Leading Beyond a Crisis, Part II: Why Authenticity Matters Now More Than Ever
No truth, no trust. No trust, no team.
Throughout this pandemic, leaders are on display. In organizations, cities, nations, or even families, the way leaders show up impacts those around them. We believe that authenticity in leadership has never been more critical. Over the past ten days, I witnessed examples of authentic leadership in two very different industries, large-scale financial services and high-growth healthcare. Both cases demonstrate the power of trust in calming fears and building hope, and ultimately, impacting individual and team performance.
Example #1: A female COO in financial services held her first town hall since the company began working remotely. On her webcam, while working from home, she led with a story about her own experiences, reinforcing that if she is struggling, she knows everyone else is. Examples of mac & cheese and chicken nugget lunches made her human. Strong statements about the performance of the organization and its commitment to major milestones made her credible. Delivering all messages in her dry, deadpan, succinct way made her authentic. What struck me most was her groundedness amidst the uncertainty. She was unwavering.
Example #2: A male CEO in health care led his team through a set of people actions in order to protect the long-term viability of the company. He opened up about his enduring hopes for the business, hopes he knew were shared by most. “We will emerge stronger than ever before” was the rallying cry and it came from the heart. His leadership team believed him and trusted him. As a united community of leaders, they executed their plan, remembering that while the context was different, their way of leading was the same: transparent, clear, and compassionate.
What does it mean to lead authentically?
To have your actions align with your words;
To be congruent (or reliable) in your behaviors, regardless of the situation;
To leverage your uniqueness to build trust.
Examples of authentic leadership abound as we learn how to lead with certainty in who we are and what we stand for in uncertain times when little is within our control. If you’re wondering how your organization is doing with authentic leadership communications, poll those you serve and ask them these five questions:
How connected do you feel to both the message and the messenger?
How well did we balance empathy with credibility?
What’s your level of confidence in how we came to our decisions?
Are you clear about the path forward, why, and our asks for you?
Did you receive the information you needed to do your job well?
As we wade through and eventually prepare to emerge from this pandemic, when it comes to leadership, most of us would trade wobbly and authentic for buttoned up and fake any day. Although there will be many new challenges to tackle, one good thing that will come from this season is our willingness to be and see each other as more human.
At Collective Confidence, we play the long game. We advocate for systemic change, accounting for internal and external factors impacting the organization now and over time.
Our clients hire us because they trust us to guide them through solving challenging people problems and building a culture that drives impact and amplifies what makes them unique.
We’d welcome the opportunity to be of service to you as you lead not just through, but beyond, the crisis. We are confident we can help. Send us a LinkedIn Message or connect with us at www.collectiveconfidence.com/contact.