, very closely. The most perilous and difficult days of your life can be the most trans formative events and motivations for your future success.

"Discover your inspiration directly from your life stories. The trans formative experiences in your life," concludes four scholars in this section of the article. These trans formative events had been for some leaders, interviewed for this article, worst sort of events. Yet, it was by the grace of such unbearable and painful events which made them up for what they are now.

Knowing Our Authentic Self

Then comes "Knowing Our Authentic Self" Which is: "as per 75 members of Stanford Graduate School of Business's Advisory Council (Probably Sir's institute), when asked to recommend the most important capability for leaders to develop, their answer was nearly unanimous: self- awareness." Self-exploration means by using our 'self-awareness (remember habit 1) constantly exploring our 'self'. Do our friends trust us? Am I empathic? and many of these questions need to be answered, constantly throughout life so as to 'overcome blind spots." Nut a research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Nov 2008, points out that self-assessment of behaviours isn't the perfect perspective, rather no single perspective is best. So where do we stand?

"David Pottruck, former CEO of Charles Schwab... had great energy for work. He believed, "I thought my accomplishments would speak for themselves." Pottruck was shocked when his boss told him, "Dave, your colleagues do not trust."

This example highlights the need of empathic listening and seeing our behaviours from other perspectives as well. We usually deny for our mistakes. And this blind spot can only spotted well if we are able to get fresh criticisms from a circle of our close friends and family members. they'll help you know better your authentic self.

Practice Your Values and Principles

"...Even if your life hangs in balance." This is the price of authentic leadership we are to pay.

Integrate Your Life: A Life of Balance

And in the end, as Covey says, integrate your life. I liked a very beautiful expression of this principle in the article, it says:

"Think of your life as a house, with a bedroom for your personal life, a study for your professional life, a family room for your family, and a room to share with your friends. Can you knock down the walls between these rooms and be the same person in each of them."

Think about it...

Please do share if you were not able to understand any point, I'll try to explain it in the strict light of the article. I expanded my perceptions!!

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Note: All references are made from HBR OnPoint, Dec 2008, Discovering Your Authentic Leadership. By, Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean and Diana Mayer.