The Authentic Leader: It's About Presence, Not Position [Paperback]

This past weekend, I devoured the book like an addict looking for a fix (or a frustrated leader looking for inspiration). It was EXACTLY what I needed. I can hardly describe what this book did to me. It fed those hungry places inside me. It inspired me, yes... but more importantly, I think, it affirmed me. It made me stop and realize that "Damn it - I'm on the right track after all! I don't need expensive workshops to teach me new techniques! I just need to keep going deeper in my path toward authenticity."

Quote: "Simply put, being an authentic leader is synonymous with being oneself. It is that simple, but it is also that difficult. When deciding to lead, be true to self. Being true to self is being in a most powerful place. The power in leadership is not in being right, but in being real."

I've read a lot of leadership books, and I've used many of them in teaching leadership workshops, but this is one of the first that I've read that made me feel so affirmed while still inspiring me on to greater heights. Often, when you read a leadership book, at first you feel inspired and excited, but then reality sinks in and you realize "I can NEVER meet those unrealistic expectations!" which translates into "I'll NEVER be an effective leader!" I remember teaching a workshop once, based on "The Leadership Challenge" (a great book, but with some REALLY high expectations), and saying to the participants "this part right here? Ignore it. It is basically impossible and unrealistic and borderline STUPID. Don't even bother trying it because you will set yourself and your team up for failure. Set more realistic goals than this if you want to succeed." The workshop participants breathed a collective sigh of relief. I don't think anyone had every told them to "ignore something the book/authority says" before.

This book is very different from that. It teaches that the road to more effective leadership is the road to authenticity. Spend LESS time trying to figure out the right techniques and skills for being a good leader and MORE time trying to figure out how to be authentic and how to inspire others to do the same.

Quote: "An authentic journey is a path to finding your voice, to discovering your highest aspirations and purpose, to living an honest life, and to bringing your passions and gifts to the world in the form of service of others. ... We see the ultimate purpose of leadership as finding and following one's own authentic voice and then inspiring and supporting other people to find and follow theirs."

This is the kind of book that everyone should read. If the term "leader" scares you, it shouldn't. It's not about positional leadership, but more about people who feel some kind of calling to inspire others and make a difference in the world.

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