What Is Authentic Leadership Anyway?

I’ll be honest: I’m a bit cynical about what I see in articles and social media about “authentic leadership.” A lot of my skepticism arises from the new-age baloney in the articles I’ve read—long on the “feel good” and short on practical realities. Some of it arises from lived experience, where employee demands for authenticity are merely immature criticisms aimed at bludgeoning leaders whose decisions they don’t agree with.

But there is something real about being authentic. If we can define it properly, it makes it easier to see why it’s a real arrow in your quiver for building a mature, engaged, and resilient corporate culture.

What authentic leadership actually means

Authentic leadership has risen to prominence as a response to people wanting more transparent, relatable, and people-focused management. And why not. There’s nothing wrong with wanting fewer corporate stiffs and more real, approachable individuals who genuinely care about their team’s welfare.

But when you ask people to define what it means to be authentic, they will talk about the leader’s personability, openness, and empathic connection with their team. This is sentiment though. What does it mean to be “doing” authenticity?

In my experience, leaders are seen as authentic when their actions are consistent with their beliefs—when they share their beliefs and reasons for acting as they do with their teams. Authentic leaders do what they say and say what they do. Authenticity is viewed as proof of humanity. And yet there are challenges precisely because leaders and employees are human.

Three challenges to authenticity

The authenticity façade

We live in a world where company brands and personal brands are finely crafted. There are plenty of leaders who know how to project a well-honed image—it’s just that what we see on the surface doesn’t line up with how they act.

Disingenuousness is easy to spot, though. When the mask slips, it does exactly the opposite of what was intended: it exposes the leader as a fake. Picture a leader who shares team success stories on social media with curated images, but when the team faces a crisis, fails to address real issues. The damage to trust is immediate and lasting.

There is ultimately no hiding one’s true personality, especially for those whose authenticity belies the fact that they have no visionary or execution capacity—the classic charismatic leader who is “all had and no cowboy.”

Generational and cultural divides

Part of the reason behind the rise of authenticity as a leadership behavior is the changing generational makeup of the workplace. Picture a seasoned Gen X executive leading a team of Millennials and Gen Z professionals. The concept of authenticity is perceived differently across these generations. The Gen X leader will have started their career under Boomer management, where there was a preference for less communication and a healthy professional distance. The younger team members might expect a more open and emotionally expressive leader.

Equally impactful are cultural differences in leadership expectations. Every culture has norms on emotional expression—not just in the workplace, but in life. In some parts of the world, like the United States, there’s a greater expectation for leaders to be emotionally open and approachable. Some European and Asian cultures value a more reserved and formal leadership style. Neither is wrong. But mismatches create friction.

Oversharing and workforce maturity

Envision a leader who, in an effort to be transparent during a crisis, openly shares their fears and uncertainties. While intended to be transparent, it can backfire—sometimes spectacularly.

In any organization, these expressions can cause feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty. In organizations with a culture of dependency or limited open dialogue, they might even cause panic. In the most toxic cultures, open communication can be weaponized. The lesson isn’t to avoid transparency, but rather to know your audience and calibrate accordingly.

Practical advice for leaders

Be yourself

It may be blindingly obvious, but it’s worth saying: the foundation of authentic leadership is you. It’s about your own journey—your values, experiences, and what has shaped your character. You can aspire to other ideals, but unless your deeds follow, you will be seen as a fraud.

This implies, however, that you have the self-awareness needed to know your leadership style. Don’t trust your own head on this; people have a tendency to overestimate their strengths and underestimate their weaknesses. Get honest 360-degree feedback from other leaders, your manager, and your team.

Tailor the how and how much—not the what

While staying true to the person you are, articulate your positions in a way that resonates with your team. It’s not always easy to find the right balance between authenticity and effectiveness in diverse settings, but experience is a great teacher.

The only real advice is to experiment. Small groups are more intimate than large ones and allow for greater nuance. Published statements are more definitive and can be sculpted in advance, but live voices and impromptu remarks can be remarkably powerful. Remember that often it’s not what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it and how much you say.

You’ll quickly learn how much your team can handle. You can expand that capacity, though, by using the third skill.

Insist on reciprocity

My skepticism about employee demands for authentic leadership arises from the fact that authenticity is a two-way street. While it’s reasonable for employees to want authentic leaders, too few understand that it obligates them to behave with reciprocity—to act constructively and maturely. Employees have to be part of the solution. They can’t use authenticity as a bludgeon when leaders say something they don’t like.

When you think about it this way, the mechanism for learning how to tailor your approach becomes apparent: talk with your team. Engage in open dialogue. Share your views on authenticity, and invite them to share theirs. Discuss and align on mutual expectations. This process fosters a mature and supportive work environment where authenticity is respected in its varied expressions. Perhaps most importantly, it buys time and goodwill for people to learn your style.

The real test

Authenticity requires constant effort. It’s harder than the buzzword-laden articles suggest. You have to know yourself well enough to lead from your actual values. You have to read your audience and calibrate your communication without becoming a chameleon. And you have to hold your team to the same standard to which they hold you.

The leaders who get this right aren’t the ones projecting carefully curated images. They’re the ones whose teams know exactly what they stand for and trust them because of it.