Why Authentic Leadership in 2025 is a Necessary for a New Business
With leadership declining across many sectors and employee burnout continuing to rise globally, new leadership narratives are emerging, rooted in radical authenticity rather than performance. According to industry trends (check out the social media stories), reliability has become one of the best qualities employees are looking for from leaders right now. And the results are clear. Real leadership promotes real impact.
In today's hybrid, fast-paced work world, team members often feel detached and overwhelmed, with leadership expert and business consultant Jacqueline Van Rooijen calling on executives and emerging leaders to “throw away their masks, abandon their souls, and be more frightening.”
“Authenticity isn't about oversharing or messing up, it's about having integrity, emotional consistency and real courage,” says Van Leujen. “It's not soft. It's strategic.”
Why reliability is more important than ever
Multiple peer-reviewed studies have shown that authentic leadership increases psychological safety, team involvement, and overall job satisfaction. Employees led by authentic leaders report greater trust in leadership, higher motivation, and decline. AI, in a post-pandemic world, trust is no longer given. It's been acquired. And it starts with a leader who is willing to show up honestly, especially when pressure is underway.
A practical hacking that leads more authentically
Van Rooijen shares five key practices that leaders can implement right away.
1. Perform personal value audits: Identify core values and assess whether leadership decisions are in line with them. Real leaders act not only from convenience but from their beliefs.
2. Practice radical listening: Create a deliberate space in a meeting, then pause, “What are you not watching now, what are you not listening?” Authenticity starts with listening rather than responding.
3. Name the hard stuff: Leaders don't have to have it all together, but they need to name the truth. The simple “I don't have the perfect answer yet” can humanize leadership and cultivate trust.
4. Stop talking in bullet points: Start telling the story. Vulnerable value-driven storytelling helps teams connect not only with leaders but with the “why” behind their work.
5. Get feedback from people who tell the truth: Authenticity is a mirror that you cannot hold on its own. Ask your peers, team members, or mentors that your influence may not match your intentions. (An advanced leader is moving beyond the echo chamber with “yes males.”
Reliability is no longer a buzzword as businesses are tackling increasing attrition and employee departures. That's a benchmark.
Working with leadership teams from various sectors, Vanlou Ygen supports this shift through workshops, coaching and executive sessions, “The future of leadership is not about having all the answers. It's about building a culture where it's safe to ask the right questions.”
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