3 changes you must make to achieve authenticity in your social leadership
3 changes you must make to achieve authenticity in your social leadership.
Why is it that some social leaders -who champion a sustainable cause- inspire us, while others almost put us in a bad mood? How is it that one leader can manage to get the attention of the masses while others bore us to death or we simply don’t understand? Has it happened to you that when you speak up you feel that your team, your clients, or your partners aren’t excited with your ideas?
If so, then it’s time to check on your narrative. We tend to think that speeches, texts, letters, and even the emails we send should have a formal tone and that the longer they are, the more professional they look. So many people still think that the more technicalities, complicated words, and even words in other languages they use, the more intelligent they will appear. Are you one of them?
There are a thousand formulas to writing texts and speeches, but the truth is that a powerful narrative must come out of your most authentic self. There are no shortcuts to being credible but to align the head, the heart, and the stomach. And that work starts long before you start writing.
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The first months of the year are perfect to start defining, first and foremost, what your purpose is, your raison d’etre. If you want to take it even further, you can even define a purpose that helps others at the same time, that makes a difference in people’s lives.
In his book ‘Start With Why’, Simon Sinek puts forward a formula in which, on one hand, you describe your contribution to the world, and on the other, the impact it has on other people. For example, my WHY is “empowering the voice of the leaders that are changing the world to show others a better way.”
There are many ways to find your purpose, such as the Ikigai, introduced by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles in 2016; the Points Of You methodology applied by Enrique Torres or even just a customized SWOT analysis. Any technique you use will help you find that starting point to develop your personal narrative.
You can spot a leader without purpose from miles away, and that is also true for a leader with purpose. Authenticity is the new “must” and allows us to stop competing to start collaborating, each one with our own unique, true attributes. Textbook leaders are not convincing anymore; those who accept themselves just as they are, build trust.
These three small changes in your speech will make it more authentic:
1.- If you want to be listened to, talk about them, not about you. Stop trying to play the hero. Stop talking about you and your achievements and talk about the people you help and make a positive impact in.
2.- If you want to be understood, speak in their language, not yours. In an era of sustainable development, climate change, sexual diversity, and the metaverse don’t hesitate to translate into common words any concept that didn’t exist 10 years ago.
3.- If you want to be followed, show the way. Does your speech only point out or diagnose a problem? Rewrite it until you have a concrete plan and specific actions that offer value.
To summarize: I wish that in 2022 you find your most authentic purpose and that you’re able to reflect it in every aspect of your life. I wish that you create a unique and original narrative that makes you stand out in the crowd. And especially that you trust in yourself and in your ability to make a better world.
Also by Alejandra Fosado: The tribes that came with the pandemic
