Authentic Leadership: Substance Over Form

When you think of leadership, what qualities come to mind first?

Your instinct might be to say title, education, status, or some other similar characteristic. This is the conception of leadership that many people have. Great leaders are the type of people that get stuff done, command a room, and know what they want and go after it. 

However, I want you to now think of the leaders who have had the greatest impact on your life. If I had to guess, these people don’t match the description I laid out above. 

I’d like to discuss a better way of looking at leadership: through substance instead of form. Let’s talk about what it means to be a leader that truly cares about the wellbeing of those around them.

After all, what you are speaks so loudly that people will not hear what you say.

Values-Based Leadership In Action

Recently, I was traveling across the country after a long week. I arrived early at the airport to allow for line-ups and other delays. Thankfully, everything went smoothly.

I went to the coffee spot, where I planned to pay for my coffee with my phone app. I held out my phone to pay and discovered they did not have a scanner to read the QR code. He told me, “We do not use the app here, I’m sorry. How else would you like to pay?”

I chuckled and informed him that he was asking the wrong question: “I do not want to pay. However, I am going to pay using cash.”

He started to smile and said, “Well, I did not expect that response.”

When I asked him why, he told me this story:

“The first person I met this morning when I started my shift wanted to pay using the app. She became angry when I told her we did not use the app. I tried to tell I was not the owner and it was not my decision. She told me to shut up and that I should have told her before she placed her order. I couldn’t believe it! Starting my shift, the first customer of the day told me to shut up! What a great way to start the day!

“So, when you responded the way you did and laughed, it actually threw me off guard. That kind of response is not a typical one that we deal with!”

To be completely honest, all I could think of was that I wanted to be alone and read my book.

However, leadership has a very simple premise: How you and I treat people regardless of status or influence is who we really are.

For that reason, if there was one thing from my experience in leadership that came to my mind at that moment, it was that this young man needed a listening ear. I decided to hang around for a moment longer. 

I chuckled and said, “Such a perfect way to start your shift!” As he prepared the coffee for me, he shared about how he came to work in this role, including several things that his employer would benefit from knowing about him and his background. 

As I grabbed my coffee and started to walk away, he added, “I wish more of my customers were like you!”

Substance Involves Active Listening

Our current workplace culture encourages conversations about topics like timelines, DEI, hopefully mental health, and wellbeing. However, when it comes down to it, there seems to be little meaningful action taken on these sorts of things. 

In reality, it seems as though many people are experiencing the same sorts of things as the man I met at the coffee counter. Employees are given verbal reassurance by their bosses, managers, and higher-ups that the company has the employee’s best interests in mind… but the employee’s experiences aren’t matching up. 

As organizational leaders, this is something that you and I need to take seriously! Are we saying all the right things just to check off some list and keep up appearances, or do we actually care about our employees? 

In order to become leaders who lead with substance AND form, the time has come to reevaluate how we approach leadership, and one simple way to do that is by becoming a better listener. 

It’s possible that you might have tricked yourself into thinking you’re a better listener than you are. Maybe you have the form of listening down, but do you have the substance? 

Next time someone comes to you with a genuine problem, concern, or complaint– whether in your personal life or in the workplace– I want you to ask yourself this question: am I actually listening? 

To make sure you’re being a good listener, pay attention to your reactions, body language, and response

Good Leadership: More Than Your Accomplishments

Additionally, substance is about being a person of strong character. 

In past decades, we typically associated leadership with qualities such as power, position, or even education. In our current work culture, however, I would argue that these things matter less than your character

Wouldn’t you agree that being a person with influence is less about title, position, or even education today? The person with the most influence is the person who has qualities of substance. Even when their form may be lacking at times, who others respect the most. 

If you want to be a leader whose substance matches their form, consider these things: 

Are you ensuring you are being encouraged, supported, and cared for? 

The old song “I Am a Rock” by Simon and Garfunkel states, “I am a rock, I am an island”. Let’s be honest, though– no person is a rock and no person is an island! To be a person of influence, a leader with substance, you have to be surrounded by people of substance! 

Take inventory of your relationships. Do you have bosses, mentors, or other people in your life who will call you out when your form and substance don’t match? What about people who will row your boat with you, even in the middle of a storm?

Why does people’s wellness matter to you?

This is a great opportunity to reevaluate your values. If you ask yourself this question and find yourself giving corporate rationale to the importance of wellness, it’s time to take a step back and think about your real motive for leadership… for substance or for appearances. 

Genuinely caring for the wellbeing of others also allows you to be a great leader even in the moments where you don’t want to be. I think back to my experience in the airport, where all I wanted to do was be alone with my thoughts. However, a genuine interest in the barista’s wellness allowed me to step up and be a leader of substance, even in a small passing moment. 

Let’s be real for a moment. I know it’s easy to get caught up in “the grind” and lose sight of the things that matter to you. However, I also know from my years of experience that your business will not last if you don’t learn to prioritize your values. 

What do you want to be known for when you think about what others will remember about you? 

How will you affect the people you meet at the coffee shop? What effect will you have on your friends, your kids, or your spouse?

I had a moment awhile back where I realized I wasn’t making the impression I wanted to make on the people I love the most. I asked my kids if they could describe me in a non-physical way… and the only thing any of them could say was that I loved my work! 

There’s an idea I like to refer to as the “hot water-tea bag” principle, and it’s quite simple: 

Just like a tea bag in hot water, who a person is will “leak out” in critical moments of intensity or pressure. 

These “hot water” moments, where the pressure gets added, reveals who we truly are, beyond what we say. These are the make-or-break moments that show others where our priorities lie. 

Do you want to be a person people trust, respect, and even follow when they may not always like you? Then what “leaks out” in crisis has to match what you say in times of thriving.

Moving Forward: Leading With Form AND Substance

If you do all the right things and check all the right boxes, people will only follow you because they have to. Relying solely on your power, qualifications, or position as a leader will make you prideful, conceited, and ambivalent to the concerns of your coworkers and peers. 

There’s an old saying that goes, “People don’t care about what you know until they know that you care.” Do the people under your leadership know that you care? Do they know why you care?

Who you are and what you value will guide you in times of crisis. If you lead only with form and without substance, the only thing you’re doing is attempting to elevate your own status. After all, form without substance is self-worship. 

If you need encouragement or a private thinking partner, let’s talk. Together, we can work towards fostering a workplace culture that values substance over form and truly supports the well-being of all its members.

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Organizations across North America have been benefiting from FORTLOG’s Interpersonal Crisis Management, Coaching & Consulting services for over 30 years, counting on John to help shepherd them through their most challenging storms. Today, a growing number of workplaces benefit from John’s proven strategies, systems and speeches that focus on integrating core-value practices “not just policies and procedures''.

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