How to be an Instinctive and Authentic Leader

Having a job doesn’t mean you can create a good outcome. Anyone can be self-serving and power-hungry. Authentic leadership inspires trust in others, by leading in service, from a passionate belief in something…

Most of us were not taught to be authentic in schools and colleges, or probably in previous positions. It is a sophisticated way of functioning, that helps reach human and product goals.

Authenticity as an Authentic Leader

Authenticity means bringing your personal heart into the professional workplace. Actually caring about the end result, the project process and the team. Being committed to creating the best quality product, the atmosphere of the group as well as the wellbeing of your colleagues.

(And if you do not passionately care about the outcome – if you’re on automatic pilot, carelessly going through motions – better for everyone else you find another role for yourself!). Authenticity is standing for something, walking your talk and giving of your own real self.

Leadership

It can look like boring management, a pile of forms to fill out, and a bunch of employees — but really, good leadership is about inspiring, having an authentic presence and instinctive skills.

Holding space allows others to actually do their work while sensing when to step-in to help them, and when to step-back to let them figure it out for themselves.

Story-telling creates a narrative for the project. Making things possible, solving problems into solutions, imagining possibilities, and talking them into existence. Where we have come from and what we are doing next. Direction setting and inspiring others…

People development, respects others. What do they need, as individuals, to feel good at work, to engage with tasks and each other, to be happy in their role? How can they grow?

Getting-problems-out-of-the-way, so that people can productively do things. Asking, what do you need? What is not working? How can we make it work more smoothly? And fixing it!

Authentic Leadership is a holistic way of being fully yourself in the workplace – as a person as well as a worker. Bringing your humanity and sensitivity as skills of efficiency.

1. Vulnerability

Being an authentic leader requires a certain stance, vision, responsibility, clarity, boldness. And it also means to be a fellow human being, with kindness and humour, and imperfections.

Acknowledge that you do sometimes make mistakes and can sometimes feel vulnerable. It means, being willing to hear and act on feedback, from your manager, peers and your team. It can help to take the pressure off your performance!

2. Physicality

Instinct is often wiser than old mental maps and rational conclusions. Instinctive intelligence is a spontaneous, arising response, to the needs of the immediate situation. Answers often come not from the head, but from the body.

Notice your physical impulses, hunches and intuitions. Bring your attention back to your physical body. Sense your arms and legs, your back, pelvis, torso and head. What is your body trying to tell you? Listen in…

3. Productive Pauses

You can enable your own instinctual intelligence to arise by creating the circumstances for it. Take yourself out of the workplace – whether that’s in an office or at your laptop at home.

Interrupt your usual habit of sitting hunched and immobile, by going for a walk, having a dance or a stretch, listening to music or having a quick chat. Sometimes having a break is the most efficient thing you can do. It helps new perspectives, ideas and understandings to arise.

4. Meditation

5 minutes a day can be enough. Sit still and allow the swirling frantic thoughts to settle. Find a point of focus – try sensing your belly centre just below your belly button.

In different traditions, this place in the belly is called the Dan Tien, Kath, Hara or Moving Centre. Meditation usefully increases concentration and your ability to stay calm and cope in storms.

5. Sensing

How can you best serve your product and team? Do you need to speak up for justice, equality and inclusion, boldly encourage a different way of doing things, diffuse potential conflict with laughter, or actually at this moment, just be quiet?

You need to be able to sense into what is needed… Can you calmly name your feeling, without dumping it onto others? “This is me right now.” Be kindly sensitive to yourself and to others, attune to the current situation.

6. Breathing

On a physical level, authentic leadership is supported by breathing with more awareness than usual. Under pressure, when stressed, we usually breathe less and tense up. Consciously breathing, opens the way to feeling more. This helps you to feel what is the right thing to do.

7. Pleasure

A little bit of what you fancy does you good. Can you create more beauty, harmony and pleasure while being at work? Your desire is part of your humanity and your capacity. Include something that pleases you, cream in your coffee, a plant on your desk, chocolate. Allow the relaxation, a space for new creativity…

In conclusion

You don’t have to do everything. Keep it simple and sustainable. Hold the bigger vision. An authentic leader brings the essence of their own self, to all of the many tasks to be done. Bring your soul and body to work, to do something meaningful with others. It’s that simple!

Written by Julia Paulette Hollenbery

Julia Paulette Hollenbery is a confidence coach, happiness expert and author of The Healing Power of Pleasure – Seven Medicines for Rediscovering the Innate Joy of Being out soon, priced £16.99. Find out more.