Why Are Some People Natural Leaders?
Mastering executive presence, the one trait that matters most
Who is a Natural Leader?
A natural leader looks as though they were born for the role. They appear to have a suite of natural attributes and effortless behaviors that consistently convey confidence and credibility.
In amongst all of those traits and behaviors, there’s one that matters most, and that’s authenticity. Authenticity is our most natural selves, but it can be elusive for many people.
We learn to develop personas at work for many reasons, which is a whole other conversation, but to develop our most natural selves at work is a double-edged sword.
Is Authenticity Effective at Work?
Yes, it is. It's highly effective. The more authentic that you can be at work, then the more effective your team will be. They will relax because they won’t be trying to figure you out or figure out what you really mean because there’s a disconnect that they can’t interpret. They will be happier, healthier, and more focused.
Authenticity is a fabulous asset in negotiating through even the most thorny, difficult problems to solve. You will draw in more open, out-of-the-box solutions. People won’t be worried that you don’t mean it when you say,
‘no really, you can be honest, what do you think of the options we have in front of us.’
Crickets when you’re inauthentic.
If you have aspirations of advancing or differentiating yourself, your team or your project, then authentic leadership as a part of executive presence, will set you apart. It is your unique competitive advantage.
Authenticity vs. Honesty vs. Telling the Truth
When you consider authenticity, you may have one or two meanings running through your head. Many people collapse authenticity with honesty and then also with being truthful about everything all of the time. Let’s tease those three ideas apart. They are different.
Authenticity is not the same as honesty or the same as telling the truth all the time, about everything. That’s not to say that lying or being duplicitous is an option.
Authenticity means that you are congruent in the way you show up. You take action in alignment with what you say you will do. There’s no effusive agreement when you only agree 60%, or talking to someone as though they were amazing when you have reservations, or talking over people’s ideas when your asked for their input.
Equally true it doesn’t mean that you say everything that runs through your mind or that you get to express every emotion that bubbles up. Authenticity is not unbridled permission to be the resistant bottleneck because you disagree with 40% of the decision being made, or that you’re brutally honest to the person you have reservations about.
It’s critical that your words line up with your behavior and that you find a way to be elegant in your authenticity. This focus in your leadership style will invite huge deposits of trust from others.
Authenticity vs. Personal
Again, there is a differentiation here. Authenticity does not necessarily mean that you share your personal life or even your personal views. It’s not always true that sharing stories about your golf game, children’s sports, or your latest recipe is the best way to foster a personal connection. By virtue of ‘trying’ you’re being inauthentic.
Is ‘trying’ to make a personal connection the worst thing you’ll do this week? Definitely not. Trying to be authentic can be exhausting.
Add into the mix that you are introverted, and the possibility of exhaustion from trying to connect personally with others, and trying to be authentic, increases.
Authenticity is measured by the congruence between what we say, what we do, how we feel, how we sound, what our body language communicates. It is being clear, concise, and dedicated to the success of the project.
The Biggest Mistake You Make in Your Leadership
The biggest mistake people make around authenticity in leadership is to ignore that there is a gap between how we want to show up and how we’re actually perceived.
We can go into our day, week, or month with the best of intentions. We want to be authentic in a way that invites trust and ease even in the trickiest of situations. Instead, we come across differently. Closing that gap between our intentions and how we’re actually perceived is where the best leadership development happens.
Knowing what your gap is, whether it’s in your authenticity or another aspect of Executive Presence, is critical to your leadership development. Ignoring that it exists is the biggest mistake that you can make.
Yes, some people have natural instincts for leadership. Equally true leadership can be learned. Many of those ‘natural’ leadership attributes and behaviors you see in a ‘natural’ leader, were learned. Just sooner than you might be learning them.
Join my Influence Formula newsletter and don’t miss out on learning to embody Executive Presence and therefore having more impact in your business.
Written by Sharon Leckie, not by AI — experience and expertise before robots.
