Authenticity – Are You Genuine?

A true leader must be authentic. Now, this is a popular word and phrase that is usually applied today as meaning that a man or woman must be true to themselves. This is necessarily a bad trait– until you figure out that even villains can be true to themselves.

The point of this character trait is that an authentic leader should be one whose character is rock solid such that when situations come the leader’s authentic thoughts are those that are foundational to his core. In other words, he is being who he is and not putting on a show.

In this way, it’s just like contemporary culture is signifying by their obsession on authenticity. If you are not being true to yourself, it is obvious. If you are finding ways to obfuscate the truth, putting a spin on what you say, or trying to couch what you have to say in all sorts of qualifiers, then you are not authentic and people see right through you.

One of the important reasons for you to be authentic in your leadership is the way that this authenticity gives those you lead a higher level of trust in their understanding of who you are and how you operate. A leader who operates in authentic way is going to be consistent in his behavior because that is who he is deep down.

True authenticity for a believer in Christ comes from being a Christ follower. If you are a leader who has been born again, if you are being changed and renewed by Christ, then your authentic person is a child of God. That doesn’t mean that you are perfect or never do anything wrong, but it is your identity and you should behave consistent with that identity.