No more harping on the surprise

     We are talking about authenticity in my Foundations of Leadership 325 class this week.  Honestly, I am still surprised that this good, deeply meaningful, important-to-life stuff is being addressed.  But I'm going to stop harping on this surprise and move on.  I thought it was a fluke at first, but that just seems to be how this class roles.  It is finally dawning on me that my prior idea of leadership was more about management (and bad management).

     It never ceases to amaze me, when I follow my intuition things always seem to turn out right.  For example, minoring in leadership.  Cognitively that didn't make much sense, because I have no interest in being a bad manager.  I'm not saying that I thought BSU is teaching students to manage poorly.  I'm saying that I thought the approach and desired outcome would be more "robotic", "how to get the troups to conform", and don't forget about the all important, "how to make a profit!"  Honestly, can anyone who knows me, see me in a job like that?  So what the hell am I doing taking not just one, but a slew of classes about management?....I mean leadership.  Ah, but my intuition always knows best and thank God I am old enough and wise enough now to listen.  (Ask me how I learned that hard lesson.)

     "Discovering Your Authentic Leadership", by Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer, is one of the articles we read this week.  I practically underlined and marked the whole thing.  There are so many stars in the margin that it looks like the upper left of the flag.  Rather than try to wrap it all up in a bow, let me just list a few of the starred items.  Enjoy.


1.  During the past 50 years, leadership scholars have conducted more than 1,000 studies in an attempt to determine the definitive styles, characteristics, or personality traits of great leaders.  There are none.

2.  No one can be authentic by trying to imitate someone else.

3.  Over recent years, people have developed a deep distrust of leaders.  It is increasingly evident that we need a new kind of business leader.

4.  Good leaders are constantly testing themselves through real-world experiences and reframing their life stories to understand who they are at their core.

5.  Discovering your authentic leadership requires a commitment to developing yourself.