Courageous Authenticity: Be willing to want to know what you don’t know
“True self-confidence is the courage to be open—to welcome change and new ideas regardless of their source. Real self-confidence is not reflected in a title, an expensive suit, a fancy car, or a series of acquisitions. It is reflected in your mindset: your readiness to grow.”
~ Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success
This reminds me of one of my two favorite leadership assessments called The Leadership Circle Profile. One of its critical competencies is titled Courageous Authenticity.
Courageous Authenticity measures the leader’s willingness to take tough stands, bring up the “undiscussables” (risky issues the group avoids discussing), and openly deal with difficult relationship problems.
In my experience, leaders who demonstrate this competency are not afraid to raise tough issues that others may avoid because they dread facing any potential conflict. I believe that leaders who exhibit this are committed to demonstrating their capacity for leadership through active learning. They are confident enough in their own strengths and vulnerabilities to walk a path of uncertainty without losing their connection to the values that ground them. They want to know what they don’t know, in support of their own growth, as well as the growth of the people they lead. It is this self-confidence that inspires Courageous Authenticity in others.
