Leadership IS a privilege. Because you are a member of this site, I know that you take this privilege seriously.

Showing up authentically aligned may be one of your most important challenges in being a powerful, sustainable Breakthrough Leader.

So just what does it mean to be an Authentic Leader?

1. Authentic Leaders Allow Their 'Source Energy'** To Guide Them

Personal growth and self-mastery lead to an enormously rich world. If you can train yourself to ask and answer the question "How would my 'Source Energy' respond here?", you will find that you will always act authentically. You won't be driven by the demands of the "ego-self.

Each time you ask and answer this question you empower yourself to look at your life from a much higher perspective. You appreciate each situation for exactly what it is: an opportunity to live out the purpose of your life - to be aligned with your Source Energy

Life will flow with ease and grace. You'll feel congruent in how you feel, think and behave.

2. Authentic Leaders Are Clear About Who They Are & What They Stand For

Get clear about who you are, your strengths and limitations, what is important to you and the legacy you want to leave. Get these clear and live them to the best of your capability each and every day and you will show up as an authentic leader and person.

When you are trying to be someone you are not, others will see straight through you. They will get a sense that something doesn't sit quite right about you. Be yourself, live in alignment with your values and your bigger picture and you will surely be a highly successful leader.

Certainly there are people you may want to role model, but only model the aspects of that person that sit well with your character and personality.

3. Authentic Leaders Have A Strong Sense Of Self-Worth

Build a rock-solid foundation of high self worth about the unique contribution you bring to the world. The way you think and feel about yourself will dictate whether you show up authentically.

If your internal world is full of insecurities, fears, uncertainty, doubt, confusion, etc and you are trying desperately to mask it from others, it will show up in the way you live your life and interact with others. I have worked with many a leader whose behavior shows up as dominating, controlling, even aggressive or weak, indecisive, and non-committal, simply because they are afraid to admit they aren't perfect.

When people unearth the thoughts and beliefs that are holding them back and begin to live their life from a place of great strength and confidence their leadership becomes far more compelling, authentic and connected.

4. Authentic Leaders Are Reflective & Nurture A Strong Relationship With Themself

Leaders who have taken the time to reflect upon who they really are and how they show up in their world usually outperform leaders who are reluctant to admit to their shortcomings. Download the ebook Inner Source Leadership and complete the exercises within to help you with your reflection and insight.

The degree to which you have evolved emotionally, psychologically and spiritually will show up in the way you behave. What this means is that you are doing the best you can with what you have. So your actions, relationships, feelings are a very accurate expression of who you are - however - it is not an accurate expression of the potential that resides within you.

As you build your muscle of honoring yourself and building beliefs and thoughts that are moving you toward what you want, you will automatically begin to approve of and accept yourself.

As you give out (or as I like to say vibrate) the energy of living from a strong, solid, confident foundation people around you will begin to respond in a like manner. If you are living your life in fear, then so too will the others around you. If you are sending out vibrations of frustration, anger, tension, so too will the others around you. You know this to be true. We have all been in a situation where you are feeling okay, then someone interacts with you, who is in a rude, belligerent, angry mindset and you find yourself reacting in a similar manner.

If you are sending out vibrations of "I'm on track", "Life is Good", "I treat myself and others with respect and honor" then that consistently is what you will find/receive back in your life. The ripple effect of your enthusiasm and optimism is awesome.

5.Authentic Leaders Love Themselves and Their People

Finally, it may seem an odd place to be talking about love: love in the workplace, no place for it, would be the comment of many. When you consider that you spend at least 1/3rd of your life at work (and 24/7 with yourself), doesn't it just make logical sense to create as much love within your world as you can?

Many people need to learn to love themselves first before they can begin to create it in their workplace. Our internal Judge does such a good job on us that more often than not we believe we do not measure up and we are not 'worthy'. So first and foremost start with learning to love yourself.

When you open your heart and look for greatness in another, rather than seeking to find things that are wrong with them, you will find empower both yourself and that person to be much more than either of you ever thought possible.

The greatest leader I ever worked with had a way about him that at the time I just couldn't understand, I could see all the great things he said and did, and I did try to emulate him, but never with quite as much success. I couldn't get, why it was that everyone (his peers, senior management and the people who reported to him) regarded him so highly.

Today I get it. The quality that Rick gave to each of us was that he just loved the people he worked with and sought out the greatness within them. In so doing helped them to achieve heights they had never thought possible.

He certainly wasn't weak or a pushover. In fact he was very quick to speak with a person who was under-performing. He did it in such a way that you would feel acceptance and approval, yet at the same time you would be very clear that he believed you had the capability to improve.

At the time I worked with him I would never have thought of it as love. But today I see it quite clearly for what it was. Today I understand why Rick was and is so very very successful in life and in business. He cared, he cared deeply for himself and his family, but he also cared deeply for the family he had at work. He understands and lives the power of love.

Would Love Have Made Me A More Powerful Leader?

My very wise mentor, Ashtara, once asked me: "Shelley, how much stronger would you have been as a leader, during your time at Colgate, if you had come from a place of love?" That question set me on a path of discovery, for which I will be eternally grateful to her.

The question absolutely floored me, and I found myself stuttering, trying to find a 'sensible' answer, yet deep in my heart, in my place of inner knowing, I was screaming out "We could have been awesome, if I'd let go of my predominant focus on getting my personal needs satisfied, my agenda being met, keeping my very strong and critical inner Judge placated (I had a very strong Ego Self very much in control). If I had allowed my 'Source Energy' freedom and had been focused on and come from a place of true love and caring I would have been so much more powerful as a Leader and as an individual."

What is interesting, is that even in that moment, which has been a true epiphany for me, my Ego Self began immediately to over-ride this inner knowing. It was jumping straight to denial, straight to justifying my actions and behavior, straight to my 'Victim' working to find others to blame for all the not-so-good results. Straight to the, "there is no place for love at work; you get that at home; what do you want us to do, walk around hugging each other all day; we have got things to do and achieve". A classic example of being centered in the Ego Self rather than connected to my 'Source Energy'.

It took a long time of self-exploration to accept the truth of my inner knowing.

How Will You Know You Are Being An Authentic Leader?

You are happy. Nothing more.

Additional Information at Leadership And Motivation Training

Developing High Self Worth

Ridding Yourself of Limiting Beliefs

**(God, Allah, Jesus, Buddah, Universe etc whatever name you like to call your power source)