Study slams CEO leadership authenticity

Telling a few fibs in the workplace is commonplace; perhaps you’ll say you have got a task done when in reality it is still sitting in your inbox waiting to be opened, or maybe you will embellish a conversation you had with a potential new client to impress your peers – these white lies are sadly more common than you would think.

But what happens when it is the CEO or boss who is lacking authenticity as a result of their untrusting behaviour?

Research by Gallup has previously found that employees don’t trust their company’s leadership, as only one in three employees in its global database strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organisation.

This has also been supported in a Glassdoor study, which discovered that just 51% of professionals surveyed believe their CEO and senior leaders are authentic.

In its survey of 1,000 European employees
Glassdoor highlighted the importance of authenticity at work, with three quarters stating that they value this quality within the workplace. Despite this, only 54% said that their employer values authenticity among employees.

But there are clear benefits for business leaders who choose to champion authenticity, as 72% of respondents claimed that authenticity at work helps to create a strong culture. Elsewhere, 77% said authenticity can craft better relationships with customers and colleagues.

Speaking on these findings, Joe Wiggins, EMEA Director at Glassdoor, suggested that authenticity is an essential characteristic for any leader. “Authenticity is one of the key attributes of leadership. If authenticity is lacking, then it sets the tone for the wrong type of corporate culture,” Wiggins explained.

How to be an authentic leader
According to Forbes, in order to develop authentic leadership there are several areas any executive should consider, including being more self-aware, understanding personal values and the ability to inspire. Executive Grapevine has delved into these areas below to give you some key insight:

1. Become more self-aware
A survey by the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council members identified that self-awareness was the most important capability for leaders to develop, as this ability can have several benefits to the business as well as a leader. This can begin by listening to more feedback, taking emotional intelligence assessments and looking at personality profiles.

2. Develop a support team
It is impossible to succeed alone without the help of additional support, therefore putting in place a support team can help you stay focussed. It’s crucial that this team provides true feedback and offers a balanced perspective, as this can lead to increased authentic leadership within an organisation

3. Understand personal values
Having the ability to reflect on your own personal life will allow a leader to better understand their passions, values and principles. Having this honest outlook will be visible to peers and colleagues and will showcase increased authenticity in your leadership style.

4. Finding a work/life balance
Forbes stated that those who achieve authentic leadership are always working to maintain balance, while also staying grounded in holistic lives. This covers spending time with family and friends, taking time to exercise and being accountable for their own actions.

5. Inspire and empower
Authentic leaders are not afraid to show their emotions and even display times where they feel vulnerable. During the current period of time, this has likely been most notable for leaders as they grapple with the uncertainty of business following the pandemic. However, those leaders who are able to showcase these qualities will inspire and empower those around them, which can improve company culture and allow an organisation to retain and attract new talent.

By : Jade Bruke

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