This article by Dr. Cheri Rainey was originally posted on Forbes.com here.
We often discuss values-centered leadership, but it’s essential to specify what those values are. I believe authentic leaders embody the “trust and inspire” style of leadership popularized by Stephen Covey, the author. They navigate the healthy tension between relationships and results. They genuinely care about the people they manage and recognize when they need to coach others to address errors or improve performance.
Authentic Leadership Strategies
#1 Do regular mirror work
We’re all human, and we all have blind spots. It’s our responsibility as leaders to build our self-awareness so we can identify and limit our blind spots. The more you develop your own self-awareness, the more you can relate to others—helping you make better connections and decisions.
Utilize self-reflection, also known as mirror work, to gain a deeper understanding of yourself. You’ll learn something every time you take a self-assessment, whether it’s focused on your behavior, values or personality. Ask others for regular feedback. Don’t wait until a formal performance review or mission debrief; instead, take action now. Normalize giving and receiving feedback on your team to decrease defensiveness and increase self-confidence.
#2 Treat Others With Respect
When you cultivate an environment of mutual respect and compassionate accountability, you see a positive ripple effect. You seek to understand others, leading with curiosity, asking thoughtful questions and genuinely listening. They develop their own judgment and agency, learning to make more effective decisions and becoming stronger leaders in the process.
Take time every day to connect with others on your team. Ask how they’re doing and what’s going on with them. Even a brief hallway chat or check-in before a virtual call can go a long way in connecting and building rapport.
#3 Behave Consistently With Your Values
Actions speak louder than words. In times of stress, it’s easy to revert to most comfortable behaviors, even if they don’t serve you. You need to be intentional about practicing the actions you want to become your default. Every repetition helps strengthen your neuroplasticity and create positive neural pathways.
Pay attention to your actions to notice when you’re behaving in alignment with your values—and when you stray from them. I recently made a mistake in this area that reminded me of my own ongoing learning. A participant in one of my trainings gave a presentation that contained inaccuracies. If I had practiced my own teachings in that moment, I would have given him credit for his effort but respectfully asked follow-up questions. But I reacted with impatience and irritation, which I immediately regretted. Even though I’ve apologized to him publicly and am working to repair our relationship, I’m still struggling to learn from the experience and not dwell on it.
#4 Foster Trust Intentionally
High-trust work environments consistently yield positive outcomes, including enhanced financial performance, increased employee retention and increased innovation. Stephen Covey’s research-based approach, which I use with my coaching clients, supports improving trust to strengthen teamwork, efficiency, communication and productivity.
Look for small ways to develop and practice trust every single day. Show your team that you trust yourself and you trust them to model the behavior you want to see.
#5 Embrace Personal Accountability
Being credible and responsible means keeping your word and following through on your promises in a timely manner. Remember that leaders grow other leaders. Your team learns by emulating your actions. Foster healthy self-esteem, and increase your confidence in your judgment and decision-making capabilities. Prove to your team that they can trust your credibility and competence and follow in your footsteps.
#6 Admit When You’re Wrong
Leaders are human, and humans are fallible. Accept that you will make missteps, and use them as opportunities to share the lessons you’ve learned with others. Intellectual humility, or open-mindedness, is directly associated with better judgment and decision making, according to research from Duke University.
#7 Right the Wrong
Apologizing is a good start toward righting a wrong, but you also need to take action that goes beyond words. Demonstrate that you can walk your talk.
Invest in the emotional bank account you have with each team member before conflict arises. Research from the Gottman Institute indicates that the “magic ratio” in relationships is approximately five positive to one negative interaction. Catch people doing things well, and express your appreciation for their effort and focus whenever you can.
#8 Practice Self-Forgiveness
The foundation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is that your thoughts influence your feelings, which affect your behaviors. And when brain cells fire together, they wire together. When you repeat negative, self-critical thoughts, they become stronger. You use your valuable resources to build up resistant energy, ultimately slowing down healing and keeping you feeling stuck. However, when you intentionally choose self-compassionate and forgiving thoughts, you reinforce thoughts, feelings and actions that promote greater caring, connection and authenticity.
Be kind to yourself as you practice this imperfectly. I coach my clients to do this work every day—and I still have trouble practicing it myself sometimes. Keep going.
#9 Operate From A Growth Mindset
A growth mindset—believing that you can develop your intelligence and abilities with effort—is associated with increased resilience, performance and creative problem-solving. A fixed mindset, on the other hand, can significantly limit your success, happiness and well-being. Acknowledge and encourage effort and intention in yourself and others, regardless of the outcomes. Give generous credit for moving forward and building momentum. “Not yet” is a powerful phrase; you may not have done something yet, but you will.
#10 Prioritize Succession Planning And Learning
Short-term execution and long-term planning can often pull you in opposite directions. Make space to zoom out and look at the big picture for your organization. To achieve your goals and build the following line of leaders, you must sustain an organizational culture rooted in a growth mindset.
Treat learning, professional development and succession planning as business-critical strategies. Authentic, caring leaders grow other leaders who make a difference and learn to balance healthy relationships with results. This approach creates an environment where individuals, communities and organizations can thrive.
Stay tuned for more insights and tips on leadership development in future blog posts. Until next time, keep leading with purpose and passion!
Are you working on your leadership skills? Contact us about leadership training that can advance your career and business.
Dr. Cheri Rainey is the CEO/Founder of Rainey Leadership Learning, partnering with leaders to support the entire employee life cycle.