18.2. Practice 1. Authenticity as the Leader's Lever for Building Effective Networks
The highest-performing managers and leaders don't approach network building by developing a lot of superficial ties; instead, they build strong and enduring relationships with people who can broaden their perspectives and increase their access to information and other people and groups. For most of these leaders, developing an understanding of the importance of strong, trusted ties required a mindset shift. At some point in their careers, they realized that they had to bring their own values, strengths, and even shortcomings to their relationships instead of striving to fit into an externally defined template of an effective leader. The following practice is intended to help leaders be authentic in their approach to relationship building. The practice takes an hour to complete.
18.2.1. Key Learning Points
Mindset shift. Many leaders define a network in terms of how many people they know rather than the quality of the relationships or the benefits they yield. The following structured discussion on authenticity enables leaders to appreciate how their self-awareness affects the quality of their relationships and thus leadership effectiveness.
Skill set built. Self-reflection; an awareness of how one's own limiting beliefs or self-orientation can constrain authenticity.
Toolset used. Authentic Leadership framework; peer coaching.
18.2.2. Overview
This exercise can be applied to myriad audiences, from high-potential employees to those new to their roles, and it can be used at all leadership levels. The overall approach involves debriefing authenticity as a leadership concept and extending it to a key point of leverage for building effective networks. Participants are then given some structured reflections and peer coaching to help them uncover what might be constraining them—usually unwittingly—from more authentic behavior and thus from building more effective networks.
18.2.3. Preparation
It is helpful to use a few conceptual slides or flip charts to set up the leadership concept of authenticity. Case studies or stories relevant to the organization are also helpful. Participants should have blank paper or a notebook or journal to capture their responses to the questions posed by the facilitator. Be prepared with at least two flip charts. On one, write "Behaviors" in large letters across the top. On the second, write "Relationships." These can be covered by a blank page until you are ready to debrief the first paired discussion we describe later.
18.2.4. STEP 1: Introducing Authenticity
Identify what leadership authenticity is and why it is important for building effective networks.
18.2.4.1. Authenticity
Start the session by establishing what is meant by "authentic leadership."
Pair or triad discussion. Ask participants to reflect on a person they have worked with whom they would describe as an authentic leader (whether or not the person had any direct reports). Ask the participants to capture the following on a sheet of paper:
The actions that contributed to his or her authenticity
The quality of his or her relationships
Ask participants to reflect for one or two minutes on that person and then to turn to their neighbor (in pairs or triads) to share the results from the two reflections just mentioned for six to eight minutes total (approximately three to four minutes each).
Debrief. Ask participants to call out some of the key things that their "exemplar leaders" did that made them authentic. Capture four or five on the first flip chart under "Behaviors." Then ask participants to call out the qualities of these exemplars' relationships, and capture four or five on the second flip chart under "Relationships."
Definition. Give participants the following definition, which can be written on a slide projected overhead.
"Authenticity is the degree to which you are true to your own personality, spirit, or character—despite pressures from others to behave differently—and occurs when you realistically manage your fears of being left out, unloved, or out of control." —Bill George, former chairman and CEO of Medtronic.
Note how their definitions match or differ from George's definition.
Link the definition to the exercise. Although every conversation is different, several points typically emerge again and again in highlighting what authentic leaders do and what kind of relationships they maintain. The following points may help pull out some key themes. Authentic leaders
Are "other-centric." They typically show a genuine interest in other people's interests and problems because they value doing what is right for the whole.
Are self-aware and transparent. Although they focus on others, they know themselves, what they are good at and what they are not, and they are not afraid of sharing that insight with others.
Value people who are different from themselves and have a diverse network. Many people tend to say through their examples that authentic leaders are those who are not afraid of people who think differently than they do, because they are cued into what they do not know.
Have trust-based relationships. Trust can mean many things, but most participants zero in on the notion of the degree to which another person has an "agenda." Transparency is key to building long-term, enduring relationships.
Are willing to share their time and knowledge. This is related to being other-centric. The point is that authentic leaders are not afraid of being generous with what they know and making it available to others because they realize such knowledge sharing helps build strong relationships and will benefit the broader organization.
18.2.4.2. Why Authenticity Is Critical
Several points can be made to help participants understand why they should follow the example of authentic leaders to maximize the effectiveness of their networks. However, it is optimal to use the previous steps to generate a learner-led answer to the question. Try to identify, using the participants' output, how authenticity relates to stronger and more enduring relationships. Key words and phrases to highlight from the previous discussion might include "Trust," "Transparency," "No Agenda," "Clear values," "Open," and "Generous with Time and Knowledge."
18.2.5. STEP 2: Reflecting on Your Own Behavior
In this exercise, participants reflect on their current and past networking interactions and assess what they do that contributes or detracts from their authenticity. Start by asking participants to pair up or form a triad with new people for this round to enhance the networks established in the room. Each participant will be a peer coach for his or her partner. The role of a peer coach is to help the other person clarify his or her behaviors and motivations. Before beginning the numbered steps, consider sharing the following peer coaching guidelines with the group:
Listen carefully and ask questions to help your partner gain clarity on his or her observations.
Remember that the purpose of coaching is to help your partner gain clarity, not to make him or her feel good or solve problems. Avoid reinforcing statements or offering expressions of empathy (such as, "Oh, yes, I have exactly the same problem!"). These statements tend to divert attention from understanding and action.
Repeat what you heard to ensure understanding.
18.2.5.1. 1. How I Have Contributed to Authentic Interactions
Ask participants to reflect on the following, which may be projected or written on a flip chart: describe a networking interaction you had recently that you would describe as authentic. What did you do that contributed to the authenticity of the interaction? Ask participants to reflect for 1 or 2 minutes and then to share their ideas with their peer coaches for another 10 minutes.
18.2.5.2. 2. How I Have Detracted from Authentic Interactions
Ask participants to reflect on the following and conduct the same peer coaching conversation just outlined: describe a networking interaction you had recently that you would describe as inauthentic. What might have caused you to appear inauthentic in the conversation (even if you didn't intend to)? Note that the assumption in this second question is that people rarely try to be inauthentic, but our fears or limiting beliefs cause us to behave in ways that result in inauthentic interactions. What is critical is to become aware of those behaviors so that we can try to avoid them.
18.2.6. STEP 3: Summary and Action Planning
The final step is intended to build authenticity by translating new insights about current behaviors into different actions that are more authentic.
18.2.6.1. 1. Wrap-up
It is important to return to the idea that networking isn't about listing 20, 40, or 50 acquaintances; it is about developing a mindset geared toward building high-quality and enduring relationships. Authenticity is a key lever for developing this mindset and for practicing the behavior that reinforces it. A helpful way to summarize the exercise is to show a "from-to" slide describing the mindset shift required for leaders to move toward more authenticity and higher-quality relationships (see Figure 18.1).
Figure 18.1. MINDSET SHIFT FOR MORE AUTHENTIC NETWORKS
What stands out in the figure is the suggestion that leaders must shift the focus to the collective, to openness and transparency, and away from individual concerns, fears, and agendas.
18.2.6.2. 2. Action Planning
To conclude this exercise, ask participants to review insights from the previous peer-coaching conversations, and ask them to reflect on what they can do to increase their authenticity.
Summary of actions. Ask participants to take two to five minutes to capture in their notes their insights from the session.
Start, Stop, Continue. Next, ask participants to think about what actions they might take to ensure that they bring more authenticity to their networking interactions. A handy way to allow participants to capture their action plan is to have them draw three columns on a piece of paper with "Start," "Stop," and "Continue" as the respective headers for each column:
Start. Which behaviors should I adopt to increase my authenticity?
Stop. Which behaviors should I stop because they are impeding my ability to be more authentic?
Continue. Which behaviors that have helped me create authentic interactions should I continue?