“Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others.” Desiderata – Max Ehrmann

I spoke with our school leaders last week about why I believe that being authentic is key to how we forge relationships and work as a team. In July, I discussed with our chairs of governors how we could better support our leaders, the balance of trust and accountability, and how authenticity sits at the heart of this relationship.

What is authenticity?
We think of authenticity as being honest with oneself and others, and having credibility in word and deed. Authentic leaders have high standards of integrity, and make decisions based on principle. They are often transparent in their thinking, and by sharing their own experience and revealing important parts of themselves this can help provide some background context to how they lead. This can connect leaders with their teams at a deep level. Such openness can set off a ripple of confidence across the whole organisation, generating a level of belief and security which we now call psychological safety.

Why is this important?
We also know what inauthenticity feels like. In the past in education we saw dishonest practice when examination courses were taken on simply to hike up school data or pupils off-rolled to game the system. Today we all feel pressure to be less than authentic: when faced with a challenge I’ll often wait to see what everyone else does first; when metrics or frameworks change, I’m tempted to overhaul trusted plans instead of sticking to my guns. Meanwhile, in society we see leaders saying one thing and doing the opposite. We’ve seen the ‘Partygate’ scandal, and Mr Bates v the Post Office. Public institutions losing the moral high ground.

Two things are clear: firstly, there is a call for more honesty in public life. And secondly, we want to be led at work by people who have integrity, who do the right thing. Each morning school leaders step naturally into this moral space. They take up their position at the gates of their school: our public institution still trusted by parents, the authentic point of contact for families, the social glue for our communities.

So how, as leaders, can we learn to be more authentic?

1/ Be true to yourself, and true to others

What does authentic leadership look like?
There is little distance between our words and actions, and we take responsibility for both (rather than apportioning blame when things don’t work out). We make decisions based on principle, instead of short-term gain (the right thing to do, instead of the most popular). We mobilise people to collect around a common cause (this is what we should be doing in this situation).

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

While this sounds like a bible quotation, it is in fact advice from Polonius to his son Laertes, from father to son, before he heads off on a journey back to his sixteenth century gap year in France. (from Hamlet, Act 1, scene 3). Being true to yourself is more than just being yourself.  I think it means to recognise what you are good at, and what you are not. Leaders can rarely describe their strengths, gifts and abilities in a way which is specific enough to help build confidence. Being clear about your strengths and what others are better at than you can really help your team.

2/ Do the right thing
When we are honest, on time for things, work hard, try to make the right things happen, and listen to feedback, we create a sense of confidence. When we do what we said we’d do, honour our commitments, keep confidences and are known for being reliable, we build trust and people see us as real.

“None can give to another what he does not possess himself. Nothing which was not in the teacher can flow from them into the pupils.”  C.S. Lewis – God in the Dock

We should spend probably less time talking about leadership style, and more time on what leaders actually do. What really matters is not whether they are being true to themselves, but whether they get the right things done, and are useful to others.  We should be less concerned about whether they are autocratic or collegiate, and more focused on the substance of what gets done: Can they bring a team together in the common pursuit of an important goal? Can they help children to be more happy and achieve well?

3/ It’s not about you (yet it absolutely is)
At one level understanding who you are as a leader is really important. Our hopes, desires and concerns are the human element of our leadership calling, and help to build our authenticity. These make up the fuel that helps us through difficult moments or key decisions.

Yet we must keep in mind that it’s not about us. Our purpose is fulfilled within and for the community that we decide to serve. We may choose a school or a context because our heart prompts us that this is the community which needs us most. We focus therefore on the work set in front of us, and not on us. This focus on others and away from ourselves helps us to stay true to who we are, to remain fully authentic. It is this meeting point of self and community which is at the heart of authentic leadership and sense of vocation.

People who are authentic have generally put their ‘self’ second, and placed their core purpose or vocation first. This means their ego has been replaced by their calling. Authenticity is a little like happiness, you don’t intentionally search or strive for it, it is the surprising by-product of other selfless actions.

4/ Pay attention to others
Authentic leaders draw attention toward others, and away from themselves. As a school leader, it is likely that you are already hypersensitive to the quality of the things that others do. You are attuned to noticing behaviours that are helpful, and those that are not. Studying what it is that staff do (in the classroom and around the school) which makes a positive difference to children, then replaying it back to them as powerful and constructive feedback. When you do this, not only have you noticed their unique contribution, you took the trouble to tell them the impact it has. That matters. Most of us don’t do this well.

Perhaps at staff briefing we acknowledge the simple, replicable actions of colleagues who go beyond the expected without seeking attention: the member of support staff who quietly ferried a child home late after a school trip, the teacher who pushed a child with special needs to achieve brilliantly in a test; the receptionist who manage a tricky incident with humanity and grace. By showing appreciation of specific things, we are transparent about what matters to us, and this reinforces the culture we want to see.

These acts of attention are powerful, and they compound as we repeat them. When we continue to pay attention to the actions of our colleagues, they benefit and grow from this focus and feedback. Doing it over a period of time confers authenticity towards you. And when people see that you try to do this on the days even when you’re not at your best, they’ll know that your efforts to provide them with high quality attention and feedback doesn’t depend on your mood. That’s authenticity wrapped up as consistency.

Authenticity is not something we have or don’t have. It’s a practice – a collection of choices we make each day. Brené Brown

5/ Be honest, but show the best version of yourself
Being real is important for leaders, but it looks like we can be too real for our own good. The problem with many political leaders is not a lack of authenticity, but that there’s too much of it. The public domain is full of narcissistic leaders splurging their ‘self’ all over us, unable to show restraint. In a world full of self-serving bosses, we recognise authentic leaders as ones who lead with confident humility, who know their strengths but know their limitations, who tread lightly on our lives. They understand when to share themselves, and when to hold back.

On the one hand, authors like Brené Brown suggests full disclosure, saying that we are at a moment in history when we need more open and honest leaders. On the other hand, researcher Adam Grant recommends caution, suggesting that it’s not good to be unfiltered, or to give voice to every opinion you hold.

When it comes to being real, Grant signposts recent research which urges caution about how much we share. In a recent study, researchers examined how striving to be authentic in job interviews influenced lawyers and teachers chances of being hired. They measured authenticity by asking how strongly candidates agreed or disagreed with statements like:

(a) ‘When interviewing for a job I try to be honest about my personality/ work style’; and
(b) ‘It’s important for an employer to see me as I see myself even if it means recognising my limitations’.

The candidates who agreed with the statements were more likely to get the job, but only if their resumes/ CVs had been rated in the 90^th percentile or higher. For the vast majority, striving to be authentic didn’t help, and actually hurt their chances if they were teachers in the 25^th percentile or below, and lawyers in the 50^th percentile or below. Why was this? For the professionals ranked with the best CVs, their strengths were already evident, so acknowledging weaknesses signalled self-awareness. But for candidates who hadn’t proved themselves, divulging flaws made them seem incompetent and insecure.

“Authenticity without boundaries is careless. When we broadcast our limitations, we need to be careful about casting doubt on our strengths.” Adam Grant

6/ Transparent Ingredients
If you want to know that your Italian food, say your parmigiano reggiano or your balsamic vinegar, is made from authentic ingredients, then you look for the D.O.P sign (‘protected designation of origin‘). The purpose of this labelling is to protect high quality foods which have established a reputation over time from competition by cheaper, modern brands mimicking their flavour.

In a similar way, one of the things I admire about authentic leaders is their ability to weigh up new initiatives and filter the wheat from the chaff, the trendy fads from the long-lasting changes that will add value to the educational landscape. Some leaders appear naturally to be able to share what they’ve learned from past experience, bringing wisdom and all of themselves into a conversation about the different elements of running a school. What’s right to spend money on and why? What is a long-lasting, ambitious curriculum? Why or when to exclude?

7/ Make sure your processes are honest
When the way we plan and run professional development and appraisal develops everyone across the organisation, then this shows integrity in the desire for the whole organisation to thrive. When line management mechanisms create an environment where colleagues feel valued this provides a safe space for honest communication, unearthing issues before they escalate. When the way that feedback works provide transparent and clear communication about what we are doing well and what we can do better (and where team members to express their opinions and concerns), then we have a climate where employees feel valued, and are safe.

When we are taking part in, say, an NPQ course, we can try to squeeze our professional selves into an acceptable shape to look a little like everyone else. Instead of embracing our differences and unique approach, we can feel like we have to straight-jacket ourselves into a leadership tick-list of compliance. This can lead to a reductive kind of leadership, where I am always checking myself against others, rather than flourishing as fully myself in the role. Don’t get me wrong: coverage of the leadership essentials is important, but it’s key that we don’t allow this to squeeze out the unique contribution that only we can bring.

8/ Virtual authenticity
This brings us to the difficulty of being ourselves online. In her essay The un-instagrammable self, Tara Westover describes the pressures of social media on our identity:

“Sharing ourselves online for most of us means curating an identity that exaggerates some qualities, while repressing or holding back others which we consider weaker or less desirable.”

It’s harder to be fully authentic than it was, and this adds another dynamic to how leaders present themselves, with how and what we choose to share. Two personal thoughts on the online presence of leaders: Firstly, I am in awe of those people who manage to present a relentlessly positive face on social media, frequently pointing to the wisdom or accomplishments of others (and I assume that they manage to handle any criticism or deflect grumpiness elsewhere). Secondly, when I see distracting or attention-seeking behaviour on social media, I’m often reminded of the Winston Churchill quote: ‘You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks’.

9/ Be sure of yourself (understand your authority)
We underestimate our authority, perhaps through imposter-hood, but becoming an authentic leader means learning what this means and how to use this in the best way for your team. Of course your reputational authority is the reason you were appointed (your knowledge and experience and track record); but it’s worth remembering your convening authority (your ability to build teams and bring people together around a shared goal), and your relationship authority (the way that you influence others beyond your own line management). These two shine through in your day-to-day conversations, your simple actions which build trust and by the way in which you share your beliefs and hopes.

10/ The conditions to be authentic
I suspect many of us are less authentic than we might be. Not because we are inherently less authentic than others, but because we lack the environment around us to be so. For example:

– if my organisation welcomes mistakes as a fundamental part of learning, if it has a low, not high stakes around improving ourselves, our pupils, our teams, then I am much more likely to be authentic about what I’m good at and what I’m not.
– if my organisation welcomes real honesty, not the appearance of honesty, (for example a willingness to improve, not prove), then it is less risky to ask when I’m unsure, to be real about how difficult I’m finding my class’s behaviour, by our response to people when things go wrong.
– If my organisation sees someone who is having problems and treats them well, and makes every attempt to help them, then I’m much less likely to hide the thing I’m worried about, or pretend everything is picture-perfect.

And finally, cut yourself some slack
It’s worth acknowledging that there are times when we feel less than authentic. Perhaps we had to support policies we were less than comfortable with, or might have stood our ground more honestly over an issue, or maybe we took on a role we felt was less in tune with our values, or just less ‘us’.

Remember that in these situations, while personally we may regret a lack of courage or transparency, people are always more forgiving than we imagine, and they forget much faster too. Looking back, perhaps we need to forgive ourselves too, which helps us move on. Throughout our careers there are plenty of opportunities for us to re-consider our values, to refine our ethical codes, to become more assured about ‘who’ we are in the face of future challenges. To reinvent ourselves in other words.