Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader
- Jul 6, 2015
- 2 min read
AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP:
I recently discovered volumes of literature discussing authentic leadership. I was intrigued because the material described personal convictions that evolved over a 27 year career in manufacturing. It described a trait I grew to treasure as I took my journey through various leadership roles.
I experimented with different styles prescribed by earlier research. I attempted to replicate leaders I respected. I even attempted to be that leader one of my organizations appeared to prefer. These were successful for brief periods of time, but were not sustainable. These failures served to solidify my belief that my style could be effective. I needed to be comfortable with who I was. Being myself allowed me to enjoy the leadership role and passionately pursue development of my team. I enjoyed my job.
As I reflect on the past, I also realized my style changed as I matured as a leader. A small part of each leadership experiment remains with me and has defined who I am today. This made sense to me, but appeared to contradict much of the leadership development approaches prescribed. This challenged my intellect to believe my path to becoming me was contrary to the expert’s teachings.
All of the leadership development programs I participated in took me through points of reflection. I was asked to look inward and really understand who I was – strengths & weaknesses, likes & dislikes, others perceptions through 360 degree feedback. All required a look backward at where I was, not where I was going. This puzzled me. My journey involved experimentation and learning. Why was I being asked to stop experimenting?
ACT LIKE A LEADER, THINK LIKE A LEADER
One noted researcher understood me - Herminia Ibarra author of Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader; February 10, 2015. In Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader, she offers advice to help you: • Redefine your job in order to make more strategic contributions • Diversify your network so that you connect to, and learn from, a bigger range of stakeholders • Become more playful with your self-concept, allowing your familiar- possibly outdated - leadership style to evolve Ibarra turns the usual “think first and then act” philosophy on its head by arguing that doing these three things will help you learn through action and will increase what she calls your outsight—the valuable external perspective you gain from direct experiences and experimentation. As opposed to insight, outsight will then help change the way you think as a leader: about what kind of work is important; how you should invest your time; why and which relationships matter in informing and supporting your leadership; and, ultimately, who you want to become.
I purchased copies; providing to young talent within my team, talent I mentor formally through a leadership development program, other high potentials with the capacity for contrarian thought and executives within our Human Resource and Talent Development functions.
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