Authentic Leadership: How to Lead With Nothing to Hide, Nothing to Prove, and Nothing to Loseনমুনা

Insecurity is the Opposite of Authenticity

No one, especially leaders, wants to feel insecure. Insecurity, put simply, is a deep feeling of anxiety and uncertainty about yourself. It’s an acute lack of confidence that makes you suspicious, overprotective, self-conscious, and easily offended. Insecurity makes you terrified of failure and feel overwhelming anguish when you finally taste it. Sometimes insecurity looks like unnecessary bravado. Sometimes it looks like unexplainable cowardice. Everybody hates insecurity.

If things were perfect, we’d all be humble, salt-of-the-Earth leaders. We’d be known for our authenticity, consistency, stability, and time-tested skills. We’d never feel the urge to quit, impress others, or be liked.

But contrary to popular belief, leaders are humans, not robots. We all make mistakes; we battle insecurities.

I’m convinced that, behind the scenes, most coaches, bosses, CEOs, presidents, and leaders are different than they seem. The most insidious problem that befalls leaders starts with a secretly unaddressed gap.

It’s the gap between who you are and who people think you are. The gap between the perception of who you are and who you really are is where insecurity thrives.

If you’ve ever felt a persistent feeling of uncertainty, anxiety, and self-doubt, you know how quickly it kills your confidence. You know what an insecurity gap feels like. You may have a wide gap or a narrow gap, but the unaddressed gaps in your life cause many of your worst choices.

King Saul & Insecurity

In 1 Samuel, Saul battled insecurity like no other leader in the Bible. He had a significant insecurity gap. But his problem wasn’t just a growing insecurity… his problem was the refusal to acknowledge and address it. He felt the weakness and fear from insecurity… but instead of turning to God, he doubled down on posturing and pretending. Finally, when Samuel confronted him, he confessed to the hidden fear that drove his disobedience to God.

There’s a lesson for us here. The first step in addressing insecurity is acknowledging it to God, and asking him to help us. God knows we are fearful and frail. He’s not surprised… so there’s no reason to pretend with him.