The Keys to Becoming an Authentic Leader

This past weekend I travelled to Johannesburg where I had the opportunity to attend Turiya Hanover’s workshop on ‘Authentic Presence in Leadership’. Wow! I so wish you could have been there with me and experience for yourself what it’s like to be in the presence of a teacher who radiates such field of unconditional love where deep healing can take place.  

The workshop focused on what does it mean to have authentic presence as a leader, and Turiya shared with us that the magnetic presence great leaders have comes from their ability to fully open their hearts.

And how do you fully open your heart so that you too can become that authentic leader that many of aspire to be?  These are the keys she shared with us:

Know Yourself Authentically.  Are you taking the time to be aware of what it is you’re thinking, feeling and wanting at any given time? Can you love and embrace those aspects of your personality that you’ve kept hidden from others, or even yourself? Knowing yourself authentically is about becoming that person that we want to attract into our lives.

Listen Authentically. Can you really listen to others with the ear behind the ear and the heart behind the heart? Authentic leaders truly listen with their whole bodies! 

Express Authentically. Can you express your deepest truths from a place of deep compassion for yourself and others? In what areas of your life are you still telling the same old stories you so wish to believe, but you know deep inside they are just fantasies keeping you from growing and expanding? 

Appreciate Authentically. Are you taking the time each day to truly and authentically appreciate others, not because it’s the right thing to do, but because each time you appreciate yourself or others you allow your own heart to open up more? Who are you not appreciating right now that truly needs to be appreciated in your life?

Serve Authentically. Great leaders serve from that place of authenticity that can only come from within their open hearts. In what areas are you serving others because you ‘want’ something from them? What if you gave more, without expecting anything in return? 

Becoming and authentic leader is about fully embracing our ability to be authors of our own lives and completely accept each of the characters – good ones and bad ones – in our own lives. When we fully know, listen, express, appreciate and serve from this place, our hearts begin to open and we’re now stepping into our own authentic presence.  

My last question for you today is, what can you start doing TODAY that will help you lead a more authentic life? 

Have an awesome week ahead!