Authentic Leaders Don't Cling to Power
Authentic Leaders Don't Cling to Power
Authentic leaders never cling to power. If, and when, they do, they forfeit their claim to leadership, regardless of lineage, name, or party affiliation.
~6 min. - Read, read along as you listen, or just listen to the voiceover.
“Authentic” is one of those words which is too easily and generously thrown about and used with regard to leaders. In fact, there is an idea of substance which has become the emerging leadership theory known as authentic leadership theory.
According to the Harvard Business School,
Authentic leadership is a leadership style exhibited by individuals who have high standards of integrity, take responsibility for their actions, and make decisions based on principle rather than short-term success. They use their inner compasses to guide their daily actions, which enables them to earn the trust of their employees, peers, and shareholders—creating approachable work environments and boosting team performance.
Authentic leadership’s key differentiator is the motivation behind it. An authentic leader strives to create a meaningful relationship with their team as they work toward goals related to their organization's mission and purpose—not just its bottom line.
Let’s pull those key characteristics out to highlight them. Authentic leaders:
Have high standards of integrity.
Take responsibility for their actions.
Make decisions based on principles even if they don’t pay off in the short term.
Have and use inner moral and ethical compasses.
Build trust.
Create positive work environments.
Work toward a mission and purpose, not just profit.
Briefly put, they don’t put themselves first and look out for themselves over everyone and everything else.
Collective change leadership, which has been written about on several occasions in this newsletter, counts on everyone in the collective to be an authentic leader. Why? Because in collective change leadership everyone can engage in the practice of leadership. Each must be able and willing to step up, step to the side, step back, and step up again as needed. That’s just how it works and works best. Collective change leadership is not leaderless, though it sometimes may be hard to see who the leader is at any given moment. If you just watch for a little bit, you’ll see that leadership is passed from one to another as their unique abilities and competencies are required by the collective.
Giving up one’s claim to leadership is not easy. For thousands of years, including today, wars have been fought over the claims of kings, queens, and other types of rulers. Today we see several types of modern leaders clinging to their power:
Coaches refuse to step down though their teams no longer perform as well and consistently as before.
CEOs, managers, and workers try to stay longer in their companies or businesses even as their abilities and skills fade away.
Politicians hold onto office for as long as they can, even when they are past their physical and mental prime.
Too many leaders, including good ones, are clueless and never “get it,” staying in power until they are removed, either by death or by followers who get fed up and push them out of power. When they finally no longer have the power, there is great relief among the followers.
The clued-in leaders are those who understand when it is time to step down even though they don’t really feel ready to do so. Still, with only gentle nudging, they step out of power even though it goes against their deepest desire to continue on. Followers admire and celebrate the selflessness of this leader.
Authentic leaders are ahead of the crowd. They know before anyone else when the time is right, and they make the move from leadership to followership. Authentic leaders are not just admired and celebrated, they are remembered and honored for their legacy.
Leaders who want to cling to power are far too common in our world. We can see them at every level of leadership – from committee chairpersons to executive directors or CEOs of organizations to legislators and presidents of countries. They can be found in every sector, every trade, every profession, and every discipline. Leaders who cling to power become those whom Lao Tzu says the people fear and hate.
Much more rare are the authentic leaders who choose to lay aside their power in order to raise up a cause and purpose for the common good. These leaders are indeed rare. When we come across them, they and their sacrifice are truly worthy of our praise, honor, and celebration of their legacy.
An Opportunity with the International Leadership Association
The International Leadership Association, based in Silver Spring, Maryland, is seeking a Managing Director. The areas of responsibility of ILA's new Managing Director include Staff Development and Integration; Program and Partnership Development; and Association Management. To request more information or to apply, please email your letter of interest, resume, and a list of three professional references with their contact details to Cynthia Cherrey, CEO at careers@ilaglobalnetwork.org. Applications will be acknowledged and reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
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