Leading well is difficult, especially in a fast-paced environment. Leading change in a distressed business means a lot has to happen quickly. This usually means that the culture is mothballed as "nice to have". As a serial CEO, I've led six companies through transformational change over the past 20 years, and I've found that authentic leadership – and the culture that follows it – is a productivity multiplier and a driver of success.
Related: 5 Things Strong Leaders Do
The fast-paced, dynamic world of rapid change that was once reserved for organizations in distress is now everyone's world. We are in a market that is evolving at digital speed. With so much disruption, new generations and a hyper-connected world where information is a commodity, the leadership paradigm must change. The Industrial Revolution model of command and control leadership is no longer effective.
To enable an organization to thrive today, leaders must adopt an authentic leadership style. It fosters an engaged, flexible and innovative environment that can adapt to the pace of change we face. Here are my five pillars of authentic leadership.
1. Collaboration
You can't do it yourself. Everything is moving too fast for one smart person to make all the calls. Organizations must be inherently agile with collaboration and communication in their very DNA.
Transparency builds trust; if you are connected to your team and genuinely interested in their participation and well-being, they will join you in your quest. The reason is simple:people own what they help to create.
Lao Tzu said, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is finished, they will say:we did it ourselves. For me, this is the true measure of effective collaboration.
2. Vision
American philosopher Eric Hoffer said, “The leader must be practical and realistic, but must speak the language of the visionary and the idealist. This is where the balance lies. Vision and strategy can be built collaboratively, and authentic leaders can help define that reality. But then the leader must experience the paradox of championing the future, while engaging in the deliberate motivation and practical realities of the present.
3. Empathy
We are all imperfect human beings; we all have our bad days. Leaders who recognize that they are leading normal people, not just managing a bottom line, will engender a huge amount of loyalty, commitment, and productivity. Treating others as we would like to be treated is a universal principle that has worked for over 2,000 years. If you can create a culture of respect and dignity, a culture of trust rather than fear, your organization will achieve great things.
We may all have different roles, but we are all of equal value and we must be honored and treated accordingly.
Related: 7 personality traits of a great leader
4. Grounded
To be effective and resilient, truly authentic leaders must be centered and balanced. They often have something in their lives that allows them to have a broader perspective, often putting the company and its employees ahead of their own desires.
We need to be aware of taking care of ourselves in order to to be able to serve others effectively, for that is the true measure of sincere and genuine leadership. We are made up of body, soul and spirit. Every leader will need to look after their own basic well-being in order to be sustainable in the cauldron of the modern workplace. The simple personal disciplines of life are even more important when leading others.
5. Ethics
"If you don't have integrity, you don't have anything." You cannot buy it. You can have all the money in the world, but if you are not a moral and ethical person, you really have nothing. The words of American businessman Henry Kravis sound a little harsh and even judgmental, but we know it's true.
Choosing your moral framework without passion sounds like a strange driver of business success. Very few choose get out of the way of corruption or excess; it is usually an incremental slide. Taking a stand early could save you and others from disaster. Integrity is often not practical, but it is a more sustainable and ultimately more fulfilling path. Often it is as simple as doing what you say you will do.
These seemingly gentle characteristics are at the heart of what I have found successful in multiple complex turnaround situations. The pace of change today means that all organizations must embrace flex and ensure they are agile to survive and ultimately thrive in the digital age.
Related: 10 qualities of masterful leaders
