Authentic Leadership
How to Become the Female Power and Authentic Leader You Were Meant to be in 2021
In today’s society, women leaders find themselves constantly overcoming a diversity of obstacles, but the distinguishing power of women that are able to achieve exemplary positions comes from within and can be cultivated.
When Shakira and Jennifer Lopez broke tradition as two headliners in the male-dominated world of football with their Super Bowl appearance, they showed America, and the world, the full expression of female power. Their stunning and energetic performance embraced who they are as women leaders in the entertainment field. From that moment forward, not even a worldwide pandemic has been able to stop the array of women leaders that are stepping up to the plate and igniting change all over the world.
We found ourselves closing 2020 with women leading change in all aspects of society, from Kamala Harris who is in line to become the next Vice President of the United States, to Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, the African American scientist who is right at the forefront of the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. The parade of women moving into positions of prominence is certain to continue as the new administration recently named Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as US Ambassador to the United Nations, and former deputy national security advisor, Avril Haines, as Director of National Intelligence. What do all these powerful women have in common? They have not only demonstrated intelligence, experience, and courage but also have risen to the top based on their ample reservoirs of charisma and guile.
In today’s society, women leaders find themselves constantly overcoming a diversity of obstacles including, but not limited to, other powerful women with similar great ideas and/or backgrounds, as well as the overpowering actions of one or two older white dudes. The distinguishing power of women that are able to achieve such exemplary positions comes from within and it could be cultivated.
3 Powerful Personal and Professional Success Tactics to Practice in 2021
Below are three powerful tactics to put into practice as we start 2021. These game-changing recommendations will set you on a clear path for success with some guaranteed power-moves.
Tap into your personal story and embrace it
Your personal story defines who you are, and embracing it fully can give you the confidence that you need to move forward in a man-dominated world. Owning your personal story and getting comfortable enough with it the facts to be able to share it with the world, can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, but an important step in the growth of any female leader.
It is not a secret that women have a more difficult time getting recognized as leaders. A recent research paper published in the Academy of Management Journal discusses how men who speak up benefit the most in terms of status and leader emergence, compared to women who speak up and share their stories. The research also suggests that talking a lot or participating at a high level in a group may not be enough to emerge as a leader—it also depends on how you do it and who you are. This fact validates the premise that we, as women, must be prepared to speak assertively about who we are and what we want, and the success of this endeavor would depend more on “how you say it” than on “what you say.”
A good recommendation to prepare yourself for the “occasion” is to work with an executive coach in exploring your “personal story,” identifying and aligning the aspects of who you are that make you stronger in the workforce, and then putting yourself out there, armed with the resources necessary to soar to new heights.
2. Nourish your authenticity and stay true to who you are
Being an authentic leader involves connecting with your true self and acting from this authenticity when making decisions that impact your life and the lives of others around you.
The Harvard Business Review asserts that “authenticity has emerged as the gold standard for leadership,” and we couldn’t agree more with that statement.
Guided self-reflection can be used to nourish your authentic self since the basis of authentic leadership is mostly rotted in the leader's personal history and key trigger events. Analyzing in detail the way in which important business decisions have been made in the past and learning from those experiences can help women leaders perfect their responses to future situations.
Also, self-reflection can strengthen you to trust your intuition, a practice that is found in many women leaders that dare to leap forward, without fear. If this subject interests you, perhaps you will find valuable insights in this recent TedTalk by Lyn Christian.
3. Appeal to all the senses
From the pitch of your voice to even the way you walk into a room full of strangers, a significant trait of successful women leaders is what researchers call the “affective presence”. This noble concept was first described some time ago in a study conducted by Noah Eisenkraft and Hillary Anger Elfenbein. The research around affective presence suggests that “there are consistent individual differences both in the emotions that people tend to experience and in the emotions that people tend to elicit in others''. Determining how you would want people to feel when they interact with you is something that can be skillfully done by spending some time working on your “brand” further.
This tactic, rather than losing authenticity, is more about being deliberate with your image.
How to best implement these leadership tactics
An executive coach, and even a voice/image consultant, can help you in the process of becoming your highest self in 2021. If you are interested in working with an Executive Coach to strengthen your leadership skills and put into practice the recommendations included here, LM&A Consulting can help. Click here to find out more about our executive coaching services and how I can become your personalized mentor in your growth journey.
About the Author
Lucy Morillo, Esq., LM&A Consultants’ President & CEO, has been mentoring and coaching leaders for over 15 years. She is a Core Essentials Certified Graduate (CECG) coach and training towards further certifications with the International Coach Federation (ICF). Lucy is also a highly ethical C-Level business executive, attorney, and entrepreneur with proven global experience establishing managing and growing new enterprises, private companies, and non-profit organizations. Click here to read her full bio.