Unleash the Power of Your Legacy with More Authentic Leadership

Today, I’m back to kick up the dust on leadership and walk you through one aspect of my new Legacy Leader Framework (as we started to discuss in the last post)–authentic leadership. But before we go jumping on that horse and riding toward the new frontier of authentic, inspiring, and impactful leadership, I want to make sure you’re picking up what I’m laying down, partner. 

Here’s the main question: Do you want to unleash the power of your legacy? 

Because that’s what The Legacy Leader Framework is all about. 

Now, I know that can feel super daunting. Legacy is often associated with the idea that you’re going to be famous or do something extraordinary, but truly the way I look at legacy is about the impact you want to make. 

(That said. Don’t sell yourselves short on the whole extraordinary bit. You already ARE extra ordinary…You’re a woman leader in a male-dominated industry for Pete’s sake.)  

I want you to hold the keys to the town and to become the kind of leader people naturally want to follow. Someone who other people look to and go, “I want what she has. I want to be like her. I want to know what she’s up to.” They want to lasso some of what she’s got. 

(I’ll give you a little tip right now…It’s not about doing leadership the way everyone else has done it. It’s about how you are going to do it. Your style. Your way. Your mojo.) 

A legacy leader who naturally attracts others combines authenticity, vision and empathy. They’re not just focused on their goals, they’re looking at the whole of their team. They’re looking at team culture, they’re caring about their team, and they show a real example of what it looks like to collaborate, communicate, and empower each other. Today we are zeroing in on the authenticity piece. 

Where are you on your leadership journey?

Assuming you’re wanting to become the new sheriff in town, and click those spurs together to spark a new way of leading, I want you to first acknowledge where you are on your leadership journey. Are you just saddling up? Perhaps an an aspiring leader–an individual contributor and you see yourself in a management role one day to own your own company or be at the top of your game and be the CEO of another company? 

Are you riding bareback, tossing the saddle aside because you’re an emerging professional? You’ve demonstrated leadership and you want more tools to continue to grow. You could be someone who is already established mid to senior. You’ve achieved a degree of success and authority, but maybe you’re facing challenges and adapting your leadership style to inspire others and mobilize your team more effectively.

Are you a skilled one-tricky pony, looking for a new hoop to jump? You may be someone who has prevailed in traditional leadership sectors, but now realize the leadership skills you have  have only gotten you to where you are now. You know there’s more you’re capable of and you want tools for that. 

Or, are you the ring leader, charging ahead in front of the herd to create something new? This might make you the change maker. You think of yourself as someone who's socially driven, impact-driven. You want to make a difference. You're not content with the status quo and you're driven by a vision of a world that is distinct from the one we have now. 

The Legacy Leader Framework is for you

No matter where you are on your leadership journey, The Legacy Leader Framework is for women–especially those in a male-dominated industry–who want to lead with more authority, influence, and impact. If you've seen even a glimpse of yourself in any of these descriptions, consider yourself in the right place and this is the right time to be entering this new frontier of leadership. 

The ultimate goal of The Legacy Leader Framework is to become a Legacy Leader—someone who leads with unwavering authenticity and profound influence so you can make the largest impact. Today, I want to break down authenticity, or being The Authentic Leader, because “authenticty” is a word that's used a lot these days, much like the word transformation, and it can have different meanings to different people.  

The Authentic Leader–high levels of authority 

When we can be fully in our authority—and, note, I don't mean power—and we are able to influence others (which we’ll talk about in another post), then we're going to be able to make the impact we want to make. So, let’s talk about authority in connection with authenticity and the word ‘author’ because they’re all related. Do you know how?

If you notice the root word of each of these three words is AUTH. The etymology of the word AUTH is derived from ancient Greek, a word, meaning self. When we are talking about authenticity, it's self referential. When we're being authentic, it simply means we're being true to ourselves. When we can be true to ourselves, then we can author our own journey. When we're able to author our own journey, we come across as naturally confident. with more authority.

What I’m trying to drive home here is that if you want to lead with more authority, you MUST TAKE THE TIME to discover who you really are. 

Why? Because only by taking time with yourself can you be the author of the authentic journey of your life. These are people who own every part of themselves, even the parts they don’t really like. And truthfully that’s mostly what I hear about—the parts people don’t like. You can’t own one without owning the other, they are two sides to the same coin, or thinking of the front and back of the hand. You can’t have one without the other. 

Embrace a strategy of unyielding authenticity, which includes discovering your values, your mission, and your vision. Use them as your guiding stars to transform anything that's coming your way from a challenge to an opportunity. This can result in you embodying a leadership quality and demeanor so genuine, your team sees you not just as a leader but as the embodiment of their own aspirations. 

When you can do that, you're able to inspire unwavering confidence and respect. That is real authority. Again, authority for me is not about power and getting people to do something because you hold the title or the right cards or the most connection points to the top dawg. Authority is about being true to yourself. 

Let me ask you this. How much time do you spend thinking your authentic self isn't compatible with your corporate culture or current leadership models? More specifically, do you struggle to express your genuine thoughts, values, and personality at work?

Now, on a scale of one to 10, if you were to master this area, what impact could it have? What would that be like for you? If you were to master this area of being true to yourself, what impact would it have on others? 

Mull these over in the days (or weeks to come). 

A Case Study: The real estate agent who loved to bake

I want to share with you a story of a client. Laura has her own commercial real estate company. She came to me at a time when she was trying to relaunch and figure things out. In talking to Laura, I found out she was going to Vegas for a big baking show.

I didn't understand what that had to do with commercial real estate, so I asked her. “Oh, it's my passion,” she said. In her “other life,” as she put it, she had perfected truffles, cakes, and cookies. She had studied in Paris as a pastry chef but what she was truly struggling with was how to bring together these two sides of herself. Everybody was telling her you need two separate websites. You can't show that part of yourself on your commercial real estate website because no one will take you seriously.

I called BS on that. I said to her “Laura, is there a recipe for a perfect chocolate cake?” “Of course,” she said. I said, “Well, is there a recipe for the perfect commercial real estate project?” This light bulb went off over her head and she said, “Yes.!” So what she did is she combined the two on her website.

She integrated all of herself—all of her passions—her passion for pastry and her passion for commercial real estate development. (When have you ever heard those two things together in a single sentence? I mean, come on!) She revamped her website and said, “Whether I'm creating the perfect chocolate truffle or an apartment project, I'm passionate about starting with multiple raw ingredients and ending with a delicious useful result.”

Laura told me recently when the construction guys come in under budget or on time she brings them truffles as gifts. She now drops off cookies and truffles with companies she wants to work with. That is not only owning who she is, but it's about building her personal brand. Doing things differently to stand out and be memorable.  

That's what's key. When you own all of yourself, you will come across with this unshakable confidence. 

True story: Diverse businesses are more profitable

Did you know that companies with more women on their executive teams are 25% more likely to be more profitable? A report by McKinsey & Company in 2020 found that businesses in the top group for gender diversity on their executive teams had a much better chance of making more money compared to those with fewer women in leadership roles. This shows just how important diversity is for a company's success. 

The point I’m making: businesses need you to be true to yourself to be successful.

And I guarantee you—if you want to climb the corporate ladder or you want to own your company or you want to get anywhere other than where you are— the answer is in knowing, loving, and owning ALL of you. The more you discover who you, the more strength you're going to have, the more solid you're going to feel, the more you're going to feel like you have this taproot sunk deep into the ground so that it doesn't matter what anybody else is doing. You're only evaluating what's coming at you according to your own vision, mission, and values. 

Like William Shakespeare said “to thine own self, be true.” One of my favorite quotes. That is what I call the authentic leader.

The more authentic, the higher your authority and the more you author your own journey and story…and…the more likelihood you have of making the impact you desire. 

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If you’re ready to step into legacy-making leadership, you’ll need to level up your authority and influence. That’s why my Masterclass is so powerful. Learn to be the kind of leader people naturally want to follow AND be someone who doesn't just lead, but inspires a movement. Join me for this powerful webinar where you will learn three key strategies to be a LEGACY LEADER.

🐴  Pony up to my evergreen webinar Permission to Lead to learn the whole Legacy Leadership Framework so you, too, can embrace your authority, influence, and impact!