When I first started out as a Team leader I tried really hard to be the perfect leader, or what I thought was the perfect leader. Then I had the privileged to be invited to a breakfast where Dr Harold Hillman was speaking about Authentic Leadership and I realised how exhausting it was not being myself and trying to be someone else.

So I thought screw it! That’s way too much work! Here are a few facts I have learnt about myself and therefore my leadership style:

1. I swear like a sailor when I am passionate about something, sometimes this is passionately angry.
2. I am blunt, honest, and straightforward,  I don’t like games and I find it really difficult sometimes to hold back and not say what I think. Yes this can get me into trouble but I have also found that some people find it refreshing.
3. I care for my team, both professionally and personally, and I believe that you can be friends with people in your team outside of work. If my team need me outside of work hours then I will be there.
4. I believe that respect goes both ways and has to be earned by both parties, most people don’t just give it away.
5. Trust has to be built and takes time and work to create, and can be so easily lost.
6. I am all about taking action and getting it done, sometimes because of this I miss out on opportunities to do things a different and better way.
7. I understand that not everyone is going to like me and that is OK.
8. I am a detailed person and need to work at looking at the bigger picture sometimes.
9. I can be stubborn and have to work on not cutting off my nose to spite my face.
10. I am a perfectionist and can hold myself and others to a ridiculously high standard (plus I couldn’t leave this list at 9 items, so I needed to round it to 10!).

There are always upsides and downsides to these things on my list, the important thing is that I am aware of them, so I can keep working on them and growing.

A colleague of mine had to remind me of being authentic when it came to this blog the other day, I was telling him that it was a work in progress and that I hoped that my articles would get more sophisticated as I went on, but he reminded me that they don’t need to be, to just be myself.

“Build it and they will come”

(Yeah you are going to get a lot of movie and music quotes in this blog.. You have been warned!)

I got to see Dr Harold Hillman twice, the second time at MS Igite, I might have also stalked him and connected with him on linked in and facebook…  Check out his inspiring presentation from Microsoft Ignite below, its well worth a listen. Then come and join my facebook group and let me know about your authentic kick arse selves!