Inspiring Your Authentic Week

Posted: 09 Feb 2009 03:04 AM CST

I remember going for a job interview some time ago and being asked what my style of leadership was. Looking back now I realise that I had almost no understanding of leadership at the time.

I replied with something I had heard someone else say - "to lead from the front, by example". This seemed to satisfy the interviewer and we moved on.

As I learned more about leadership I came to understand that there is a great deal of misunderstanding about leadership, not least in many cases, from people who think of themselves as leaders.

It could be argued that one of the causes of our present economic, social and environmental challenges has been the shortage of authentic leadership.

I would define a leader as one whom others choose to follow. So the choice of who emerges as our leaders is always down to those we choose to follow.

There have been plenty we have willingly followed on crusades of hubris, but it has been rare for us to choose to follow those on the path of humility.

It is this hubris that has lead us to our current triple challenge.

We are an adolescent society, look at our squabbles over ideology and our bickering over ownership. We have the arrogance of youth, thinking we know it all and needing to test the limits of our knowledge.

This is not a bad thing or a failure, it is just part of growing up - and growing up is our priority now.

We need to train a new generation of authentic leaders who can lead us through our challenges and to the next level of maturity in civilisation.

Since that interview I have studied leadership intently and have understood it to a far deeper level. I have studied the leaders I have worked with and for, I have read about examples of leadership - great and poor and I have practiced and taught leadership in organisations.

I would like to contribute to the evolution of authentic leadership and have devised a course to offer by phone conference that is based on my free Authentic Leadership e-book.

The course starts on the 3rd of March at 4pm UK time 5pm European time and runs for four weeks. Each call lasts an hour. The whole course cost £100. For more information please e-mail.

I am now doing more frequent and much shorter bursts of inspiration on Twitter - you can join in here www.neilcrofts.com

With love

nx

Neil Crofts
Inspirer
authenticis
inspiration innovation motivation

+44 (0)7775 658534
neil@authenticis.com
www.authenticis.com