Susanne Madsen - Developing Project Leaders
  • Home
  • Services
    • Workshops
    • Speaking
    • Coaching
    • Testimonials
  • Bio
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Contact
  • Library
  • Resources

The secret to authentic leadership in projects

1/10/2015

1 Comment

 
Authenticity is a fundamental building block in project leadership. Leadership doesn’t come from emulating others or from blindly following a set of rules. It comes from a deeply personal approach which is rooted in who you are as a person. Being authentic is about truly knowing yourself and what you believe in. It’s about being the person you know in your heart that you have always been destined to be. When you know what you stand for it is much easier to do the right thing in any given situation and to intuitively lead others. That is when you have the potential to be the best version of you.

Authentic project leaders are people with extraordinary integrity who are willing to live by their core values. They have a strong sense of purpose and understand the motives that drive them. This is an insight they have developed through introspection, observation, feedback and years of experience. It is an insight which helps them stay grounded and be guided to make the right decisions. If you don’t understand what the purpose of your leadership is, and what you big “why” is, you will be easily influenced – not just by external events and other people’s opinions – but also by your own emotions and impulses. That means that you will find it harder to act with integrity when the pressure is on, and that your decision-making may suffer as a result.
Picture
The true test of authenticity is not what you say you will do, but how you actually behave. This is especially true when you are under pressure, as your true values will emerge when things aren’t going your way. If you aren’t acting with integrity in those situations – by not living up to the values you professed – trust is broken and not easily regained. Being truly authentic means that your actions reflect your core values and that your purpose is aligned to those values. It means that there is harmony between what you think and feel on the one hand and what you say and do on the other.

When you are comfortable with who you are, and when you are able to use your inner guidance system to inform you about what is right and what is wrong, it will be easier to make the best decisions even if they are not popular. You will instinctively know when to step in and when not to; when to accept something and when to push back. You will have the confidence to stand up for yourself and your project and to protect your team from unnecessary noise. But not least, you will have the desire to be true to your client’s long-term vision (even when your client is not) and to deliver the project’s outcomes and benefits in the most cost-effective and sustainable manner. When you have the courage to rely on your inner guidance system you will be better able to serve your client and to build stronger interpersonal relationships because your actions will be congruent and consistent. People will respect you and want to follow you because you are honest, strong and reliable. 

Authentic project leaders have a genuine desire to serve their client and to enable others to make a difference more than they are interested in power, money or prestige for themselves. They have a clear view of what their client’s true needs are and they seek to fulfil them with utmost care and judgment. We could say that authentic project leaders are givers who seek to empower people to contribute to the client’s bigger vision. The opposite are takers who tend to take out as much as they can from their surroundings. They have a big need for feeling significant and fulfill this need by serving themselves. These people often view situations, colleagues and subordinates as a means to gain greater power, money, and recognition. 

But the goal of authentic project leaders is not to serve themselves at the expense of others. Rather than being steered by self-enhancement values, they are primarily driven by self-transcendent values linked to growth, contribution and connection. They gain satisfaction from contributing to a cause greater than themselves, from continuously learning, empowering others and from knowing that they are doing the right thing. For that reason they don’t play favourites or engage in dishonest politics as that would undermine trust and collaboration and their core values. They have a genuine and honest approach to their work and attempt to be transparent and open about a situation. When things go well they look out of the window and let others take credit. When things go wrong the look in the mirror and take responsibility. 

I would like to finish with some thoughtful words from Camila Batmanghelidjh, the founder of Kids Company. In an interview with the APM, she says ‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. There is an attitude of success being the end goal in everything whereas, actually, I think integrity is the most important thing. If you have integrity the outcome is success. What I would like project managers to be able to do is to face truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’



If you liked this post, you may also like: 
Building Self-Esteem
My Story - Working Smarter; Not Harder!
Be a Project Champion
10 Tips for Handling Conflict 
6 Principles for building trusting relationships 
1 Comment
François-Pierre Lemer link
3/10/2015 21:01:43

Thank you Suzanne for this brilliant article. I definitely share your perspective about what the project manager's attitude must be.
In front of the multiple constraints we have to face during the project lifecycle it is often very challenging to stick with our values, you are very encouraging.
Cheers,
FP

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Agile
    Authenticity
    Building Relationships
    Coaching
    Delegation
    Estimation
    Feedback
    Handling Conflict
    Innovation
    Iron Triangle
    Limiting Factor
    My Story
    Perception Of Failure
    Podcasts
    Positive Attitude
    Proactive Project Management
    Progress Reporting
    Project Costs
    Project Failure
    Project Initiation
    Project Leadership
    Project Management Mistakes
    Recruitment
    Requirements
    Resistance To Change
    Risk Management
    Self Esteem
    Stakeholder Management
    Stress Management
    Team Motivation
    Time Management
    Trust
    Vision And Mission

    Picture

    Susanne Madsen

    Susanne is a project leadership coach and the author of The Power of Project Leadership and The Project Management Coaching Workbook. She has over 20 years experience in leading large change programmes for global companies. Read more..

    Picture

    Register for FREE to get access to the RESOURCES page

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

Developing Project Leaders