Lisa Edwards
Clark College
According to a 2005 Gallup poll, only 16 percent of U.S. adults believed the honesty and ethical standards of business executives were high or very high. Today, this skepticism permeates the workplace and affects employees’ commitment to the leadership and focus an organization.
According to a 2005 Gallup poll, only 16 percent of U.S. adults believed the honesty and ethical standards of business executives were high or very high. Today, this skepticism permeates the workplace and affects employees’ commitment to the leadership and focus an organization.
Authentic leadership, a popular term, must be evident and demonstrated by executives for employees to buy in to the vision of the organization and commit to doing the work that will give the company a competitive advantage. To motivate and exact high performance, leaders must earn the trust, respect and loyalty of employees by demonstrating authentic leadership.
We have all heard the adage that there is no "I" in team. In actuality, there is a "me" in team, and the "what is in it for me" (WIFM) factor is present for every employee. A motivated and successful team is made up of individuals who have a clear understanding of what is in it for them. To answer the WIFM, executives need to be authentic. They need to know their employees, garner their trust and understand what motivates them.
Address the WIFM for employees by personalizing your organization. Executives must manage these one-on-one exchanges that build trust and loyalty over time if world class performance is to be achieved by the team. Purposefully interact one-on-one with employees, as face to face encounters build a bond.
Authentic leaders have also earned the trust of their employees. Do your employees trust you? If you can’t answer this question, then consider conducting a trust audit to assess the current level of trust in your team. Trust is a foundation for every functioning team as effective teams have a high level of trust, commitment and buy-in to the vision and direction of the organization.
To ensure that you have the foundation for forming the best teams in your organization, make authentic leadership required training for all employees. Start with building relationships and then you can add other training topics such as productivity measures and quality control.
So, how do you become an authentic leader? Here are some strategies to get you started:
Know yourself. Reacquaint yourself with your past, and the experiences that shaped you. Share these memories with others. Consider how others perceive you by soliciting honest feedback from colleagues, family and friends through 360 evaluations.
Know your staff. Familiarize yourself with people’s backgrounds, families and outside interests. Know your employees on a deeper level than their work responsibilities. Look for ways to remove barriers between yourself and others. Walk around the office, leave your door open and participate with staff in extracurricular activities or community service. Eat lunch in the lunchroom. Show that you are approachable, vulnerable and have weaknesses like everyone else.
Connect with all staff. Interact within all levels of the organization. Participate in activities and informal gatherings in each area of the organization. Spend a day working in another department to become more familiar with the work of your employees.
Honor and respect the values and customs of staff. Whether it is polar bear swim, a bowling team or annual community service at a local school, these traditions have been established by the employees and are an important stabilizing activity that they count on.
When authentic leadership exists in an organization, people cooperate in teams, demonstrate respect for one another, work harder and listen to each other. Employees are more apt to work hard for an authentic leader because they see themselves as valued members of a team. How do your employees see themselves? Are you an authentic leader?
Dr. Lisa Edwards is the Executive Dean of Workforce Development & Continuing Education at Clark College. Dr. Edwards actively works with the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council, the Columbia River Economic Development Council and the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and numerous businesses to be responsive to their needs.
