Studies show that women are naturally better at things like empathy, building relationships and collaboration. What’s interesting is that these skills and values actually make for a more effective leader. All too often I see women leaders trying to suppress these natural, innate qualities because we are trying to mold ourselves after traditional models of leadership. It’s not surprising that women leaders shy away from our natural gifts. The leaders we see in our organizations often create a picture in our minds of what we think leadership should look like and feel like.
In one of my favorite leadership books, “Mastering Leadership”, the authors define authenticity as Courage (the willingness to bring up difficult issues and engage them in a great way) and Integrity (embodying our values by walking the walk). These two things, Courageous Authenticity and Integrity are highly correlated to leadership effectiveness and business performance. They are two things that are crucial for leaders and organizations to be successful. When women leaders try to mold themselves into what they think a leader should be, rather than embracing their natural gifts and strengths and leading in a way that is authentic to them, they step out of Integrity and Authenticity. When we step out of Integrity and Authenticity it actually makes us less effective and impactful leaders.
The most effective and impactful leaders are the ones who have the courage to speak the truth, even when it feels uncomfortable or hard; they have integrity and hold to their values; they are willing to have the hard conversations that are required if we want to transform our teams, our organizations and our world. If our women leaders don’t have the courage to embrace their natural gifts and values; if they aren’t willing to speak up for what they believe in; it puts everything at risk.
It takes a lot of courage to break the mold of leadership and lead in a way that is authentic to you, but it’s what the world desperately needs. We can’t change the landscape of business and leadership unless we start having the courage to be who we really are. We have to be willing to speak up and put things out on the table if we want to effect change. As leaders, we can choose comfort or courage, but we can’t have both. Authentic and courageous leadership is absolutely necessary if we want to transform our organizations and make an impact on our world.
What natural gifts have you been suppressing because you thought it didn’t fit the traditional mold of leadership?
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