Becoming a Genuine Leader

Book excerpt: Are politics your biggest stressor at work? Becoming a Genuine Leader will help you develop the skills and self-awareness to navigate the challenges of your work culture with integrity at your core. Most of us don’t intend to operate with greed, cynicism, dishonesty, or passive aggression. Often we don’t even realize that we are acting out. Other times we feel driven to these things by others’ equally unsavory behaviors. But to become a truly impactful leader, we must get in touch with our authenticity and apply our power and privilege to engender positive cultural values. Just as our success at work can come from strengths our families have nurtured in us, all too often these assets can be eclipsed by the dysfunctional behaviors also born from our past. In Becoming a Genuine Leader, Marilyn Mason teaches us how to lead from within by understanding our past and changing the behaviors and communication styles that have compromised our integrity. She reveals that when we honestly look into our family culture and understand the impact of denying or hiding emotions, essential changes in how we manage and work with colleagues will take place. As personal insight results in more open interaction and cooperation, both rising and established leaders can see a work environment come alive with greater trust and creativity.