• Blog
  • About Me
  • Snap
  • Contact
Menu

snap.leadership | by Mark Gilroy

Blogging about the world of leadership, learning, development, coaching, and life at work
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Snap
  • Contact
×

The problem with authenticity

Mark Gilroy January 29, 2016

Leadership feels awkward sometimes. There's a strange paradox in wanting to be seen as 'authentic', whilst needing to behave in ways that don't always feel like they're really you.

Advancing in our careers requires all of us to move outside of our comfort zones. Yet, at the same time, those advances sometimes trigger a strong urge to protect our identities. That urge often arises out of fear - what if we don't perform well or measure-up in a new setting?

For me, leadership is a bit like a pair of new shoes. It's something that needs to be tried on, maybe one foot at a time. They might need adjusting, through a bit of trial and error, to expand what feels comfortable. But sometimes we can stretch those shoes a little too far, or too fast - it's always important to leave room for the fact that some might not enjoy wearing leadership.

The words 'authenticity' and 'leadership' have become intertwined in recent years. In fact, since 2008 the number of articles that mention the word authenticity in headlines has risen dramatically:

Source: New York Times, Financial Times, Washington Post, Economist, Forbes, Wall Street Journey, Harvard Business Review (HBR.org)

Source: New York Times, Financial Times, Washington Post, Economist, Forbes, Wall Street Journey, Harvard Business Review (HBR.org)

Whilst I understand what's intended, I do have an issue with the semantics. 

In her book 'Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader', Herminia Ibarra presents three potential definitions of authenticity, and the problems that each pose:

Source:  Hermina Ibarra

Source: Hermina Ibarra

I imagine most would characterise authenticity as 'behaving the way you always have' - but for me that equation doesn't quite add-up. To survive in a modern workplace, emotional and political sensitivity must act as filters which sometimes hold us back from being our authentic selves. I hold all kinds of hopes, fears and opinions that are entirely authentic to me, but which would undoubtedly damage my leadership effectiveness if shared them all with my team. I have a coach for that!

There's also a huge piece around cultural awareness - my version of comfortable/known/authentic leadership in my culture might be entirely unacceptable in other cultures. 

So, what can we do about this?

Hermina Ibarra presents three situations that offer a way to grapple with authenticity : 

1 . Set goals for learning, not performance

Setting goals in a different way gives us permission to experiment with our identities without feeling like frauds, because we know we don't need to get it 100% right from the start. In this mindset we can start exploring what kind of leader we might become, whilst not seeking to protect our comfortable selves from threats.

2. Learn from diverse role models

Don't just assimilate one person's leadership style - borrow approaches from many diverse role models. As the playright Wilson Mizner says:

Copying one author is plagiarism, but copying many is research.

 

3. Don't stick to "your story"

Many of us have a strong narrative showcasing defining moments where we pick up important lessons. I blogged about some of mine here. Sometimes we allow the mental models from those narratives to guide us, without remembering that they can become outdated and occasionally need clearing-out. Try out new stories about yourself, and keep editing them.

Scores of leadership articles demand that we start our leadership journeys with a clear sense of our identity. In order to be the most honest, coherent, and value-based leader, I believe that your leadership identity can (and should) evolve, every time a significant change is made.

In Leadership, Coaching Tags career, leadership, feedback, development, culture, values, authenticity
← Keeping an eye on things that move slowly - the importance of pace layersLeadership lessons on legs - searching for wisdom in Vietnam →

Sign up to receive news and updates

I respect your privacy. You’ll only receive emails about new/upcoming blog posts.

No spam. Ever.

Thank you!

Search Posts

  • Coaching
  • Leadership
  • Musings
  • Podcast
  • Resilience
  • Reviews
  • Team Development
  • Technology at Work

Archive

  • December 2018
    • Dec 14, 2018 Behavioural economics : what's it got to do with L&D? Dec 14, 2018
  • November 2018
    • Nov 27, 2018 Podcast : Play, games and wellbeing Nov 27, 2018
    • Nov 5, 2018 Podcast : Value through vulnerability Nov 5, 2018
  • July 2018
    • Jul 6, 2018 Podcast : The impact of social technology on wellbeing and resilience Jul 6, 2018
    • Jul 3, 2018 Be the grit you wish to see in the world Jul 3, 2018
  • May 2018
    • May 31, 2018 Podcast : Emotion at Work - anniversary special May 31, 2018
  • March 2018
    • Mar 21, 2018 The Not-To-Do List Mar 21, 2018
    • Mar 6, 2018 Podcast : Talking about optimism Mar 6, 2018
  • February 2018
    • Feb 26, 2018 How is virtual learning like running an airline? Feb 26, 2018
  • December 2017
    • Dec 20, 2017 Emotional literacy - how important are emojis? Dec 20, 2017
  • November 2017
    • Nov 19, 2017 Talent : time for a rebrand? (#DISRUPTHRMCR session) Nov 19, 2017
    • Nov 7, 2017 Book review: Coaching for Innovation: Tools and Techniques for Encouraging New Ideas in the Workplace Nov 7, 2017
  • October 2017
    • Oct 6, 2017 One hundred percent solitude Oct 6, 2017
  • September 2017
    • Sep 2, 2017 12 recommended podcasts for learning & development practitioners and coaches Sep 2, 2017
  • August 2017
    • Aug 3, 2017 Creating virtual learning environments - four classic mistakes and how to avoid them Aug 3, 2017
  • June 2017
    • Jun 14, 2017 Robots, emotions and kung fu Jun 14, 2017
  • May 2017
    • May 9, 2017 How to read 10 books in a day May 9, 2017
  • April 2017
    • Apr 6, 2017 The Healthy Learning Platter Apr 6, 2017
  • March 2017
    • Mar 31, 2017 Creating alternate realities Mar 31, 2017
  • February 2017
    • Feb 17, 2017 Is personality a myth? Feb 17, 2017
    • Feb 10, 2017 5 things I love about journaling with the Day One app Feb 10, 2017
  • January 2017
    • Jan 17, 2017 Let it go Jan 17, 2017
    • Jan 3, 2017 Big Questions (part 1) Jan 3, 2017
  • December 2016
    • Dec 2, 2016 Emotion, authenticity, deception and credibility Dec 2, 2016
  • November 2016
    • Nov 29, 2016 A deception epidemic - why do we lie? Nov 29, 2016
  • October 2016
    • Oct 31, 2016 Reclaiming email Oct 31, 2016
  • September 2016
    • Sep 29, 2016 Everyday leadership Sep 29, 2016
  • June 2016
    • Jun 22, 2016 Errors of prospection - why it's hard to think realistically about the future Jun 22, 2016
    • Jun 17, 2016 How to build better habits : 4 amazing apps and 1 great technique Jun 17, 2016
  • February 2016
    • Feb 26, 2016 Digital mindfulness - making the case for single-tasking Feb 26, 2016
    • Feb 17, 2016 Keeping an eye on things that move slowly - the importance of pace layers Feb 17, 2016
  • January 2016
    • Jan 29, 2016 The problem with authenticity Jan 29, 2016
  • December 2015
    • Dec 15, 2015 Leadership lessons on legs - searching for wisdom in Vietnam Dec 15, 2015
  • November 2015
    • Nov 27, 2015 7 transformative tips to stop email taking over your world Nov 27, 2015
    • Nov 5, 2015 What can 4-year-olds teach us about teamwork? Nov 5, 2015
  • October 2015
    • Oct 19, 2015 "Three feet from gold" - maintaining integrity in the face of failure Oct 19, 2015
    • Oct 6, 2015 3 outstanding apps for modern mindfulness practice Oct 6, 2015
    • Oct 1, 2015 The dark side of leadership Oct 1, 2015
  • September 2015
    • Sep 22, 2015 The power of multiple networks Sep 22, 2015
    • Sep 18, 2015 5 neuroscience nuggets from the world of positive psychology Sep 18, 2015
  • August 2015
    • Aug 20, 2015 Great expectations Aug 20, 2015
  • July 2015
    • Jul 30, 2015 Do we sometimes pretend to be busy? Jul 30, 2015
    • Jul 21, 2015 The Apple Watch review that I nearly didn't write Jul 21, 2015
    • Jul 16, 2015 Crisis : what happens when the boat starts sinking? Jul 16, 2015
    • Jul 8, 2015 Small giants - choosing 'great' over 'big' Jul 8, 2015
  • June 2015
    • Jun 30, 2015 What shaped me Jun 30, 2015
    • Jun 22, 2015 6.2 good things from #CIPDNAP15 conference Jun 22, 2015
    • Jun 16, 2015 4 things I've learned after 3 years attending the CIPD NAP conference Jun 16, 2015
    • Jun 12, 2015 5 key reasons why psychometrics could start transforming your coaching conversations Jun 12, 2015
    • Jun 6, 2015 3 winning ways to develop resilient teams Jun 6, 2015
    • Jun 4, 2015 The beginning... Jun 4, 2015
 

Twitter feed

  • What are the “everyday outbursts” that happen in your team/organisation? These can be helpful to focus on culture i… https://t.co/TiduyR18ni
    about 13 hours ago
  • Helga Moss from @InfoMattilsynet talking about procuring external consultants to help deliver leadership developmen… https://t.co/FkD1VW0FuP
    about 13 hours ago
  • RT @TMSDI: “If you want to change the control span of the organisation, you need to first focus on leadership culture.”… https://t.co/WtqCkpUQZe
    about 13 hours ago
  • RT @TMSDI: Helga talking about mapping the Types of Work Model to implementing strategy and adapting to ‘mega trends’.… https://t.co/Qztt7Ln3GJ
    about 13 hours ago
  • “Walking around the wheel of quality” with Helga Moss of @InfoMattilsynet #TMSDINorge19 https://t.co/pHGjxxctRS
    about 13 hours ago
  • We’re in Oslo today working with some of our TMS practitioners - helping support their practice and make new connec… https://t.co/AHIvArVOSv
    about 13 hours ago
  • RT @TMSDI: Groups discussing the research data #TMSDINorge2019 https://t.co/9l1cXz7FlL
    about 13 hours ago
  • RT @TMSDI: Debating whether to make research information available before or after a team event #TMSDINorge2019 https://t.co/n82thpLNS6
    about 13 hours ago
  • RT @TMSDI: We’re in Oslo this week delivering a #TeamManagementProfile accreditation and a special Discovery Event for our pra… https://t.co/jdh7rR2l2b
    about a day ago
  • Mark’s Monday Fact: Harvard Business Review recommends relocating to a rainy climate to improve productivity. Sunny… https://t.co/FgWvj67Q6Q
    about 2 days ago

© 2015-2018 www.snap-leadership.com. All rights reserved.

Powered by Squarespace