Since the early 2000s Authentic Leadership has been espoused as the holy grail of modern day leading. Woo Hoo! We finally gained permission to be ourselves! Authenticity and its byproducts are now commonly recognized as keys to transformation and desired growth both personally and professionally.
As Adam Grant wrote in his NYT article:
"We are in the Age of Authenticity, where “be yourself” is the defining advice in life, love and career. Authenticity means erasing the gap between what you firmly believe inside and what you reveal to the outside world."
Grant goes on to caution his readers about the perils of too much authenticity and introduces another spectrum to consider: Self-Monitoring. The Self-monitoring spectrum goes something like this:
If you're too low of a self-monitor you may tend to say exactly what's on your mind and this could have catastrophic (or hilarious) results.
If you're too high on the spectrum your prized authenticity wanes, you've missed out on the aforementioned holy grail and you may be perceived as a phony.
And here is where another dimension may help us navigate the delicate self-monitoring balance of our authenticity. That dimension is Attunement.
Attunement, defined as "to bring into harmony", is the transitive verb for attune. Attune. verb. to cause (a person, company, etc.) to have a better understanding of what is needed or wanted by a particular person or group.
Attunement as a great trust builder
Our decades of reveling in authenticity have helped us become attuned to ourselves, or what I call internal attunement. When we practice internal attunement we improve our ability to navigate complex or uncomfortable dynamics because we have an increased sense of our own needs.
When the individual learns how to respond to his/her inner system's needs trust is built within. With practice, internal attunement bears in the individual the fruits of self-assurance - a comfortable confidence.
But if attunement is halted at the doors of the individual, then the stewardship of leadership is diminished. Here I challenge us to now explore external attunement.
Attunement as a great community builder
What is external attunement? Said simply, it's getting out of our own heads, seeing from the other's perspective and relating in such a way that increases a sense of harmony. The device of external attunement is empathy.
When an authentic leader is caring for his or her inner system's needs while attuning to the other (insert: lover, friend, spouse, colleagues, customers, subordinates, leadership team...) they are empowered to facilitate or react to change with grace, genuinely relate with those who are different than them, and navigate cross-cultural dynamics with greater ease.
External attunement helps us not only see, but learn from the other's perspective. When we as leaders maintain our authentic, attuned selves and attune to the other with curiosity, confidence and clarity we birth a powerful and harmonizing ethos.
Attunement as a vehicle for creativity
When leaders are externally attuned, safety is established, stress may be reduced and ideation increases - creativity in blossom. Attunement is a bedrock for creativity, innovation and change.
When businesses are externally attuned to their customers or marketplace, they can maintain their competitive advantages while responding to changing needs and market forces.
Attunement. It's a powerful force.
Commentaires