Leaders with traits such as, “Being true to oneself" and “Deeply rooted in their values, cultures, and personal history", are considered the saviours who could solve the trust issues between employees and organisations and enhance employee engagement. However, when these romanticised leaders are thrown into situations where they have to change their style of working, values, and beliefs, they become grand failures because they convince themselves that letting go of some of their identities is equivalent to treachery. Even more dangerous will be the birth of a dictator/narcissist who cannot tolerate others’ voices and ideologies. At one end of the rope, scholars and organisations formulate theories and strategies that motivate employees to practice agility and deliver adaptive solutions to the ever-growing environmental needs. At the other end of the rope, they consistently demand the leaders be authentic. The imbalance between the mindset of the employees and the leaders can become a paradox, resulting in bitter leader-employee and leader-organisation relationships.
The pandemic has taught us that our traditional assumptions about employees, businesses and lifestyles are not entirely accurate. The Great Resignation may also be replaced by digital nomadism due to the flexibility of working mode, hours, and the change in the lifestyle preferences of the individuals. Therefore, leaders have to be adaptive in their identities and practices to harness the employees. Staying uptight about one’s identity may kill the continuity engine.
When people generally boast about their own culture and history, they often fail to see how their history encourages adaptive learning while being authentic at the same time.
For instance, India’s intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is one of the finest examples that consistently reminds us of the significance of remaining traditional and inclusive by maintaining the inherited traditions and adapting the heritage of several other communities. UNESCO identifies ICH as a form of solid identity, which is also fluid to evolve. In the same way, leaders, when they unbox themselves and adapt to the changing environment, their identity will not be compromised but will be evolved to better the organisational wealth.
Small or big, the changes leaders make within their personalities can make a world of impact on the way they run businesses and the way they lead their followers. Adaptive authenticity will be a mighty weapon to prosperity and sustainable growth as it helps leaders to take charge of the present and future to further enhance the identity of “who they really are".
First Published: Jul 22, 2022, 10:54
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