By Bill Hinshaw
There are many definitions and philosophies of leadership. A Google Search exceeds 11.8 million findings. So how can someone navigate becoming the leader they aspire to be as an individual and create that team and environment that inspires others?
“You manage things; you lead people,” Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper
Leadership, whether formal or informal, is hard work to do well, takes courage, and is often lonely. However, it also fundamentally matters to achieving important outcomes and can be incredibly fulfilling.
We are all influenced by our journey (the context, experiences, and inspirations), and in my case I was fortunate to have early exposure to two great leaders as parents and a number during my career that have shaped my approach. I personally am most connected to and believe in what has been termed “authentic leadership.”
A textbook definition of authentic leadership includes the traits of self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral perspective. For me, it comes down to being true to yourself and showing up in a real way that connects to, and inspires, others through purpose, commitment, and humanity.
Authentic Leadership Starts with Self-Awareness
When asked to coach or speak about leadership, I always start with self-awareness. If you truly develop this, you will understand the important concept about a leader’s impact versus intent on others and how to adapt your leadership.
Do not underestimate the challenge of truly facing yourself and asking why you do certain things and either show up strongly or not. Kevin Cashman’s “Leadership From the Inside Out” is an informative and reflective tool to use on your journey to self-awareness.
Understanding what you stand for as a leader is an important step to reflect on, be able to express, and then assess how you are showing up against. I have also found a leadership credo to be a good tool as it is distinct from a goal, vision, and is more focused on how you want to be and show up as a leader.
A Leadership Credo has a few components. First is articulating specific ideas as to what you want to stand for as a leader and capturing the most important qualities for you. For example, doing the right thing even if it’s the hard thing and a focus on team, achievement, transparency, and accountability.
This helps you frame what matters to you and what you prioritize regardless of circumstance and context.
The second part of a leadership credo is a bit more complex, and often takes a few iterations and discussions with people who know you well to refine. It is outlining a sentence or two of your personal credo.
I have seen two main ways to create a leadership credo:
- Create a single statement, which is similar to a positioning statement, in that you “want to…” or “by doing…” An example is: I believe in leading with courage, embracing challenges, and fostering a culture of creativity where everyone feels comfortable taking calculated risks to drive positive change.
- Have an opening state and then outline a number of statements that capture your intention. See Toyota leader Isao Yoshino’s 10-point leadership credo as an example.
Both approaches are productive ways to capture and communicate your leadership. The first approach is usually helpful for a company structure that is more complex. The single statement is a more broad and personal approach.
Personally, I have found value in combining the approaches and having a broad statement that is overarching and statements that help me frame what that means and how to communicate it to my team.
Doing the work to reflect and capture the intention and then hold yourself to these standards is the most important step.
Authentic Leadership Requires Adaptability
A key manifestation of authentic leadership is being adaptive to the situation, also known as adaptive leadership.
Here is one useful Adaptive Leadership Model:
- Directive/Coercive: Expecting followership
- Authoritative/Visionary: Mobilizing people toward a vision
- Pacesetting: Expecting excellence and self-direction
- Affiliative: Building emotional bonds
- Democratic: Creating consensus
- Coaching: Developing people for the future
We will all have some dominant styles that we use more consistently while being able to diagnosis the situation or need. How you and the team should approach the situation is often a fundamental step for the optimal outcomes.
Applying a dominate pacesetting and an authoritative approach during a market growth situation can constrain innovation and engagement while using a dominate democratic and coaching style during a crisis can lead to confusion and poor results.
Understanding and adapting as a leader and a team is an important step in approaching the situation.
Connecting Authentically and Transparently
This is when the leader shows up not as a stereotype or ideal or corporate talking head but rather as a real person who inspires with purpose and brings people in with openness and opportunity to contribute.
This includes being a vulnerable leader. This does not mean expressing incapability or a feeling of being overwhelmed that undermines the leader and team. Rather, it refers to being open that you are a real person, capable while not perfect, building real professional relationships based on trust, transparency, and openness to find a solution together.
To connect authentically as a leader, you and your team also need trust, psychological safety, and alignment.
Trust can mean a lot of things, but in general it includes these six “Cs”:
- Competence
- Consistency
- Character
- Care
- Commitment
- Communication
These six aspects support professional trust and accountability to each other.
The concept of psychological safety has gained momentum, and I personally have seen its power. Team psychological safety is a shared belief held by members of a team that it’s ok to take risks, to express their ideas and concerns, to speak up with questions, and to admit mistakes. All without fear of negative consequences. The team members are being authentic.
This approach leads to clarity, highly effective communication, and the opportunity to align on information and objectives, which allow the team to be focused on what matters.
Authentic leadership isn’t a skill you master overnight; it’s a continuous journey of growth and self-awareness. By committing to this journey, you foster trust, inspire teams, and create a lasting impact in your organization.
Professional development programs offer the tools to refine your approach, providing the support and insights needed to lead with both strength and authenticity. Embracing this path not only shapes your leadership—it builds a legacy that resonates across every level of your organization.
Bill Hinshaw is a life sciences executive with more than 30 years of professional leadership experience including the U.S., more than 120 countries, and global organizations at Schering Plough and Novartis as well as private and public biotech companies. He has been inspired by incredible leaders during his life, starting with his parents Bill and Virginia, who taught him to be intentional about learning and to respect the privilege of leadership by being authentic and committed.