We’ve all heard a lot about authentic leadership – and how important it is in fostering employee engagement and in turn promoting successful hiring and retention. But what is authentic leadership and how can you cultivate authentic leadership qualities and skills?  

During the May Workforce Wednesday, a panel of experts from Minnesota employers shared their insights on what it means to be an authentic leader. 

Qualities of an authentic leader: 

• Leaders possess transparency, empathy, humility, and integrity. 
• Transparent leaders build trust through openness, honesty and consistency. 
• Empathetic leaders understand and support employees' needs, through forming real relationships with those on their team. 
• Humble leaders recognize and credit their team, fostering a positive culture. 
• Integrity-driven leaders inspire ethical behavior, promoting trust and commitment. 

Strategies for authentic leadership: 

• Effective communication is vital; leaders must actively listen and encourage open dialogue. 
• Clear communication of vision and goals guides the team, fostering trust and collaboration. 
• Transparent and empathetic communication creates a positive work environment. 
• Authentic leaders promote engagement and high performance through communication. 

“Small meetings, learning who your new team is, touch-bases every week, setting agendas, not forgetting that personal touch – ‘who are you’ ‘what do you do personally,’ ’where do you come from’ …share baby pictures, tell me about a hobby and meeting so you get to know individuals,” said Kelly Hertling, HR Supervisor, L&M Radiator, Inc., a privately held company that was recently acquired by Wabtec, a larger public company. “There’s no such thing as fully leaving your personal life at the door. We hire people as a whole being, you get to come to work as yourself, as your whole being, and when you recognize that, you hire the right person, you put the right person in the right seat.” 

Leaders stressed the importance of being vulnerable, sharing what is going in their life and proactively engaging with employees about their lives because these relationships are not a one-way street. 

“What takes you to that next level with your team is being open and honest about your own vulnerabilities…and that is a really big ask for most leaders…how much of your inner layers do you expose?” said Tamara Lowney, President, Itasca Economic Development Corporation. “That level of vulnerability always leads to deeper relationships, which leads to trust, which leads to open communication in a team.” 

Understanding challenges faced by employees and empathizing with them – as well as seeking solutions – is very important. 

“Being authentic also means having hard conversations and they’re hard conversations for a reason…when there are problems you have to work through…you get better with them over time,” said Claire Peterlin, Program Director, Minnesota North College. “These are sometimes opportunities to say ‘I don’t have all the answers…I believe those closest to work have a lot of the answers and I’m here to listen’…modeling humble leadership is a good place to start.” 

The bottom line: by embracing authenticity, organizations spark strong employee engagement, unlock employee potential and drive innovation and productivity. But authentic leadership has to be just that: authentic, not solely a means to an end. You can view the entire discussion from May’s Workforce Wednesday in this recording. 

View all the Workforce Wednesday resources on CareerForceMN.com.