Often when people are looking to lead, they feel a need to put on some kind of performance, to dress up as a leader, to change tones to a more leadery voice, and to puff up to show that they're worthy of your attention. What happens then, is that the person leading has double the work. They've got to bestow whatever knowledge they're imparting, position themselves as someone worth listening to by outside standards, and play a role of being that as consistently as possible through the process while covering up whatever parts of themselves don't fit. Authentic leadership takes the walls down. It tells the leader and the audience that who they are is plenty. It humanizes the person with the knowledge or plan, and it invites the humanization of those learning or following along. It requires realness and begets realness in turn. It levels the playing field and reminds people that a leader need not stand on a stage or have a microphone, only be true to themselves and share it generously in a way that will ignite others. It sounds great, so why don't more people lead that way? Well, the cost is high. It requires a certain level of self worth, in one's true self not just their ability to perform. Being yourself with something on the line is risky. There is no authentic leadership without vulnerability. It takes vulnerability to be seen without a mask or shield, to stand behind your work with the essence of who you are rather than a performance and a title. Somewhere along the line, we looked for credentials before character and position before purpose. We sought out popularity over passion and charisma over courage. An authentic leader may have some gravitas, but they do not come by it through practice of an act. Rather, they embody what they teach. They go first. This is why it is so rare. In the beginning of my practice, I had plenty of great things I was learning that I was so eager to share. I had some cool stuff to talk about, and some of it even landed well with the people I spoke with, but because I hadn't yet embodied it, even my voice didn't sound like my own. It took a lot of effort to keep up with my performance, and the results were unpredictable. I imagine that I'll always be becoming as long as I live and especially while transformation work is my job, but there is a level of embodiment I've integrated, a certain authenticity I have found that will not leave me, that gives room for a leadership voice all my own. | 
