This week starts off our Servant Leadership series with the first of the 5 ways of being, Be Authentic. I will often be referencing James Autry's book, "The Servant Leader" as well as a book by Howard Behar, "It's Not About The Coffee".
Be Authentic. "What does being authentic mean? Simply stated, it means be who you are. Be the same person in every circumstance. Hold to the same values in whatever role you have. Always be your real self.....Being authentic is, first, knowing yourself, then being yourself. Authenticity derives from our deepest, truest selves. How do we come to know ourselves? Only through what can be called the spiritual disciplines: silence, meditation, prayer."
This is probably one of the most important things in being a servant leader. Another way to describe being authentic is wearing one hat. Most simply put--be who God created you to be, and be that person ALL the time. Being consistent with how you interact with people and being consistently reliable in the way you respond no matter what the circumstance, creates a vital sense of security and trust with the people you lead.
The tough question to answer is are you able to be authentic in your current circumstances? You have to remember that you have choices. It might take changing your attitude, changing companies, or even changing your career, but you owe it to yourself and your family to find the one hat that you can wear every day in every area of your life.
Until next week.
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