Is the way people act around you a true reflection of your leadership?

Authentic Leadership – ‘You’ve Gotta Dance Like there’s Nobody Watching’

No matter how authentic we try to be in our leadership style, we must remember that other people will only see the person standing before them.  They will not see our beliefs and values unless our actions are genuinely authentic.  Method acting does not cut it.  Research into anti-terrorist investigations has proved that tiny facial muscle movement exposes true emotions and although invisible to our conscious awareness, these movements are ‘seen’ by the viewer on the same subconscious level.

During this exchange, the viewer (employee, follower, boss, customer) will form a subconscious judgement compared against their own value set.  They will ‘see’ the incongruence in your face and will behave accordingly.  What we see in their response, is a reflection of our own leadership.

How people behave around us, therefore, is a direct consequence of our own beliefs, values and attitudes.  Taking the time to examine our values empowers us to understand what is really driving our behaviour and that of those around us.  In order to be an authentic  leader you have to embrace your values and:

‘You’ve Gotta Dance Like there’s Nobody Watching’

(W. Purkey et al.)