BEING AN AUTHENTIC LEADER MICHELLE POOLE & AMY WOLFGANG

LEADERSHIP “Leadership is both a very private and public journey. It is private because it requires personal transformation. It is public because leaders have to learn out loud.” Bill Adams

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ‣ Learn what authentic leadership means ‣ Understand the 3 components of authenticity ‣ Identify the barriers of authentic leadership ‣ Understand the benefits & how authenticity relates to leadership effectiveness

‣ What does it mean to lead authentically? ‣ Being true to yourself; doing & saying what you truly believe ‣ Being honest, ethical ‣ Following through, especially with tough trade-offs ‣ Take tough stands, bring up the “un-discussables” ‣ Share the struggle and the risks with your people ‣ Empowering employees LEADING AUTHENTICALLY

‣ Guided by compassion and heart in everything they do ‣ Being open with others ‣ Consistent with personality and core values ‣ Being yourself ‣ Not having to take on the “tough guy” persona LEADING AUTHENTICALLY

WHY AUTHENTICITY IS NECESSARY ‣ Connection with workforce ‣ Builds trust, respect, enthusiasm ‣ EQ accounts for 58% of performance in all job types ‣ Emotional beings 1 st, thinking beings 2 nd ‣ Feeling machines that think; not thinking machines that feel

‣ Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past 13 years studying vulnerability, courage, and shame. ‣ Author of three #1 New York Times Bestsellers: Rising Strong, Daring Greatly and The Gifts of Imperfection. ‣ Founder and CEO of The Daring Way and Courageworks ‣ 2010 TEDx Houston talk, The Power of Vulnerability, is one of the top 5 most viewed TED talks; 25 million viewers. BRENE BROWN, PHD

‣ True to one's own personality, spirit, or character WHAT IS AUTHENTICITY?

‣ The daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are. Choosing authenticity means: ‣ Cultivating the courage to be imperfect, to set boundaries, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable ‣ Exercising the compassion that comes from knowing that we are all made of strength and struggle ‣ Nurturing the connection and sense of belonging that can only happen when we believe that we are enough AUTHENTICITY

‣ A ‣ B ‣ C ‣ D The Path to Being an Authentic Leader - Courage, Compassion and Connection

‣ What does it mean to be a courageous leader? ‣ "To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart." ‣ Ordinary courage is the willingness to be vulnerable; to navigate uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure COURAGE

SENTENCE STEM EXERCISE

‣ Myth #1: Vulnerability is weakness. ‣ Vulnerability is actually courage. ‣ Myth #2: I can opt out of vulnerability. ‣ To be human is to be vulnerable. ‣ Myth #3: Vulnerability is oversharing. ‣ Oversharing often disconnects or connects superficially. Vulnerability is sharing with the intention to connect. ‣ Myth #4: I can go it alone. ‣ We romanticize the idea that we can do even vulnerability alone. The point is to connect. MYTHS OF VULNERABILITY

‣ Compassion is a feeling ‣ Empathy is the skill that conveys compassion ‣ Empathy is the anecdote to shame that fuels connection COMPASSION

WE ARE NOT IN IT TO FIX IT

‣ Staying out of judgment ‣ Taking the other’s perspective ‣ Understanding the emotion you are hearing ‣ Communicating our understanding about the emotion ‣ Practicing mindfulness ATTRIBUTES OF EMPATHY

EXERCISE: WHAT DOES EMPATHY LOOK LIKE?

BARRIERS TO EMPATHY ‣ Confusing sympathy with empathy ‣ Feeling sorry for them rather than feeling with them ‣ Seeking sympathy ‣ Seeking validation for having unique pain ‣ Stacking the deck ‣ ‘One-upping’ ‣ Failing to dig deep ‣ Thinking that shame is a good way to control behavior

“Connection is the energy that is created between people when they are seen, heard and valued – when they can give and receive without judgement.” – Brene’ Brown

‣ Moving away – Withdrawing, hiding, silencing ourselves, and keeping secrets ‣ Moving toward – Seeking to appease and please ‣ Moving against – Trying to gain power over others, being aggressive, and using shame to fight shame STRATEGIES OF DISCONNECTION

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER

AUTHENTICITY LEADS TO ‣ Respect ‣ Community ‣ Positive Relationships ‣ Humanity in the workplace ‣ Energy ‣ Organizational Change ‣ Leadership Effectiveness

BRINGING IT FULL CIRCLE

‣ In what ways am I already an authentic leader? ‣ In what ways can I improve as an authentic leader? ‣ What is keeping me from being an authentic leader? ‣ How important is authenticity to me as a leader? ‣ What is one behavior I am going to start or stop in the next 30 days to lead more authentically? NEXT STEPS

Q&A BEING AN AUTHENTIC LEADER

‣ Body Level One ‣ Body Level Two ‣ Body Level Three ‣ Body Level Four ‣ Body Level Five ‣ Body Level One ‣ Body Level Two ‣ Body Level Three ‣ Body Level Four ‣ Body Level Five THANK YOU! ‣ Body Level One ‣ Body Level Two ‣ Body Level Three ‣ Body Level Four ‣ Body Level Five MICHELLE POOLE & AMY WOLFGANG ‣ Body Level One ‣ Body Level Two ‣ Body Level Three ‣ Body Level Four ‣ Body Level Five ‣ ‣ ‣ “What if I fail? Oh but my darling, what if you fly?” – Erin Hanson