Authenticity for the spiritual entrepreneur may seem simple, but it’s surprising to many just how easy it is to hide their authentic selves. Without true authenticity and self-awareness, compassionate leadership is stunted, unable to grow in a meaningful fashion and progress into the type of leadership that continues to be both meaningful and sustainable. 5 ways the compassionate leader can be more authentic today are:
1. Don’t fear your flaws – Every person has flaws, even though we tend to be hard on ourselves for showing them. Flaws aren’t something to be feared, but something to be worked on, and we cannot expect to be truly authentic if we hide these flaws or run in the opposite direction when they begin to show themselves. Rather than fearing your flaws, recognize them, meditate on them and how you can be better tomorrow.
2. Share wins and losses – Wins are great, but losses have their benefit, too. Not only can you learn and grow from your losses, but so can others around you. Women in business especially tend to be hard on themselves after experiencing some type of loss, but these losses should be shared rather than hidden.
3. Open up about yourself – Holding boundaries between your professional and personal life is important to maintaining a healthy work/life balance, but that doesn’t mean you need to wall yourself off personally in order to thrive professionally. Opening up about yourself where you feel comfortable can help you to portray a more authentic version of yourself.
4. Speak one on one – While addressing a room is a great way to get the word out to a group of teammates, speaking one on one really aids in getting across your authentic self. When you can, communicate individually and share in open communication with plenty of active listening.
5. Tell and accept your truth – Authenticity is all about truth, and speaking your truth is only possible if you’re accepting it. If a project or goal isn’t quite going as planned, don’t pretend that everything is just fine, and be open about these challenges as a teaching and progression experience for all.
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