I was a participant at a recent conference on sustainability at IIT Madras. I generally arrive early so that (a) I get to park my car at a decent spot (b) to meet strangers and friends and have a conversation. As I entered the hall, I was greeted by a familiar face. “How are you, Sir”, “What are you doing here?”
The bearded person clearly knew who I was. My mind was having trouble placing him. Then it flashed. If I subtract the beard, he was one my colleagues, who left to join another organisation a few years ago. I had to satisfy his curiosity of what I was doing in the same hall where he was supposed to be speaking in the afternoon. Once he got the answer, he first spoke about his professional life and how it has been an exciting period trying to convince customers to try out an alternate technology for recycling waste water. He also spoke about his family.
Then came the remark that sparked this post. “Sir, aap waise ki waise ho” [He was speaking in Hindi, and it means you look the same]. He was referring to the fact that I have not become round in the middle while he might have put on a few kilos. “I always used to notice you when you were in office. You would order the same food, you were very careful in what you drank and ate”. For the record, I was happy to eat “kitchdi with vegetables and dahi” (lentils, rice, vegetables and curd) for lunch. And a maximum of two masala chai through the day. “And you used to walk to work from wherever you stayed”. Yes, I had the habit of walking about 30 minutes to work in Bangalore, weather permitting! “I always used to tell my wife about you”. Now word is travelling!
When you are a leader, everyone is watching you. It is not so much what decisions you take (which affects them or affects the organisation), but also how you conduct yourself and what you do at work (including your dining habits). There is nowhere to hide. You may be at the top. You may not see everyone. Everyone can see you!
So, how you conduct yourself becomes important. Do you put on a facade? Can you put on a facade just because you are being watched? The answer is deceptively simple. Be yourself.
First, why a facade will not work. It is easy to spot one. The office gossip is invisible to you, and that is where people exchange notes. Nothing escapes this debate (around the coffee machine or the water cooler!). You are being x rayed at different angles. So, forget it. A facade will be exposed sooner than later!
Being yourself on the other hand means your actions and words are always aligned with your internal values. You use your values to stay grounded. As CEO of Sara Lee, Brenda Barnes said “The most important thing about leadership is your character and the values that guide your life. If you are guided by an internal compass that represents your character and values you are going to be fine”. Bill George emphasises this further when he says “You cannot fake it to make it, because people sense intuitively whether you are genuine” Further “No one can be authentic by trying to be like someone else” [meaning you need to be who you are and not try to emulate someone else]
Being yourself requires a lot of work on the self, primarily self awareness. This can be achieved through self reflection of your thoughts, words and actions. And sometimes with the help of a coach who helps in discovering yourself, again. Your beliefs are connections or wiring in your subconscious. Your awareness of your beliefs is the first step in becoming an authentic leader.
In the words of the great Mahatma “Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny”
[Image generated by Gemini AI]
