When Managers and Executives Become Energetic... Sincere and Authentic Leadership Behaviour.

It is one thing when your “boss” demands things to get done you may find “unacceptable”, but this can happen and is part of everyday business reality. It is also no drama when your boss adopts the wrong tone because he has a bad day. (The same is clearly true for female bosses.) However, the one thing that in the long run will destroy confidence, undermine loyalty, curb motivation and productivity, and reduce commitment, is insincerity and lacking authenticity in leadership behaviour.

In order to analyse this fact, let us consider the theory of communicative acting and in particular the “claims of validity” developed by the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas. His theory reads as follows: When communicating in an understanding-oriented environment, we tacitly assume the following three claims of validity, i.e. basic rules:

1. claim to truth, 2. claim to correctness, appropriateness, 3. claim to sincerity and authenticity.

Speaking is equal to communicative acting

Verbal statements are supposed to be “true,” “appropriate” and „sincere.” These claims are important because verbal statements are always made within a social context. With all the things I say, I do not only communicate a “semantic meaning” but I enter into a commitment too. When joking with someone, telling a story about our life, making an appointment, apologising, offering an option, etc. we do not just talk to somebody, we are acting by means of our words.

Habermas’ claims of validity explain why team leaders tolerate “harsh” or “stroppy” answers. Tensions and conflicts do not necessarily violate the basic rules of communication. Moodiness makes a person trustworthy. As long as somebody stays honest and authentic, communication is possible.

Such basic rules of communication always apply, even when chatting in the lift or staff restaurant. Managers and executives in particular should be aware of this. By staying authentic, they are able to secure themselves a mutual leap of faith in their credibility, which they necessarily need to establish a functioning cooperation within their enterprise and successful team working. But how do you manage this in your busy daily routine? Self-reflexion has proved to be a good approach.

Achieving leadership personality by self-reflexion

Leading not only implies to apply your leadership tools in a profitable way. Management success depends on implementing the right measures, but above all on your individual leadership personality. Authentic communication is not the most obvious tool, however, it is the basis without which many other tools such as feedback meetings, team motivation or the implementation of visions could not function at all.

Sincerity can be achieved among other things by self-reflexion. Let yourself get trained, if you have realised that your communication skills not yet have the power a manager or executive should have. As a result, you will notice that authenticity is a way of enhancing your self-confidence, performance and feel-good factor.