Thoughts on Leading Authentically

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Authenticity = Good Leadership

Authenticity is key if you want to be a good leader, say Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden in their book Contented Cows Moove Faster. And how do you become authentic? Be honest, open and transparent, the authors say.

On the Contented Cow Blog (www.contentedcowblog.com), Catlette says he should have added that authentic leadersalso need to show genuine emotion.

“Let’s face it, workplaces can be emotional cauldrons, and as we all do, leaders experience the full range of emotion…anger, fear, joy, sorrow and beyond. And yes, there are times when it is best that we mask, or at least heavily regulate the expression of our true feelings.

“Take anger for example. There are those who maintain that it has no place in a manager’s repertoire. I disagree. Though it’s usually not helpful for us to add to the level of fear that already exists in the workplace by going ballistic, people don’t want to work for some soulless, passionless blob of Jell-O either. On the premise that people expect their leadersto be genuine (not perfect), an occasional brief, deliberate, and well controlled display of temper can sometimes be a good thing … damnit!”