Why Being Authentic and Bold is the Only Winning Combination in Leadership

“Freedom lies in being bold.” — Robert Frost
This quote sums it up so well. Nothing is as liberating as being authentic — and unabashed version of yourself.
Now imagine if we could do that at work.
Not only is it liberating, but the increase in each individual’s value-add would grow exponentially not to mention the positive impact on employee engagement.
No, wait — we can’t. We are expected to behave, dress, talk, and speak a certain way as a “leader” or aspiring leader. But is that really the way it needs to be?
I say “No!” And here’s why.
Let’s first breakdown what leadership is not, and what it is. Then we can define Bold Leadership.
Leadership is not:
*Hierarchical or Seniority-based
*Based on personal attributes (charismatic, domineering, etc.)
*Management (Managers manage things and sometimes people, but they aren’t always Leaders)
“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” — Andrew Carnegie
The Merriam Webster definition of Leadership is: (noun) the action of leading a group of people or an organization. I personally like author Kevin Kruse’s definition of Leadership best — a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.
Based on this definition, Leadership is:
*Social influence, not authority or power
*Requires others, meaning it requires a team to be an effective leader (note: they don’t have to be direct reports)
*Has nothing to do with personality traits, attributes, or even a title
*Not cookie cutter
*Goal-oriented
This is awesome and if all organizations and employees would take this to heart the workplace would be an entirely different experience. However, I say it’s not good enough.
I want to take it a step further.
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” — Warren Bennis
Yes, I agree!
Not only because he is a widely regarded pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership studies, but because I have seen this in my own 20+ years of experience first-hand.
Bold Leaders have the courage to bring their authentic self to work and leverage their personal story, personality, passion, perceptions and pedigree to add value. And the very successful ones know when, how much, and how to enroll others (I.e. employee engagement) to build momentum toward their vision and goals.
It’s only with the complete story and an authentic, bold approach that real change and innovation can happen.
Bold Leaders are:
*Confident
*Decisive
*Accountable
*Rapport savvy
*Opportunistic in business
*Change agents
*Visionary
*Fearless
*Dedicated
*Collaborative team players
*Customer or Client focused
What value do you see bold leadership bringing to your organization? What has been your experience with bold leaders? Share your experience here in the comments.
About the author: Kendra Dahlstrom is a Bold Leadership Catalyst, Author, Coach, and Consultant. A former Executive in the Silicon Valley, she now works with organizations and individuals across the world to help them transform into bold leaders and empowered cultures.