Comments on: Attribute of an Authentic Leader http://www.nakedmedicine.com/attribute-of-an-authentic-leader a thinking man's point of view about the business of medicine Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:44:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Lara Ewing http://www.nakedmedicine.com/attribute-of-an-authentic-leader/comment-page-1#comment-4729 Lara Ewing Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:26:29 +0000 http://medicaleader.com/blog/?p=8#comment-4729 Another aspect of authenticity is the degree of congruence the leader demonstrates. Congruence is alignment in every aspect of behavior: thought, word, deed. Authentic leaders are congruent. What they say and do reflects the quality and depth of their thinking. All verbal and non-verbal aspects of their communication send the same message. Congruence is hard to fake. Most of us pick up on subtle incongruities pretty easily. Congruence is also not so easy to achieve. Given the demands and pressures we face from competing interests, the complexity of our personal values (which sometimes compete with each other), for most of us congruence is a moving target. For physicians in particular, the tension between serving personal outcomes and serving those of the competing constituencies they represent can be confusing and exhausting. They're on the run most of the time, so there's not a lot of time for reflection and introspection. Some make the time for it, others don't. An external "ear" sometimes helps to clear the confusion and clarify values. Another aspect of authenticity is the degree of congruence the leader demonstrates. Congruence is alignment in every aspect of behavior: thought, word, deed. Authentic leaders are congruent. What they say and do reflects the quality and depth of their thinking. All verbal and non-verbal aspects of their communication send the same message. Congruence is hard to fake. Most of us pick up on subtle incongruities pretty easily.

Congruence is also not so easy to achieve. Given the demands and pressures we face from competing interests, the complexity of our personal values (which sometimes compete with each other), for most of us congruence is a moving target.

For physicians in particular, the tension between serving personal outcomes and serving those of the competing constituencies they represent can be confusing and exhausting. They’re on the run most of the time, so there’s not a lot of time for reflection and introspection. Some make the time for it, others don’t.

An external “ear” sometimes helps to clear the confusion and clarify values.

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