I wanted to break the good news to him. He was my professional mentor and I knew he would be glad to hear the news. I had just picked up my offer and I had levelled up with him.
I didn’t even think about it when I called him. His response was what I expected and even more. He burst into prayers for me on the phone and ended with a Yoruba proverb which, loosely translated, means “A child will eventually catch up with an adult.”
He was such an authentic leader that I felt so comfortable around him. When I got promoted again later on, I shed tears because he had passed on and I couldn’t share the great news with him. He would have been exceptionally proud of me.
An authentic leader is comfortable in his own skin and is not intimidated by the successes of his followers. He is not fazed by their performance neither is he envious of their breakthroughs. Rather, he celebrates them and paves the way for even greater achievements.
One of such authentic leaders was David. I love that guy a lot! He’s my favourite Bible character. Dude had 37 exceptionally gifted special forces who were around him and he gave them space to be themselves.
Those guys were so good they could have replaced David but he didn’t entertain that thought for one day. He didn’t plan for them to be massacred because he was afraid they could topple him.
David’s leadership wasn’t about being the best; it was about bringing out the best in others. Authentic leaders build legacies by raising others up, not holding them down. Share on XOne of those guys called Eleazar was so strong that during a fierce battle, everyone ran away but he stood his ground and fought till his sword stuck to his palms. The other guys only came back after he had killed everyone.
Some of the special forces were left-handed but never missed their targets. One of them fought 300 men single-handedly. Jackie Chan and John Wick are learners when it comes to David’s Special Forces. Read 2 Samuel Chapter 23 and 1 Chronicles Chapter 1.
They were so good David wrote about them and mentioned each person by name. Imagine a leader writing the biography of his followers!
How can we develop to become authentic leaders?
1. Celebrate the success of your team members
Be genuinely glad for your team. Don’t take credit for their success. Recognize them openly. Reward them generously.
When people know you’re genuine, they become more relaxed with you and they trust you more. That was what David did. He celebrated individual success by recognizing them.
2. Collaborate and don’t compete with them.
Never compete with your team members. You’re not in a race with them. Their win is your win. Rather, collaborate. Encourage everyone to bring on their best and team up. Bring up your own strength where they are weak and vice versa.
Authentic leaders don’t compete with their followers; they collaborate with them and celebrate their successes. Share on X3. Delegate more
You can’t be effective when you try to do everything. Delegate more to your team. When you delegate, you help them to build their capacity. They start to come into their own and develop their own niche.
You can even rest a bit more as a leader when you delegate. All you need to do when you delegate is to coordinate.
4. Don’t micromanage your team
This is difficult for many leaders to do but allow people to make their mistakes. Supervise but don’t micromanage. Allow them to use as much initiative as they can, while you guide them.
Put your system in place but allow them to ride. Be behind them to pick them when they fall but don’t hold the bike otherwise they will never learn how to ride.
5. Deploy people by their areas of strength
As a leader, you need to understand your team. If you notice someone knows how to write well, give them more writing tasks.
I used to have a team member who writes very well. I allowed him to write our letters and most times, they were almost flawless. That is Hezekiah Akinrinde, a fantastic writer.
If you have a team member with excellent presentation skills, allow him/her to take the next presentation. You will not die if you don’t take it as the leader.
Let me address your fear. You’re afraid you may be replaced? Listen—authenticity creates room for growth. When the team grows, the organization grows and there is even more room for everyone.
When you stifle your people and kill their initiative, you limit your opportunity for growth. A one-man army can only be celebrated for a while before everyone begins to ask questions.
We need more authentic leaders. Be one.