Authenticity - A Leadership imperative

"The only test of Leadership is that somebody follows" - Rob K Green

Authenticity, according to the Webster’s dictionary, is being genuine. Genuine, suggests Webster’s, means not being a hypocrite. And, at last, to be a hypocrite is "to feign qualities or beliefs that one does not actually possess or hold, especially a pretense of piety or moral superiority."

So to be a truly genuine — or authentic — leader requires a few things: To ensure one’s corporate actions and rhetoric are aligned; to ensure that such actions are meaningful (as opposed to superficial, headline-grabbing actions that don’t permeate or take root beyond the organization’s need for disingenuous publicity); and to ensure that one’s public persona and private core are not at odds. And we wonder why it’s so lonely at the proverbial "top," or why truly authentic leadership is a rarity.

Even without the great degree of personal discernment required for Plato’s examined life, it can be challenging for many leaders to ensure that their own and the organization’s rhetoric is borne out in the actions taken individually and collectively. We don’t have to dig too deep to find an ample supply of corporate hypocrisy that is the result of a disconnect between good intention (or, perhaps, good spin) and follow-through.

No, in most cases it’s not a matter of evil people doing evil things for purposes of unmitigated self-gratification, or so I’d really like to believe. It’s just that it’s pretty easy to say things, to read a speech about vision and ideals, to inaugurate a new initiative with a lofty tagline. To dub the company World Class, Ground Up. It’s not so easy to get an organization that has assumed a life of its own, driven more and more by the insatiable appetite of shareholder value, to actually be that ideal. The proof is in the follow-through. That’s where the level of leadership commitment and influence becomes, often painfully, evident.

And small businesses aren’t immune. I know from my own experience as a business owner that it’s very easy to quite authentically believe in a course of action, only to quite authentically find that it’s not the best course of action a week later. To get excited about a new idea, only to find out the idea’s time has not yet come, or worse, it’s not realistic in practice. Without straight-forward communication, clearly articulated expectations, and an authentic, stable core vision, the sort of strategic vacillation common to entrepreneurial companies and large corporations can force a disconnect between that which is spoken and that which is done.

We’ve all heard the grapevine stories about organizations large and small that tout one thing publicly while doing quite another behind closed doors. Examples would include the communication firm that doesn’t practice skillful communication; or the large corporation that’s recognized for its great work environment while it conducts round after round of layoffs and is permeated by a real culture of enforced workaholism. Or the large company that, in a competitive job market, perpetuates the myth that it's"flat" by calling its leaders "coaches" or its employees "associates" or "team members." Is it any wonder that we live in a decade in which corporate spin and employee cynicism have skyrocketed?

In any organization, whatever the size, a truly authentic leader gets ahead of the often unavoidable, sometimes unpleasant business realities, and communicates both realities and possibilities in a context of uncompromising honesty. He or she withstands the temptation to adopt popular buzz words just for effect if he knows there’s inadequate commitment to long-term support required for an initiative or ideal to take root and survive within an organization on its own volition. She doesn’t pretend the company’s without hierarchy when both its size and its production requirements make hierarchy of some sort a necessity.

Truly authentic leadership may, indeed, be more possible in privately owned companies, given the tremendous pressure on leaders in public companies to squeeze every possible penny of profit for shareholders, regardless of the deleterious effect on the organization’s culture, employees or customers. Are the chief executives of large, public companies — like most politicians — more like actors than true leaders?

What we do know is if the market analysts are watching, organizational leaders may, or may not, be standing on the sideline struggling with issues of leadership and authenticity as they ultimately make the decision that brings value to the shareholder rather than an assurance of authenticity in the reflection of the mirror.

This is an opinion from Ivy Sea Online. The opinions expressed herein are not a substitute for tailored communication counsel designed to meet your unique organizational needs. Should you require individualized counsel, please seek the assistance of a communication expert.



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Emotional Intelligence

I read about Emotional Intelligence recently. Thought of writing and sharing with people.

Emotional intelligence is your ability to acquire and apply knowledge from your emotions and the emotions of others in order to be more successful and lead a more fulfilling life.

When I browse I found various definitions on the net for this. Here are those follows.

From Six Seconds

“The capacities to create optimal results in your relationships with yourself and others.”

Lea Brovdani

Emotional intelligence is being able to recognize, name and appropriately deal with the emotions that we feel and experience. We may all feel anger, emotional intelligence is knowing what to do with the emotion of anger to achieve the best possible outcome.

Reuven BarOn
"an array of noncognitive capabilities, competencies, and skills that influence one's ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures".

Maurice Elias
Emotional intelligence is the set of abilities that we like to think of as being on the other side of the report card from the academic skills.

Inst. for Emotionally Intelligent Living

The ability to sense and use emotions to more effectively manage ourselves and influence positive outcomes in our relationships with others.

A management consulting firm in Australia
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to regulate your impulses, face obstacles and empathize with others.

To explain further, I believe each baby is born with a certain, unique potential for emotional sensitivity, emotional memory, emotional processing and emotional learning ability. It is these four inborn components which I believe form the core of one's emotional intelligence.

My house in Chennai

This is the house which I built in chennai. Its one of my dream...I really like this...

Fun--Again...

A woman wanted to reach her husband on his mobile phone but discovered
that she was out of credit; she instructed her son - to use his own
phone to pass across an urgent message to daddy who is at site.


After junior had called, he got back to mummy to inform her that
it was a lady that picked up daddy's phone the three times he tried
reaching dad on the mobile. (Women!!) She waited impatiently for her husband
to return from site, immediately she sighted him, she gave him a very hot
slap, while the man was trying to ask why? She repeated the slap,
people from neighborhood rushed around to know the cause of this.

The man asked junior to tell everybody what the lady said to him
when he called, junior said "the number u are Trying To call Is not
Reachable At The Moment. Pls Try Again Later".

A to Z of stress management

Always take time for yourself, at least 30 minutes per day.

Be aware of your own stress meter: Know when to step back and cool down.

Concentrate on controlling your own situation, without controlling everybody else.

Daily exercise will burn off the stress chemicals.

Eat lots of fresh fruit, veggies, bread and water, give your body the best for it to perform at its best.

Forgive others, don't hold grudges and be tolerant -- not everyone is as capable as you.

Gain perspective on things, how important is the issue?

Hugs, kisses and laughter: Have fun and don't be afraid to share your feelings with others.

Identify stressors and plan to deal with them better next time.

Judge your own performance realistically; don't set goals out of your own reach.

Keep a positive attitude, your outlook will influence outcomes and the way others treat you.

Limit alcohol, drugs and other stimulants, they affect your perception and behaviour.

Manage money well, seek advice and save at least 10 per cent of what you earn.

No is a word you need to learn to use without feeling guilty.

Outdoor activities by yourself, or with friends and family, can be a great way to relax.

Play your favourite music rather than watching television.

Quit smoking: It is stressing your body daily, not to mention killing you too.

Relationships: Nurture and enjoy them, learn to listen more and talk less.

Sleep well, with a firm mattress and a supportive pillow; don't overheat yourself and allow plenty of ventilation.

Treat yourself once a week with a massage, dinner out, the movies: Moderation is the key.

Understand things from the other person's point of view.

Verify information from the source before exploding.

Worry less, it really does not get things completed better or quicker.

Xpress: Make a regular retreat to your favourite space, make holidays part of your yearly plan and budget.

Yearly goal setting: Plan what you want to achieve based on your priorities in your career, relationships, etc.

Zest for life: Each day is a gift, smile and be thankful that you are a part of the bigger picture.