Courageously Authentic
I try to live each day as authentic as possible. I try to be the same person whether I am at home, at church with my Christian friends, or engaging my Islamic immigrant friends. Whatever the audience, I try to point people to Jesus. However, it is living in authenticity that can become so challenging. Christian friends and supporting churches want me to live my life with more direct evangelism of Muslims. Muslim friends want me to be their friend and not try to change them. I am in a losing situation if I full-heartedly fall to one side over the other. How then do I live in this grey zone authentically?
In this week’s reading Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories, leadership consultant, Annabel Beerel covers many different leadership practices. While she may cover many different practices in her comprehensive book, this essay will focus primarily on authentic leadership which she categorizes with transformational leadership. However, I have one critique of her work to address before continuing. Her book is full of critiques of leaders, and “the superficial leadership development programs”[1] especially as they navigated the Covid pandemic, yet she does not give much conclusive evidence or data to really back up many of her criticisms. We may all feel that many leaders failed during Covid, but can that be supported?
Speaking of authentic leaders Beerel states they “have an ability to be true to themselves. There is no fabrication or posturing. They are consistent. They are not erratic.”[2] Let’s pick this quote apart a bit. With the onset of such strong anti-immigrant policies as we have seen in the last two weeks, I have spoken out more vocally on the subject than I have in the past. This has landed me in a bit of hot water with some audiences. Yet have I been authentic?
In speaking out was I true to myself? Yes, certainly.
Was I fabricating or driving an emotional response in speaking out? No, in fact I waited a few days to respond to the issue so I might separate emotion and present an honest perspective.
Was I consistent? Yes. I have consistently been pro-human.
Was I erratic? No, I calculated the risk and benefit and determined a need to speak up.
In another highly valued book on leadership theories, Northouse writes, “Authenticity is important and valuable to good leadership, but how authenticity relates to effective leadership is unknown.”[3] Possibly in a less direct manner, Beerel does what Northouse said is unknown by helping connect authenticity to effectiveness as a leader. She connects authenticity and leadership by addressing the topic of courage. While courage and authenticity are separate words, I do think that they are fairly connected. It is difficult to be authentic without courage. “Leading in a time of crisis require multiple skills. These include a calm demeanor, the courage to speak to reality, an ability to find clarity amid chaos, a capacity for deep empathy, and sensitivity to timing.”[4]
I have some hard conversations coming up this week which will need courageous authenticity. I could easily withdraw and take the easy way out. Yet is that leadership? Am I willing to set ego aside and speak plain truth when a false narrative is what others might want to hear? Over the last two years, authors such as Bebbington, Friedman, and Wright have helped me bring clarity to the maps I am using, and the maps others are using. We are not using the same maps. Using different terminology, Beerel uses the term “sensemaking” and states it is “useful when our understanding of the world becomes unintelligible in some way.”[5] Last week’s reading also offered a good reminder of the need to make sense of the world or understand our own maps first. Hutchinson writes, “To be effective in a multicultural, multinational, globalized world, leaders must be agile and realize that their first job is to find out what’s going on in their own context and make sense of it!”[6]
If I had more space, I might seek out how the idea of sense-making and map-making goes along with the idea promoted by Beerel as “vertical learning” which she describes as “the transformation of how one thinks, feels, and makes sense of the world. It is the development of mental, psychological, and emotional complexity.”[7] Vertical learning is a term that I had not heard before. Is this a Christian posture or a religious posture? Do we obtain vertical learning by seeking out wisdom as found in the book of Proverbs? Does vertical learning make a 2D map into 3D? These are some questions I might need to think through a bit more.
Will I be courageously authentic this week? Yes. This is who I am and always have been. Even when it is hard, I have always been willing to speak into situations that I feel the Holy Spirit leading me to speak into. I don’t need to speak into every situation, but I do need to speak into the situations in which I am knowledgeable and passionate about. I am reminded that there are people watching. As I have received emails and messages in anger and disgust this week, I have also received messages full of hope and support. Shane Parrish reminds me that “there’s someone out there looking up at you and using your behavior as their North Star.”[8] So, may my courageous authentic behavior help point people in the direction of Jesus, the true North Star.
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[1] Annabel C. Beerel, Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories, 1 Edition (New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2021), 2.
[2] Beerel, 299.
[3] Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition (Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2019), 210.
[4] Beerel, Rethinking Leadership, 165.
[5] Beerel, 146.
[6] “Illuminaire,” Illuminaire, 2024, 29.
[7] Beerel, Rethinking Leadership, 379.
[8] Shane Parrish, Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results (New York, NY: Portfolio/Penguin, 2023), 87.
12 responses to “Courageously Authentic”
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Great post Adam.
In your essay, you mention the concept of “vertical learning” and its impact on how one thinks, feels, and makes sense of the world. How has your understanding and application of vertical learning influenced your approach to leadership, especially in moments that require courageous authenticity? Can you share an example of a situation where vertical learning played a crucial role in your decision-making process?
Shela,
I wish I knew. The concept of vertical learning is a new one for me. I am just trying to understand the depths to it. I do think though that as I grow in my relationship to Christ there is a significant vertical aspect to it.
Hi Adam, Your post tells me that you have embraced courage, yet understand possible outcomes from it. I pray the fall out from speaking truth is not a worst case scenario for you.
Diane,
Yes and thank you.
Thanks Adam. I appreciate your reflection on your own behavior and leadership. You are modeling the fast-thinking, slow thinking behavior that makes you a leader that is consistent with your values. What sort of slow down behaviors or strategies have you utilized to not fall into the reactivity trap that is so easily set for us in tough situations like the ones you are facing?
Ryan,
Thanks. A couple of years ago, according to Atomic Habits, I became a runner. I started slowly and I am still slow but I am intentional to get outside more often because of telling myself I am a runner. I wanted to run today but we are in the single digits and that is just not fun. My wife and I almost always go for a walk each day. This also helps me slow-down and gather my thoughts so that I can process the day to day issues better.
Hi Adam, I resonate with your post, especially concerning living in the “grey zone.” I have much to say about this, but this is probably not the space. Perhaps a separate Zoom call is needed? I am sure Kari also has a lot to say (but I probably shouldn’t speak for her). I, too, was intrigued with the idea of vertical learning and focused on this subject in my post. I didn’t get to work out as much as I would have liked, but I found some interesting literature. Thank you for being a courageous voice for the vulnerable, even when you are met with anger and disgust. I remember visiting the Holocaust museum in D.C. and reading the walls of names of people who helped rescue Jewish people. I like to think our names might be on a wall someday, because, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me (Matt. 25:35-36) No question from me this week. I just want to encourage you to persevere in your journey as a courageous, authentic leader.
Elysse,
I just saw this answer come through, a few minutes after I had sent Kari a What’s app message. I assume the timing is not coincidental. Yes, we should all get on a zoom sometime and vent…support…encourage…and exhort each other. Set it up, I am happy to chat.
Elysse, you are right. I have a lot to say about a lot of things, especially this!
Adam, this is an excellent post. I like that you brought in Northouse because I, too, thought about that chapter on authentic leadership as I read this week’s book. Thank you for choosing to walk the path less traveled and to be an authentic, courageous leader. It can be a lonely journey. Watching you encourages me to continue on my path and gives me a bit more courage for my next step. You are making a difference!
Adam, I would affirm that you are an authentic leader and I appreciate that. You never have to guess what you are thinking and your actions match your words. Thanks for influencing the world in this way.
Since agility and adaptability are also important themes, what other kind of leadership style might you want to explore that might be effective as you live out your calling?
Adam, I would not just say your leadership is authentic but courageous as well. As one who has traversed through multiple contexts, how can leaders balance this authenticity and adapt to different cultural contexts without compromising their values?
Adam, you talk about being courageous and authentic, no matter the audience. My thoughts went to the old Stephen Covey book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, which taught to mirror the manner and general behavior (maybe the vernacular) of the person in front of you as a way to show them that you can be trusted and they can relate to you.
Suppose you were mentoring someone younger than you in a leadership role. How would you guide them to maintain authenticity while balancing the expectations of various groups with different values and beliefs? What might that look like when those groups have needs or desires that conflict with everyday values?