Disclaimer:
Lest I come across as someone who has not failed at being authentic, or always maintained the moral high ground, rest assured that I have disappointed many people over the years, and myself even more times. I am a work in progress. Much of the content below is drawn from my own experiences.

Some definitions of the word authentic are: genuine, not a copy, and of undisputed origin.
The fact is that, just as everyone has different fingerprints and different DNAs, we are all originals. There are no replicas of you or me. Each of us is individually designed and created for something special, for something that nobody else is quite able to do or achieve. Each of us is unique and has something unique to offer the world.
The opposite of authentic is fake or insincere. I would add pretentious to the list. I admit that these descriptions sum up the traits I dislike most in myself and my fellow man. I hope I am not alone here.

What I have learned is that sooner or later people who are not authentic are found out. Being authentic nurtures integrity. You do what you say you do or will do. You are the same in private and in public. I like my wife Inge’s current WhatsApp status which reads:
‘Integrity gives you real freedom because you have nothing to fear since you have nothing to hide.’
I am not suggesting that you must air everything you think, or that your dirty washing should be out there for all to see. Some stuff is between you and your creator, for you to deal with on your own, and should not be shared.

And so, we move from the philosophic to the physical world, more specifically the role of authenticity in leadership. One of the keys to being authentic is to know who we are, and to be comfortable with it. We need to like ourselves, but not to the point of vanity. This does not mean that we are absolved of change or improvement. It means knowing and acknowledging our strengths and our weaknesses. It means knowing where we are on our journey in business and in life. It means accepting that this how we were created, and this is the way we function. The trick is to discover how and when we function best. Whether we have charisma or great skills, long-term leadership and influence are built on character and trust, and the key requirement is authenticity.

People trust leaders who display authentic behaviour because their followers feel they can be trusted. Authenticity has value-based boundaries which are well defined and are not flexible. I can remember when I first started as an internal salesman in a rubber factory which manufactured a wide and fascinating range of products for industry, mining and automotive. I was the liaison between two divisions of the factory and customers. When I did not know the answer to something and promised to phone the customer back, I always found the information and called back as promptly as possible. This is one of my values. In this small way I built trust with my customers, and soon enough it came to the attention of my boss.

Authentic leaders want to add value to their environment, their company, and their team. This means putting others ahead of themselves and keeping the big picture in focus. Years later, as a small business owner and leader, I made sure that creditors and staff were paid before me. I did not transfer the risks of business ownership to my staff members. If a debtor was late in paying, it did not justify paying my employees less or late. I kept the big picture of where I wanted the company to go in mind, and this helped me absorb the ups and downs of business cycles. That was a value commitment which I kept, and it built valuable loyalty which paid multiple dividends over the following years. I instilled the same values and principles in my sales personnel, and that business experienced exceptional growth.
Authenticity means having a clear understanding of reality, facing facts head-on, and accepting them. This means removing both wishful thinking and living in denial, and may require making painful decisions, changing direction, taking corrective action, cutting our losses, and making any number of other minor or major strategic moves. Facing facts will invariably uncover areas which require some attention. Being authentic requires courage, both to act and to introspect. Authenticity means realising that we do not have all the answers, that we have blind spots, and we remain teachable.

Integrity in business may sometimes be inconvenient, but it has long term benefits which are always more valuable than short term gain. This is why it is important to have a value system which we are unwilling to compromise. I believe that what we compromise to gain, we lose anyway. Being authentic means remaining true to ourselves and to what we believe, for the duration. Temptations will come to take the ‘easy’ way out, but good character should prevail. It is impossible to be authentic or have integrity without a conscience and a degree of empathy.

Authentic leaders have a servant attitude not primarily aimed at personal enrichment. They don’t forget that their gifts, talents and abilities, whether it be as an artist, an engineering genius, or a wealth creator, are God-given and are not for their own exclusive use. Authentic leaders always want to make a difference and add value wherever they are, no matter at what stage of life they are at. They also realise that team building is essential if they are to reach their potential, and this includes bringing out the best in those around them.

All admired leaders in history transformed their own lives in order to transfer their values to others to help them, and thus became models for others to emulate. They encouraged people to create prosperity for future generations through lasting change, and although many of them were in the spotlight, that was not their ambition. Their real motive was to help people.

This is also our desire here at Accelerated Growth.
All our Mastermind programs are value-based and aim to propel your growth journey.
I invite you to navigate the website for program info and other thought-provoking articles.