Have you ever played meeting bingo? That game where you list jargon that tends to come up in meetings, and every time someone utters a term that has become meaningless through overuse, you tick it on the list.
First one to tick all the terms wins. (If you play it openly…)
I have an equivalent.
Every time I read something or listen to people talking about leadership, I see how long it takes for the term “authentic” to appear. Sometimes it only takes seconds.
But is authentic leadership possible for everyone?
Some leaders are pressured NOT to be authentic
2024 research (Williams and Okafar, reference below) shows women of colour are pressured to:
- Modify their appearance
- Change their communication style
- Delete cultural expressions to fit into organisational norms
More 2024 research (Davis and Ahmed, reference below) shows that women of colour need to make active, strategic choices about when to be authentic leaders and balance this with organisational expectations of them.
Being authentic while being minoritised
I founded and run a free network of women leaders of colour called Together We Rise. In discussing authentic leadership, members raised a plethora of problems and issues, e.g.:
- It is harder to authentically yourself at work given colleagues around you see (and judge) you through filters of conscious and unconscious bias
- Experiences of covert and unconscious bias make it feel psychologically unsafe to be authentic
- Women leaders of colour are under continuous pressure to prove and re-prove why they should be at the table, which impedes authenticity
- Systemic and interpersonal biases mean women leaders of colour are regularly having to manage their emotions at work, making it much harder to be or want to be authentic
If minoritised, how can you be a authentic leader?
There are ways to be an authentic leader as a minoritised person – if that’s what you want.
Be specific about what authenticity means to you
- Which aspects of you do you want to bring to work? Be really precise.
- How does being authentic relate to your personal values?
- Why does being authentic matter to you?
- Which aspects of yourself might you share with some and not others?
When it is safe or necessary to be authentic?
- Work out in advance what specific settings are safe for you to be authentic
- Are there occasions when your organisation needs you to be authentic? If so, are you willing to serve the organisation’s needs and how will you keep yourself safe in doing so?
- What are the specific risks in your organisation to being authentic and how can you manage these risks?
- Are there particular groups of colleagues with whom you feel safe being authentic?
- Are there allies who can support you in situations where you feel the need to be authentic but don’t necessarily feel safe? If so, how can you brief them on what you specifically need them to do or say?
Recognise you have a choice
You don’t owe anyone authenticity. It is up to you to decide whether and how you show up as an authentic leader, and work out what that looks like for you.
In conclusion
Leadership is not the same for minoritised people. The sooner we realise that approaches to leadership are not a “one size fits all”, the easier it will be for minoritised people to build and navigate a leadership career.
Help is at hand
I am developing a specific programme for career women of colour on how to navigate the systemic and interpersonal barriers to creating a leadership career. Interested? Join our waiting list. Joining the list does not commit you to anything, and anyone signing up to the programme from the waiting list will get a 20% discount on the cost.
If you are a minoritised leader or an ally and want 1:1 support, reach out and let’s arrange a chat to see how we can help. [email protected]
If you are a woman leader of colour, join our free network Together We Rise and get the support and wisdom of women like you. Contact us on [email protected]
References
Williams, A., & Okafor, P. (2024). Identity authenticity pressures in contemporary professional settings. Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, 97(1), 123-142.
Davis, A., & Ahmed, F. (2024). Strategic authenticity: Identity navigation among professional women of colour. Academy of Management Journal, 67(3), 1245-1268.