Reed Hastings didn’t become Reed Hastings by copying other media executives. Yet most leaders do exactly that—they grab tactics from admired bosses and stitch them together like a corporate Frankenstein.
Consider how Satya Nadella transformed Microsoft. He didn’t emulate other tech CEOs or follow his predecessor’s aggressive playbook. Instead, he drew from his core belief in empathy and a growth mindset. That authenticity—not borrowed strategies—revived a stagnant giant.
The same pattern appears everywhere. Marc Benioff’s Salesforce leadership style came from his genuine belief in equality and giving back, not from copying other software executives. Yvon Chouinard built Patagonia around his deep environmental values, not by mimicking other retail leaders.
Research from Harvard Business School shows that their teams perceive authentic leaders as three times more trustworthy. But here’s the problem: most leaders never pause to identify what authentic means for them.
Your leadership style should emerge from your core values, not from a collection of best practices you’ve observed. When Tony Hsieh built Zappos’ culture around delivering happiness, it worked because it matched who he was. Try transplanting that approach to someone naturally reserved and process-driven—it becomes theater, not leadership.
The marketplace rewards authenticity because people can sense when you’re performing versus when you’re being genuine. Your team knows the difference between borrowed confidence and the real thing.
Your values aren’t just nice-to-have principles. They’re your leadership operating system. They guide tough decisions when playbooks fail and stakes are high. Stop collecting other people’s moves and start building from what matters most to you.
