Authentic leaders make themselves vulnerable. They value transparency and they connect with their teams. Authentic leaders understand that they must show up and be present in their leadership roles.
In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, we hear from Paula Brown Stafford and Lisa T. Grimes about the importance of authentic leadership. In their book, Remember Who You Are, they address the trifecta of success, fulfillment, and balance that each of us seeks.
Instead, we should seek to develop a self-awareness and define who we truly are.
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Authentic leaders are vulnerable.
Take responsibility when you make mistakes. If you aren’t making mistakes, you likely aren’t pushing the envelope enough.
Connect with your employees. Be human. Be willing to take a chance and put yourself out there. We often try to cover our insecurities instead of owning them. Share your adversity with your team.
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Authentic leaders are confident.
You will likely be asked to step into a role that feels foreign to you. Maybe you’re asked to be a sales leader despite the fact that others are better at sales.
Confidence develops around risk-taking, failure, and perseverance. When you take risks, fail, and then overcome those failures, you build confidence. Sometimes the person you must prove your abilities to is you.
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Authentic leaders differentiate themselves.
Find your calling card; something that sets you apart as unique, whether as a sales professional or a leader. Maybe it’s your love of hot sauce that clients remember.
Give people a way to connect with you.
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Authentic leaders develop self-awareness.
Be honest about your own struggles. If you tend to be defensive in meetings, write the letter “D” on a piece of paper every time you feel defensive. Trace it, rewrite it, decorate it, but don’t stop focusing on that letter until the moment passes in the meeting.
If you’re irritable, make it a letter “I.” Develop self-awareness, and then develop the discipline to address the things you need to fix.
Episode resources:
Learn more about the trifecta and about authentic leadership in Remember Who You Are, available at https://habergeon.com/book/.
“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”
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