Leading with Authenticity : How Leaders Can Build Trust Without Oversharing

Since I started my freelance business, I’ve been a strong advocate of authentic leadership. Being an authentic leader means staying true to yourself and showing a certain level of transparency with your team. But like everything, this requires balance.

Opening up to your team is essential, but it’s important not to fall into the trap of oversharing. The line between beneficial authenticity and excessive sharing, which can sometimes harm your leadership, is a fine one.

Authenticity: A Powerful Tool for Leaders

Today, in a world where teams are increasingly diverse and often geographically dispersed, leaders need to demonstrate empathy and openness. This goes far beyond simply communicating company goals or tasks to be accomplished. The informal moments that managers share with their teams, where personal elements can be discussed, are crucial for building deeper connections. These moments create trust, strengthen team cohesion, and help everyone better understand the leader's motivations.

However, sharing personal information with your team, while reinforcing authenticity, requires some precautions. What you choose to reveal to your colleagues will not only influence their perception of you as an individual but also how they interpret your leadership style.

Balancing Transparency and Caution

Being transparent and authentic doesn’t mean sharing every aspect of your personal life. The key lies in the ability to build a human connection while remaining aware of the boundaries that should not be crossed. Although these informal moments with your teams are important, it’s essential to remember that everything you share will impact how you’re perceived. The consistency between what you say and what you do as a leader is crucial.

It is possible to demonstrate authenticity while remaining professional by carefully selecting what you wish to share and setting clear boundaries.

Precautions to Take as an Authentic Leader

Here are some precautions to ensure that opening up and sharing with your team strengthens, rather than undermines, your leadership:

1. Choose wisely what to share: It’s crucial to determine in advance what personal information you feel comfortable disclosing. Make sure that what you share is relevant and helpful for building connections with your team without risking your professional credibility.

   
   

2. Measure your emotions: If personal sharing stirs up strong emotions, take a moment to evaluate whether it’s appropriate. The goal is to show your humanity without placing an emotional burden on your colleagues.

   
   

3. Be mindful of context: What works in an informal conversation over coffee may not be appropriate in a formal meeting. Adapt your level of openness according to the setting and the audience.

   
   

4. Avoid overly intimate details: Sharing an episode from your life that impacted your leadership can be beneficial, but it’s important to avoid getting into too many personal details. Stay factual and avoid information that might make your team uncomfortable or become a subject of gossip.

   
   

5. Maintain a professional distance: While authenticity strengthens human relationships, it’s important to maintain a distinction between your role as a leader and that of a colleague or friend. This professional distance allows you to remain objective and respected in your leadership role.

   
   

6. Align with your company’s values: Ensure that what you share aligns with the values and culture of your organization. A disconnect between your personal revelations and the company’s values could cause confusion among your team.

   
   

7. Observe your team’s reactions: Every team is different, and some colleagues may be more comfortable with personal discussions than others. Pay attention to their reactions and adjust your level of sharing based on their comfort.

Authentic Leadership: A Strength, Not a Double-Edged Sword

Ultimately, authenticity is a powerful tool for today’s leaders. Opening up to your teams, sharing your experiences, your learnings, and even some aspects of your personal life can build stronger bonds and foster a culture of trust. It shows that you are an approachable, empathetic, and human leader.

However, authenticity should never come at the expense of credibility or professional respect. By sharing thoughtfully and strategically, you not only strengthen your relationships with your teams but also enhance the effectiveness and cohesion of your leadership.

These informal moments, where the manager opens up to the team, are essential to fostering an atmosphere of collaboration and trust. I highly encourage you to experience this and let your personality shine through while keeping in mind the precautions that will ensure your openness is perceived positively and productively.

Conclusion: Aligning Authenticity with Strategic Leadership

Authentic leadership is more than just a trend. It’s an approach that allows leaders to create more cohesive, high-performing, and engaged teams. By sharing wisely with your teams and being transparent, you can not only improve your relationship with your colleagues but also increase their buy-in to your vision.

However, remember that what you share will shape how they perceive you. An authentic leader doesn’t hide who they are but is also careful to manage what they reveal. Staying true to yourself while being mindful of what you share will help you balance authenticity with strategic, strong, and respected leadership.