Authentic Connection
Authentic Connection is at the heart of leadership.
Literally—having the strength and openness of heart to connect with others from a place in yourself that is real and true—this is one of the things that distinguishes great leaders from good ones.
Why authentic connection is so important to positive leadership impact…
It builds trust.
It lays a foundation for innovative thinking and collaboration to occur because it puts ‘being real’ and being open above the kind of defensive behaviors that often keep the status quo from being challenged.
It is a motivator and enabler of high performance. People give more of themselves when they’re working with people they feel positively connected to.
Some key elements of what it takes to authentically connect…
Heart-awareness.
Knowing your own heart—paying attention to what’s there. Which doesn’t always mean the positive, warm, and fuzzy. It could also be rage or grief or doubt.
Vulnerability.
Letting others see what’s in your heart. Being willing to share your experience—the exciting, uplifting and beautiful, as well as the frustrating, demoralizing and ugly. Being willing to reveal what’s true for you—even when you sense it might meet judgment.
Empathy.
Opening your heart to someone else’s experience. Seeking to “get” what another is going through, or how they see the world, an event, or situation. Imagining or feeling into their reality.
Courage.
To keep your heart open in relationship can feel risky. It takes courage. In fact, the word courage comes from the Latin word “cor,” meaning “heart.” Courage can be thought of as the willingness to keep your heart available—the willingness to share what’s true in your heart, and to stay open to someone else, especially when you fear it could be used against you.
Questions to ponder, and if you have a journaling practice, to write about…
What does “authentic connection” mean to you?
What elements of authentic connection described in this post are most challenging for you? Why?
What risks do you tend not to take in relationship? How does that impact the quality of connection you experience?
More in the Power Pathways Series…
Authentic Connection is the third post in a series exploring twelve “power pathways” (this pathway called Braving Connection).
I call them Power Pathways because they are avenues for expressing our power to be the creators and authors of our lives and impact. I started the series off with an invitation to practice the creative power of radical responsibility (the essence of leadership) through these interrelated pathways. Read the whole series here →
Here is the full wheel of Power Pathways, connected conceptually and practically to radical responsibility and the four disciplines of conscious leadership – inspiration, integrity, courage, and clarity.
