Leaders Must Live Authentic Lives

(Leadership Series: Part 3 of 7)

Be Authentic

One of the biggest disappointments I experienced growing up was finding out that a favorite coach was not the man of character that I believed he was. Before I become too critical of this man to emphasize my point on authenticity, let me stress a couple of very important points.  First, I have always been taught to judge a man by his achievements and not his failures, but most importantly not to judge.  Second, this coach was instrumental in my success as an athlete and the formation of my character. Quite simply, I would not be the man I am today without his guidance.  With this being noted, I watched this man’s life collapse because of his inability to live a life of authenticity.  He presented himself to society as a man of character, discipline, and honor, but behaved in a manner contrary to the virtues he taught.  It eventually cost him his credibility, his marriage, and his job.

Invest in Others

My coach identified a talent within me that I did not even know that I had.  He spent time with me and helped me to discipline myself.  He took an interest when no one else did, and even more importantly gave me an opportunity to compete when no else thought I was ready. He held me to a higher standard. He praised me when I succeeded and encouraged me when I struggled.  I thought the world of him. Click to Read More

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3 thoughts on “Leaders Must Live Authentic Lives

  1. Your post is very on the money. It would be very interesting to know how many of our leaders are in fact the people they seem to be. In the end nature takes it’s course and those not up to the standard they set are exposed. None of us is perfect so the ones that get exposed as you noted are the leaders they should be if they admit the mistake and take responsibility to correct their behavior. To me the ability to admit you were wrong and step up and correct the issue is the sign of a good leader. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.