Authenticity

Since attending Cisco Live 2015 I have been on a journey to define what Guillermo Diaz called “Authentic Leadership”.  Talking with friends, colleagues and reading books I am starting to get a feel for what this really means.

Leading Authentically seems to come from a deep understanding of who you are and finding a way to remain true to yourself.  We are all shaped by our experiences… good, bad or indifferent, but the important part is how we define these experiences.

The good times in our lives are generally easy, reshaping seems appropriate and it is welcomed.  When you have a child, or get a promotion there are a new set of expectations placed on you, both internal and external.  Typically we don’t buck at these defining moments in our lives and we greet them with open arms.

No one’s life however is without struggle, pain and frustration.  In these instances it can be more difficult to see the good that comes from a bad situation.  I have been blessed to have such great friends and mentors in my life to help me through these times.  At one point, while enlisted in the US Air Force I received a new supervisor.  This person was rude for the sake of being rude, no work provided was ever sufficient and he did everything he could to make my life difficult.  Venting to a good friend of mine, he explained that I was lucky to have such a difficult boss.  That I was getting a crash course in how not to lead.  Years later, I realized he was right, I took that knowledge and experience and do not make the same mistakes with the people who work for me.  From that day forward I was able to see that every experience, good or bad is an opportunity to learn… it’s all in my perspective.

While I still have a lot more thinking to do on this topic, it seems to me that Authenticity at it’s root is about knowing yourself, transforming negative experiences into positive defining moments and having an anchor point to go back to when you get too far off track from who you are.