Authentic Leadership in Action
Randall l. Englund
Leaders, speaking without authenticity and committing ‘integrity crimes,’ shift the burden away from a fundamental solution to their effectiveness. Trust cannot develop and even a quest to create a learning organization remains a fiction until leaders create an environment that supports these qualities. Leaders either get into problems or else tap the energy and loyalty of others to succeed.
In systems thinking terms, this is a classic example of a “shifting the burden” archetype, in which a short-term fix actually undermines a leader’s ability to take action at a more fundamental level. The causal loop in The quick fix is to resort to a command and control approach which on a surface level appears to lessen the pressure. However, this approach drives individuals to commit “integrity crimes” when they believe that what they say is more important than what they do. This has an opposite effect on the people they want to influence or persuade . These people do not do their best work so more pressure is felt to get results.
A more fundamental solution is to develop skills of persuasion as practiced by a change agent.Help people come to believe in the vision and mission and aid them to figure out why it is in their best interest to put their best work into the project. People usually respond positively to this approach and accomplish the work with less pressure.
Tools of persuasion include:
- Reciprocity. Give an unsolicited gift. People will feel the need to give something back. Perhaps a big contract...or maybe just another opportunity to continue building a strong relationship.
- Consistency. Draw people into public commitments, even very small ones. This can be very effective in directing future action.
- Social Validation. Let people know that this approach is considered 'the standard' by others. People often determine what they should do by looking at what others are doing.
- Liking. Let people know that we like them and that we are likeable too. People like to do business with people they like. Elements that build 'liking' include physical attractiveness, similarity, compliments, and cooperation.
- Authority. Be professional and personable. A suit and tie can do wonders. Other factors are experience, expertise, and scientific credentials. Scarcity. Remember just how rare good program practice is, not to mention people who can transform a culture. This applies to the value both of commodities and information. Not everyone knows what it takes to make a program successful.
A summary of the science and practice of persuasion: It usually makes great sense to repay favors, behave consistently, follow the lead of similar others, favor the requests of those we like, heed legitimate authorities, and value scare resources.
Authenticity means that people believe what they say. Integrity means that they do what they say they will do, and for the reasons they stated to begin with. Authenticity and integrity link the head and the heart, the words and the action; they separate belief from disbelief, and often make the difference between success and failure. Many people in organizations lament how their “leaders” lack authenticity and integrity. When that feeling is prevalent, trust cannot develop, and optimal results are difficult if not impossible to achieve.
Integrity is the melding of ethics and values into action. Individuals who display this quality operate off a core set of beliefs that gain admiration from others. As a leader, integrity is critical for success. It is necessary if leaders wish to obtain wholehearted support from followers.
Integrity is the most difficult—and the most important—value a leader can demonstrate. Integrity is revealed slowly, day-by-day, in word and deed. Actions that compromise a leader's integrity often have swift and profound repercussions. Every leader is in the “spotlight” of those they lead. As a result, shortcomings in integrity are readily apparent. (See http://www.talentsmart.com for example integrity crimes of presidential proportions.)
To assess effective practices and apply a simple tool for analysis, consider these steps:
- Identify basic leadership traits and their consequences
- Assess and compare leadership approaches in complex situations
- Apply a shifting the burden structure to create a positive culture
- Appreciate the value of authentic leadership and commit to act with integrity
How do you create an environment that achieves results, trust, and learning instead of undermining them? One can observe many examples of “organizational perversities,” most often caused by leaders who are not authentic and who demonstrate lack of integrity. Demonstrating these values in action often makes the difference between success and failure. People generally will work anytime and follow anywhere a person who leads with authenticity and integrity.
It becomes painfully evident when team members sense a disconnect between what they and their leaders believe is important. Energy levels drop, and productive work either ceases or slows down.
These managers display aspects of a common challenge—becoming a victim of the measurement and reward system. The axiom goes—“show me how people are measured and I’ll show you how they behave.” People have inner voices that reflect values and beliefs that lead to authenticity and integrity. They also experience external pressures to get results. The test for a true leader is to balance the internal with external pressures and to demonstrate truthfulness so that all concerned come to believe in the direction chosen. Measurement systems need to reflect authentically on the values and guiding principles of the organization. Forced or misguided metrics do more harm than good.
In order to get people working collaboratively in a political environment, consider ways for them to receive more value from this effort: the program provides means to meet organizational needs; they have more fun; the experience is stimulating; they get more help and assistance when needed; they get constructive feedback; they are excited by the vision; they learn more from this program; their professional needs are met; they travel and meet people; it’s good for their careers; together we’ll accomplish more than separately; this is neat, ….
Ways to demonstrate authentic leadership in action:
- Say what you believe
- Act on what you say
- Avoid “integrity crimes”
- Involve team members in designing strategic implementation plans
- Align values, projects, and organizational goals through asking questions, listening, and using an explicit process to link all actions to strategic goals
- Foster an environment where project teams can succeed by learning together and operating in a trusting, open organization
Develop the skill of “Organizational Awareness”—the ability to read the currents of emotions and political realities in groups. This is a competence vital to the behind-the-scenes networking and coalition building that allows individuals to wield influence, no matter what their professional role. As Daniel Goleman (2002) says, “The primal job of leadership is emotional.”
For example, a contractor came to the project manager’s desk, made demands about resources on the project, and left. This was out-of-character, for the two people had formed a close relationship. The project manager decided not to act on the critical demands which could have severe negative impact on project relations. Later he sought out the contractor and found him in a different mood. The contractor confessed he was told by his company to make those demands. By correcting reading the emotional state and assessing that something below the surface was going on in that transaction, the project manager was able to work with the other person, keep the issue from escalating, and find a solution.
About the Author:
Randall
L. Englund is an executive consultant, author, and speaker, and is a well-known
expert in the project management community, contributing frequently to PMI's
PM Network magazine and seminars. For many years he was a senior project
manager and a member of Hewlett-Packard's Project Management Initiative,
a project office that led the continuous improvement of project management
across the company. Together with cultural anthropologist Dr. Robert J.
Graham, he co-authored Creating an Environment for Successful Projects and
Creating the Project Office: a Manager’s Guide to Leading Organizational
Change. Contact Randy Englund at
englundr@pacbell.net
and on the web at www.englundpmc.com.
References
1. Cialdini, R. B. Influence: Science and Practice (4th ed.) New York: Pearson
Allyn & Bacon, 2000.
2. Englund, Randall, Robert Graham and Paul Dinsmore. Creating the Project
Office: a Manager’s Guide to Leading Organizational Change. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2003.
3. Goleman, Daniel, Richard Boyatizis and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership:
Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School
Press, 2002.
4. Graham, Robert and Randall Englund. Creating an Environment for Successful
Projects: Second Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2004.
© 2004 Randall L. Englund