Unfortunately, the two words transparent and authentic are sometimes used interchangeably when addressing leadership qualities. The casual use of these words leads to detrimental results.
A leader’s goal is never to allow their followers to know all about him or her. We would call that transparency. There are parts of himself/herself that the leader must never let the followers see if s/he is not going to overwhelm the followers with as is often said today “TMI” (too much information). The old saying of “familiarity breeds contempt” is as true today as it ever was. It is one truism that has stood the test of time.
However, the leader does strive to always be authentic. That is to say that whatever the leader chooses to show his/her followers must be real and true – not a mere facade (which will damage the leader’s integrity).
In this posting’s poster, the glass on the left is transparent. You can see everything that is or isn’t in the glass. The glass on the right is authentic. You can’t see everything that’s in the glass. However, everything that you can see in the glass is authentically in the glass. So must it be with a strong leader as s/he relates to his/her followers.
Categories: Sociability
Magic Club Leadership Resources 