Over the past decade, one of the buzzwords in business and ministry is authenticity. It has become a litmus test of sorts as to whether one group or another will follow someone based on their perception of how authentic one is. While it is critical that we all must be viewed as a leader of authenticity, sometimes the perception made by others is unfairly concluded. Our culture has allowed an entire generation to decide whether a leader, a business or a church is “authentic” based on their own bias.
I came across a wonderful article dealing with authenticity this past week by Stephanie Bowar in the Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research. Her analysis was centered on the story of Don Quixote, a knight errant who achieved levels of authenticity most of us only aspire to. In her article, Bowar stated,
“Authenticity in Don Quixote manifests itself as not only a determination to live by one’s own code and beliefs, despite outside pressures from the world around them; it manifests itself in a determination to live by certain ideals, and to be bold enough to pursue the things one has always longed for – rather than simply drifting along, allowing their lives to be marked by a lack of pursuit of these things, living in a narrative dictated by the world. To be authentic, one must be true to one’s self own self no matter how others may react to it, and even must fight, if necessary, for the right to one’s own identity.”
Think about it. Are you living the life you want to live or one that others want you to live? Are you acting in a way that is true to your core values, or someone else’s? Are you playing a role someone else dictates or the one that your soul tells you is truly you?
Leaders are authentic, but not merely in the surface way our culture sometimes likes to dictate. The greatest leaders are true to themselves and that is what makes them authentic and effective.
Be you today. Lead well.