This is not an ABC post, but one I felt important to share with you today. I have several blogs that I follow, and this morning, I saw a post with the movie below in it. It is called The Butterfly Circus. I hope you will take the time to watch this. It is 20 minutes long, but well worth the watch.

As leaders, our perception of ourselves and others have a huge impact on the world around us. What were your thoughts as you watched the movie?

The dictionary defines the word authenticity as “the quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy, or genuine.” When we are authentic, we are our “true selves.” The masks come off and we stop trying to be someone we aren’t. Sometimes in our lives, it seems we are pushed into a corner and expected to be something else. I’ve had those times in my life. In the end, however, I struggle with it. I tend to be a “WYSIWYG” type of person. There’s nothing to hide, it is what it is.

In leadership, being authentic is important. It is what builds relationships. It is was creates a connection where people want to be a part of what you are doing. I remember once having a boss who was perhaps one of the most authentic people I had ever met. When he spoke, people listened. He never tried to be someone other than who he was, and it worked. In that instance, it allowed him to build a remarkable business because people love working with someone who is real. I learned a lot in that job.

Then there are those times when we’re asked to not show our authentic self. Can you recall a time like that in your life? It’s not a comfortable place to be, and in the end, I believe it costs us. It impacts how others view us because people can easily spot a phony. It costs us in how we feel about ourself because we don’t like being someone other than the person we were created to be. And in the end, it costs us the relationships and trust we may have built.

Sometimes I think we try to stifle our authentic self by simply trying to tell people what they want to hear. In the end, though, leaders do others a disservice in doing this. Even if it’s bad news, it’s better to be authentic. It builds trust.

One of my favorite quotes about authenticity comes from Andrew Cohen: “The authentic self is the best part of a human being. It’s the part of you that already cares, that is already passionate about evolution. When your authentic self miraculously awakens and becomes stronger than your ego, then you will truly begin to make a difference in this world. You will literally enter into a partnership with the creative principle.”

Think about that. Isn’t leadership about really making a difference? When you tap into that authenticity that is you, there is no limit to what you can accomplish. What will you do to be sure you are applying authenticity to your leadership today?

Over the next few weeks, I am going to be talking about the ABC’s of Leadership. This will be a series of posts, each one beginning with a word from the alphabet. We will start with A and go to Z. You can expect at least three posts per week, which means it will take us about two months or so to cover the alphabet. It is my hope that through your comments we will have some great discussion.

For today, I would like to know what qualities you look for in a leader. We all have a notion in our minds of what a great leader looks like. Perhaps they are visionary, perhaps they are kind, able to inspire. Put your thinking caps on now and start thinking about what it is that says to you “that’s a great leader.”

For me, it begins with integrity. I want a leader who says what they mean and means what they say, and will do what they say they are going to do. I don’t tend to be a “sugar coat” kind of person so just tell me the facts, even if it’s bad news. I happen to believe that people would rather hear bad news than try to make up in their heads what is really happening. I will expand on what I think integrity is when we get to “I” in the alphabet!

What about you? What’s the number one quality in a leader? I look forward to your comments.

Today marks the day that the world celebrates Martin Luther King Day, a recognition of a man who had major impact on the world. If you haven’t watched it lately, I urge you to take a minute and watch his “I Have a Dream” speech below.

My niece, who is 9 years old, was telling me the other day about their studies about Dr. King. I asked her what he did and her response was with the simplicity of a child: “He made it so blacks and whites can be together. Aunt Kathy, without that, you and Henderson might never have met.” All she sees is that she has an uncle that she loves very much and who is special to her. The lesson she learned in school actually just reinforced what she already knew.

I think Martin Luther King taught us some great lessons in leadership and the blogs today are already full of those leaders. For us today, I simply want to encourage you to watch the video (it’s 17 minutes) and reflect on what this man taught us about leadership.

What lessons do you take from Martin Luther King’s life about leadership? How can we apply those to our own lives today? I look forward to your comments.

Welcome to the Nicholls Leadership Institute blog. Leadership, and in particular leading with integrity, has long been a passion of mine. I hope to provide meaningful information and dialogue here and hope you will join us. Be sure to sign up below so you don’t miss something as new things are posted.