Authentic leadership means being real.
Imagine walking around the office greeting people, looking them in the eye, listening deeply from your heart. The purpose? To make a true connection with your people. To be yourself. To get to know your staff better. It's amazing what a difference this makes in people's morale and everyone's sense of being a part of a great team.

It's knowing you have flaws and you aren't afraid to admit it.
You are facilitating a meeting, and the topic turns to finger pointing among managers. Within seconds it's heated, and knowing yourself the way you do, you know that directing open conflict is not your strong suit. You redirect the interaction by saying, "I'm not your strongest leader when it comes to heated conflict, but I think the issue is important to resolve, so I'd like to ask Carole to take the lead on this one. She's quite skilled at mediating situations like this..." Admitting a deficiency is a sign of a good leader. It points to the reality that none of us can possibly excel at everything. And it provides opportunity for others to shine.

It's about having and expressing genuine feelings.
Whether you're mad, sad, disappointed, frustrated or furious, an authentic leader recognizes the feeling and expresses it in a palatable way. This goes for the more positive feelings too, such as admiration, appreciation, or care. "I'm (fill in the blank), and I wanted you to be aware..." might be a good way to start. Managing feelings doesn't mean you 'cover them over.' It does mean you harness any run-away urges (to shout, pound fists, growl at people) and find a way to state what you're feeling from a genuine place of compassion. Expressing your feelings honestly gives others permission to identify their feelings and move through them in a rational, mature way.

Being authentic means you take the time to reflect on things you've said or done.
An authentic leader asks him/herself, "How did I do?" Whenever you have challenges that you meet or emotional moments that you weather, it's a good idea to reflect on how you handled it. Ask yourself what you liked most about what you said or how you said it. Do the same for what you liked least. If you need more input, ask for it. Keeping yourself on the forefront of new learning is another hallmark of the authentic leader.

Authentic leaders breed open conversations, and teach people to give one another credible feedback.
"So Jackie, give me your honest feedback on the new software product." Staff learn quickly whether a leader wants truthful input or simply the party line response. If you want people to be open at any level of the organization, it has to start from the top. Listening deeply to what people have to say is the first step, and utilizing their input is an essential second step. Sincerity in what you share, whether it be acknowledging staff or confronting them, makes the interaction meaningful. Once people experience open communication from the top, they are much more likely to duplicate it throughout the organization.