Choosing the path of leadership means embracing change. Leadership implies movement. If you are standing still, you aren’t leading. You cannot lead people where you haven’t gone yourself.

While the act of leading implies a journey, becoming a leader is a journey in itself. That journey is something we call growth. We embrace a growth mindset. We listen. We learn. We improve our skills. We never stop working on ourselves to be the best leaders we can be. Why? Because the world needs better leaders. Our teams are counting on us. Our customers depend on us. Our mission is worthy. That is why.

Yet, there’s another side of the coin. There’s a part that should remain unchanged. You have a unique personality, style, attitude, set of values, and character that should endure. We’re all a little quirky in our own way. We’re all passionate, but about different things. I’m the type of guy that is more likely than most to wear a cape and propeller beanie to work. You probably aren’t. That’s cool.

Here’s the objective: Grow in your leadership capability, while simultaneously remaining true to yourself. That may sound straightforward, but it is not very easy at all.

Most do the opposite. Most do not experience significant growth in their leadership capability. Most people are leading at the same capacity and level of excellence that they were 5 years ago. Simultaneously, many fall prey to conformity. They go along to get along. They fit the mold. They slowly turn themselves into corporatized clones. Little by little, people lose themselves.

Authenticity

I recently had the opportunity to hear Cynt Marshall speak. She’s the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. She got that job after a long and successful career at AT&T. Raised in the Richmond, CA housing projects, she experienced a violent childhood but overcame that through her faith and focus on education. As she progressed through her career at AT&T, she was often offered promotions with strings attached. She could advance, but she needed to tone down her faith, racial, and cultural identity. Each time, she turned it down. Other times, she got opportunities that embraced her uniqueness. Eventually, she made it to the C-suite of AT&T with her authenticity intact.

I take inspiration from Cynt’s story. While much more extreme than my own, I can relate. Nearly 8 years ago, I reached an inflection point in my career. I had advanced significantly by that point in my leadership career, but I started to observe what it would take to advance further, and I didn’t like what I saw. I watched the layers of leadership above me. I saw the behaviors that were rewarded. I saw how they operated. I decided that I wanted to advance, but I couldn’t succeed in that environment without changing who I am.

I decided that my next step needed to be out, not up. When interviewing for roles, I committed to presenting my true authentic self, as best as I could. That way, if I got an offer, I knew that I’d have the freedom to be myself. It worked. Many passed on me, but CHS took a chance.

Here’s my advice: Many people will tell you that you need to listen to feedback. That’s true, but there’s a twist. There are different types of feedback: Some will tell you to grow and some will tell you to change who you are. When people tell you to grow, listen up. When people tell you to change yourself to become less authentic, throw that advice in the garbage can.

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