We recognise that you’re possibly fed up of hearing about the exploits of the Prime Minister this week, but with leadership so inherent in what we do at HR Champions, a closer examination of where Boris has failed in this area is probably justified. Despite multiple MP’s making reference to Boris’s failed leadership over the past few days, mostly as part of their resignation speeches, none have been specific about what’s been wrong with it.

If you’ve ever attended a leadership course or workshop, whether or not it was one of ours, there would very likely have been a discussion regarding the qualities of great leaders. Amongst the suggestions usually offered by delegates are:

• Integrity
• Communication
• Influence
• Empathy
• Courage
• Respect

These are all very valid characteristics, and no-one would argue that Boris is not a great communicator or that he does not excel at influencing others. However, whether he possesses integrity or empathy is seriously up for debate. Recent events, and in particular “Partygate” and the subsequent speculation about whether or not he lied to the Commons, certainly throws a shadow over his sense of honesty.

Another quality that we feel is vital for successful leaders, although does not always appear in suggestions, is Authenticity.

Authentic Leaders act from their values. They will process information and make decisions objectively without bias or prejudice. They are acutely aware how the outcomes of their decision-making affects others and that it must be done with integrity, consistency and clarity. Their self-belief makes them resilient.

An Authentic Leader builds genuine relationships with those they lead and work with. They do not make decisions based on their own self-interest. Honesty and openness are paramount, and they strive to build relationships that engender trust and understanding. Their genuine and selfless behaviour will reinforce the development of trust.

A powerful exercise is to take a step back and ruthlessly examine your own leadership. Are you authentic? Do you truly make decisions and act on what you believe, or are you simply going through the motions and behaving in a certain way to manipulate those you manage? Authentic Leaders will get the best out of others because it is easy and natural to follow and believe in someone who is genuine and acts on their own beliefs.

Insincere and disingenuous behaviour will leak signals that humans have an innate ability to pick up on. Non-authentic leaders will fail because their followers will see through the masquerade. They will spot the signs, even if this happens subliminally, and will gradually, and sometimes suddenly as we have seen during the week’s events, forgo their respect and admiration.

We’ll leave you to make your own decisions about whether Boris was an authentic leader and if it contributed to his demise. In the meantime, to discuss opportunities for developing your own and your teams’ leadership skills, call us on 01452 331331 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.