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Be authentic - this term is widely used in recent years. But what does it really mean? And why does it matter?
Leading authentically, advocating for yourself and your team while staying true to yourself - these give you a better runway and sets you up for long-term success. But you have to find what feels true to you, and that needs some work to pause, filter out the noise, and define authenticity for yourself.
However, if you are alone in your function or team (i.e. few reflect the priority in leadership), it might require a bit of extra work to clarify what’s important, so that you can intentionally incorporate it into your leadership, and be clearly comfortable with it, independent of the environment you are in. That will solidify your leadership capability and presence, and will also be a source of inspiration for more inclusive leadership, because you demonstrate intentionality and understanding of the power you have.
There are a lot of things you can do in order to find your authentic style, but if you want to get started or dig deeper, focus on these 3 actions:
Self-awareness and Self-reflection: Take time to gain clarity of what is important to you, how you articulate your values, and understand your motivations. Then reflect on your interactions and why they went well or didn’t. Taking a few minutes to write down these points has a lot of impact (and is highly underrated!).
Consistency: Show up consistently - your team needs to be able to trust you. You don’t need to have all the answers, but always show up willing to ask the right questions to get to the best answer together.
Curiosity and Communication: It’s a journey, not a series of transactions. Stay curious, keep an open mind, ask for feedback, build relationships - iterate the learning. This will greatly enhance your ability to tell your story in a way that resonates with others and will help you continue to evolve in your own leadership.
Check out the article: UNVEILED – ADDRESSING THE GENDER DISPARITY IN TECHNOLOGY – GOING FROM STEM DEGREE TO C- SUITE
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