Authentic Leadership Is About Being Yourself and True To Your Word

Over the past five years, I’ve been to a number of conferences and have spoken to a lot of people around the world. I’m learning and growing, and I’m not one to over-generalize or make judgements. With that said, I’ve noticed that a lot of people in this world are fake.

The author who writes about kindness is rude to others. The speaker who speaks about not having an ego has the biggest ego in the room. The coach who preaches the importance of responding to people doesn’t respond to you when you contact them.

I’ve noticed there is often a difference between the message and the person behind the message. I’m left to wonder…is this really the same person who was saying all those profound truths? There are definitely genuine people out there, but in my experience more often than not you’ll find someone who is not living their message – especially people who proclaim themselves to be the “expert” or “guru”.

The area I’ve been most authentic, in terms of living my own message, is sharing difficulties from the past with the purpose of helping others.

I’ve noticed that as I’ve shown my true self to the world, people have criticized me for it. I get why people choose to not be vulnerable. People will start to dislike you for being authentic.

But at the end of the day, it’s better to be disliked for who you are than liked for who you’re not. It’s better to walk through life alone than with fake friends by your side. Authentic leadership is about being true to your word, matching your behavior with what you preach to others.

Jeff Davis is the author of The Power of Authentic Leadership.