It was the Kiss Cam moment heard ‘round the world. The at-the-time CEO of Astronomer, Andy Byron, engaged in a warm embrace with his head of HR, Kristin Cabot. The only problem, of course, is they were both married to other people. When the Coldplay Kiss Cam panned their way, Byron ducked behind a wall and Cabot covered her face, turning from the camera. This led concert-goers to post the uncomfortable moment online, leading to viral success, and internet sleuths uncovering the pair’s identity and exposing their adulterous affair.
The crisis this creates, in addition to the obvious personal one, extends to that of the workplace culture. How many lines were crossed with the executives breaking cardinal HR rules about fraternization and workplace relationships? Will allegations emerge of favoritism or preferential treatment in the workplace? What must those executive meetings be like? Had others picked up on the toxicity?
The problem at the root of all of this is that the leaders were not only acting unethically, they were being inauthentic in their interactions with members of their team.
Authentic leadership is when leaders act in ways that genuinely reflect their core values. Their decisions and behaviors are guided by an internal sense of integrity rather than external image management or short-term gains. It’s not a gimmick to boost morale or a tactic to improve performance metrics. It’s a way of leading that comes from within. An authentic leader shows consistent care for the well-being of employees, the health of workplace culture, and the sustainability of the environment in which people work.
This has a downstream ripple effect, too. Studies have found that authentic leadership positively predicts psychological safety and trust. When workers feel safe in their work environment and trust their supervisors, they’re more likely to be engaged and have a positive work environment. What’s more, studies have shown a link between authentic leadership and job satisfaction as well as between authentic leadership and supervisor-rated job performance.
The evidence is compelling: authentic leadership strengthens workplace culture and drives results. But what does it really mean to lead authentically?
How to practice authentic leadership
Complete a values inventory
One of the core features of authentic leadership is alignment between values and actions. A mismatch between the two creates cognitive dissonance, which results in feelings of distress or discomfort.
Start by completing a values inventory (e.g., Barrett Values Center). By identifying your values and honestly evaluating your behavior, you can determine where you already live in alignment, and more importantly, where you may need to adjust your behavior to lead more consistently with your inner values.
Seek honest feedback
Authentic leadership is not about being perfect. Everyone has flaws. Instead, authentic leaders actively seek honest feedback about their leadership style and implement changes as needed. You can’t please everyone, but you should have trusted advisors who can tell you the truth. Create an environment of psychological safety so people feel safe expressing opposing views or suggestions for improvement. That honest feedback helps you gain Self-awareness needed to lead more authentically.
Be transparent in leadership decisions
People won’t always agree with your decisions. However, explaining the reasoning behind them goes a long way toward building trust. If you’ve asked for feedback, be transparent about why you made a particular decision — especially if it differs from the recommendation. For instance, “I know you suggested a similar format for our big pitch meeting coming up. I decided to try something new, and here’s why….”
Align values with behavior
Sometimes we genuinely hold positive values, but don’t recognize when our priorities or initiatives are out of sync. For example, if you say you value professional development, but don’t allocate resources to support it, you’re not leading authentically. The value is stated, and may even be genuine, but the behavior (via budget decisions) doesn’t match. Take some time to reflect on your workplace priorities and initiatives to identify specific ways to align your stated values and actions.
Leadership Essential Reads
Be a humanistic leader
Humanistic leadership is about seeing and valuing people as human first and employees second. Treating people as individuals, not just a cog in a machine or a productivity unit, is not only the morally and ethically right thing to do, it also supports authentic leadership by honoring the humanity in all of us.
Share your own failures and learning moments
Leaders aren’t in their roles because they’ve been free from error. Instead, many have “failed forward” — learning from their mistakes and improving for next time. Sharing your failures is a powerful way to foster authenticity. It promotes psychological safety and encourages smart risk-taking, which can boost creativity and problem-solving.
Leading with authenticity isn’t just a leadership style. The strategies here apply to parenting, friendships, and personal relationships as well. Anytime you can make your thoughts and actions congruent, others perceive you as more genuine. They may not agree with every decision, but at least your transparency allows people to see that you follow through with your values and intentions.
Importantly, authentic leadership can be grown and developed. It’s a common misconception that leaders are “born” but research has shown that top executives can develop leadership skills across time. If you’re not where you want to be yet, that’s okay. Start small. Pick one strategy above and intentionally put it into practice this week. Notice how people respond. Then build from there. Authentic leadership isn’t a destination — it’s a habit.
Originally published on LinkedIn Articles by Ashley Jordan.
