Authentic Leadership – in times of AI this is even more relevant than ever. As a sales leadership coach and executive coach, one of my key mantras is about winning as a person and leading with being human. I call that ‘authentic leadership’. Particularly working with sales leaders, you will recognise that being authentic in the sales process leads to higher revenue growth due to stronger client relationships and greater trust between parties.
But what makes a leader authentic? Per definition, an authentic leader is someone who leads with integrity, self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EI). You wouldn’t be surprised to learn that I have been trained in EI and can assess EQ, the emotional quotient, which allows the measurement of EQ in individuals. When working with leaders, it allows to understand where they fall short of emotional intelligence and what coaching they need to become more authentic leaders.
But let’s start with self-awareness which is key to EI. Yet, when I say that, it is also the ‘outcome’ of mindfulness practise. Any leader that understands themselves, knows how they come across to others, has a certain amount of self-awareness. I would go as far as saying this is the fundamental need for any leader: Know who you are, what you stand for, and how you come across to others. NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) has some excellent exercises to foster self-awareness, so does EI and Mindfulness. When working with executives, getting them to journal is usually the first step – yes it seems like a simple tool but so effective to improve one’s self-awareness.
Let’s look at integrity as well. Integrity usually stems from being trusted by their peers and teams. Walk the talk and aligning their actions to their values. You wouldn’t believe how often I work with leaders only to discover they have never explored their values. So how can they be true to themselves and of course define values for a company? Whilst most maintain an ethical standard, it is important to show consistency even in difficult situations. Something we don’t necessarily see in politics today – but let’s not go off on that tangent at all.
Leaders are expected to stand for something real, showing vulnerability and being transparent in terms of what is going on with their feelings, and sharing their thoughts. There is an appreciation that sometimes leaders must hold information back for legal reasons, but the way they portrait themselves and the company needs to be transparent enough for employees to believe in the journey the company is on. A big part here is to create a culture of psychological safety, where anyone can express anything without the fear of being ‘shot down’. And don’t forget, the more of an open and trustworthy culture you create, the more motivated people become.
Another key factor for me is to consider authentic leadership around sustainability and long-term growth for the company. The purpose of the company should not focus on short term objectives and a quick sale. Build to last is a motto I’d subscribe to.
When you come across the term authentic leadership, there is a phrase that is often used: ‘relationship-driven leadership’. That means, leaders appreciate relationships they are building over profits. But here is the thing, building strong and trusting relationships with both internal customers, e.g. employees, and external customers, lead to higher engagement, better retention and higher contract values, fuelling the company performance.
To sum things up and come back to the ‘age of AI’ – and why it’s more important than ever to be an authentic leader. In the age of AI companies seem to be driven by efficiency and the idea that ‘machines can do anything for us’. However, the most successful leaders will be those that utilise AI for their business processes but at the same time foster trust, transparency and human connections, helping people to navigate technology changes, reducing staff anxiety and leading the transition. To achieve stronger relationships, increase innovation, foster resilience, and at the same time reduce stress and burnout, we need more emotionally intelligent leaders, as EI will outperform AI in the long run.
