This article was originally published on Forbes.
Many people feel anxious these days, and there are plenty of reasons—pandemics, politics, and wars that feel closer to home than ever. It’s been a dramatic time, and people know the ground beneath their feet has shifted.
They’ve been reminded that life is unpredictable and precious. They’ve taken time to reflect on their lives and to ponder questions like, “Did my life matter?” and “What was I born to do?” This internal audit prompts them to consider their choices, the relationships they’ve formed, and their spirituality or lack thereof.
As a child, I dreamed of becoming a great success. When I sang, I never imagined singing in front of a handful of people; no, I saw myself on a massive stage in front of thousands of screaming fans. A little wiser and a lot older, I now realize that everyone wants to impact the world. We all want to make a difference so we’ll be remembered when we’re gone.
This longing is natural; the problem is that we have conflated a meaningful life with the pursuit of success. This twisted logic frames success as being all about ourselves. Ego raises its ugly head, and we take immense pride in what we do and in the applause we receive for it.
However, at some point, we will be hit with a disruption when events don’t unfold as we imagined. Suddenly, the most important questions become internal. It’s our chance to emerge as someone who looks more deeply at their life. We have the opportunity to acknowledge that something big inside us has shifted.
Authentic Leadership Is The Key
You like the idea of “being you,” but what does authenticity mean? Every leader will eventually wrestle with this question: What is the core of who I am? The answer matters because being a phony is hard work. It takes a lot of effort to bury our true values and beliefs and settle for adopting others’ behavior and goals.
Authenticity comes from knowing what’s important to us and sticking to those values even when external pressures push us to behave differently. People trust leaders who are authentic and lead with strong values. Leaders who understand the importance of building trust can build healthy teams that deliver results.
Being authentic takes a strong mind. Are you mentally tough? Take this evidence-based FREE Mental Toughness Assessment.
My success as an FBI undercover agent came from being myself—it drew people to me. I was able to build trust with the subjects of my investigations. The only time I really ran into trouble was when I didn’t take the time to be authentic. No matter the role I played, the game was up.
My tip: Ask trusted friends to describe you. Do the descriptions feel accurate? Have they missed an important part of your personality? If so, think about why.
Everything Starts With Trust
Trust is the foundation of effective leadership. Traditional leadership tends to focus on a leader’s vision and strategy. While it can drive results, it can leave employees and clients with the impression that the company’s future rests in the hands of one person—the leader.
Leaders set the tone for the culture and establish behavioral norms. When they build trust within the organization, employees feel valued and remain motivated.
According to a 2017Harvard Business Review study, people at high-trust companies report 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% higher life satisfaction, and 40% less burnout than those at low-trust companies.
Another, more recent Harvard Business School survey found that people are increasingly turning to their leaders and employers for truth rather than to the media, institutions, or government officials.
My tip: As a leader, it’s no longer enough to focus solely on growing your business. Economic growth does not build trust; you must ensure transparency and model good values for employees and clients.
Step Into The Shadow
Everyone should know the truth about themselves. This is a straightforward statement, but it is also very difficult because humans are messy, contradictory, and often wrong about many things.
We start to hide what is real and put on a mask that others find attractive and interpret as confident and successful. But our perfection is fake, so when we experience a disruption or change in our circumstances, our mask begins to slip.
We still have this inner yearning to be authentic in a fake world, but we fear the consequences. Will we like what we discover about ourselves?
Shadow work in spiritual growth helps us uncover and heal negative emotions from our distant and recent past. Psychologists use the same technique to access our subconscious. Either way, we identify what is holding us back so we can move forward authentically.
I believe we all already care about something important. We already know what is important and meaningful to us. However, the problem is that many of us have lost touch with it. We’ve become distracted and lost sight of it.
We’ve become so inundated with what the people around us want or what the world expects of us that we’ve suppressed and forgotten who we are and what we believe. For many, it’s not a question of “finding” one’s purpose as much as rediscovering it.
My tip: List what you believe to be true about yourself, both good and bad. Then, examine each one, expand on it, and identify how, when, and where you acquired that belief. Who told you this was true about yourself?
Authentic leadership, based on self-awareness and trust, is vital to finding purpose and making a meaningful impact in the workplace.
© 2026 LaRae Quy. All rights reserved.
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