I remember attending a leadership transformation programme in the mid 1990’s where we explored our authentic styles as leaders and how powerful authenticity could be as a driver for organisational change.

As with many others on the programme, I then felt the disappointment of bringing my newly discovered authentic leadership to the workplace only to find it didn’t ‘fit’ with the dominant leadership culture. Being told “that’s not how we do things round here” made me wonder why on earth this programme had been funded.

Who thought it would be a good idea to develop authentic leaders and then tell them they weren’t welcome?

I’m sure someone thought it was a good idea but the result was maybe not quite what they had in mind. A group of disgruntled and disengaged leaders quietly tried to stifle their newly found authenticity before leaving for pastures new. Not quite a mass exodus but certainly a loss to the organisation in more ways than one.

Fast forward to the mid-2000s and I’m there again. Another transformational leadership programme, another affirmation of my natural leadership style, loads of great feedback from the team I led. This would be different I thought, only to realise that those at the very top of the hierarchy didn’t really want ‘different’ and only “mini-me’s” would do for them.

I’m not sure this was the final straw but it was pivotal in my decision to leave and set up my own business. I’d had enough of being told:

• My way wouldn’t work.
• My way was wrong.
• My way was weird.
• My way was not ‘proper’ leadership.

After working as an independent coach for over 12 years now, I’ve come to realise that leadership transformation programmes aren’t enough. You can’t connect someone with their genuine, natural leadership style and expect them to implement this without cultural change within the organisation to support this.

I’ve also come to realise that authentic leadership isn’t enough. Most of the programmes focus on leadership but the power of authenticity isn’t derived from your leadership awareness or skills. The power of authenticity is rooted in YOU.

And guess what?

You don’t need to develop an authentic approach to being you.

You are already your authentic self.

You always have been.

The biggest challenge we face in life is being told we need to be something else, someone else. This can lead us to forget who we really are.

To be an effective leader you don’t need a programme, a course, a workshop on authenticity. You might just need a reminder about who you are and give yourself permission to live in alignment with you.

Note the distinction in that last sentence. I didn’t say “give yourself permission to lead in alignment with you.” I said “live in alignment with you.”

When you live in alignment with your natural self, it follows that this will flow into every aspect of your life…and work. Living your genuine life precludes you from leading in any other way because it stops you from living in any other way.

So where do you start if you’ve lost touch with you?

You start with a reconnection. Your values, your beliefs, your purpose, your aspirations. If you want to get really deep, it can even include the meaning of life.

This is why when I work with the leaders one of the first things we do is a value exercise. It’s a great place to start and reconnects you with your inner navigator. Who?

Your inner navigator is the voice who steers you in the right direction.

The voice who says, “this feels like the way forward”.

The voice who says, “this doesn’t feel like the right place for me”.

Your values are your absolute guidance system and will tell you more than anything else whether you’re in the right place and headed in the right direction.

Authentic leadership might be outdated but 2025 is very much present. If you’re not sure how to navigate the year ahead with clarity and confidence then its time to remember what you may have forgotten…

…your values are with you always, if you’ve lost sight of them make 2025 the year of your most valuable reconnection.

Happy New Year

Yours valuably

Tracey
Coach, Therapist, Supervisor, Author and, most importantly, Values-led human being

www.traceyhartshorn.co.uk

Check out my Substack page to see more of my creative writing  https://traceyhartshorn.substack.com/