Authentic leadership. It matters now more than ever, because while being perfect as a manager of people is unrealistic, being authentic is full of forgiveness.

Being authentic as a manager or a leader means no one is ever guessing where you come from on any issue. They know you, and for the issues where they aren't sure where you stand, they're confident they don't have to guess - you'll tell them or otherwise engage.

Some the descriptors I like to describe authentic leadership are Truth-teller and Force of Nature. Add Empathy and Listener and you've got today's authentic leader.

I was lucky to be joined on my podcast - Best Boss Ever - by one of the most authentic leaders I have ever encountered - Lisa Higgins from APQC.

Take a listen via the player below, and if you only have a few minutes, I've listed my favorite segments from the show below as well (email subscribers, click here if you don't see the podcast player)...

If you only have 10 minutes - take a listen at these timestamps:

10:00 - Kris talks about being locked into a conference room with Lisa and her team for full days at a time, and gives Lisa some adjectives and phrases that come to mind and she reacts to them, talking about whether she grew into these traits or if they’ve always been a part of who she is:

• Truth-Teller
• Coming in Hot/Force of Nature
• Listener
• Authentic/Believable
• Getting Out of the Way for Direct Reports

31:10 - And now for the close – Lisa describes her best boss ever. It's Jack Grayson, founder of APQC. Among countless positive attributes - many of which Lisa describes, it's notable that he was comfortable hiring someone who was very much different than him - and provided room and support for Lisa to grow. He ended up with a great employee and a future leader of his organization. So cool and so true.

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