Authentic leadership: why it's hard, and why it matters now

It is relatively easy to lead with warmth, openness and optimism when things are going well. The real test of authentic leadership comes when they are not. And that is the challenge many leaders are currently facing.

Financial pressures, recruitment difficulties, complex special educational needs and disabilities provision, persistent absence and increasing demands from families and external bodies are day-to-day issues now - and leaders must manage them while also protecting the confidence and wellbeing of the people they lead, too.

Remaining as an authentic leader can be difficult under these circumstances - and what it means to be an authentic leader is easily misunderstood.

Being authentic does not mean saying everything you think or sharing every anxiety you feel.

It is not unfiltered emotion or constant disclosure. Authenticity is a discipline: the ability to remain honest, humane and anchored to your values while exercising the judgement your role requires.

What authentic leadership means

I remember, as a headteacher, the weight of receiving the Ofsted call. Within moments, I was mentally rearranging the next three days: cancelling personal commitments, changing childcare arrangements and preparing for the scrutiny ahead.

I had to carry that reality while bringing my team together and communicating what would happen next.

There would have been little value in transferring all my anxiety to them. Equally, pretending that an inspection was effortless would have felt dishonest.

My responsibility was to acknowledge the pressure, offer clarity and lean into the trust and relationships we had built: this would not be easy, but we would face it together.

That balance between transparency and restraint is where authentic leadership lives.

When leadership is difficult, people watch closely. They notice how we show up and whether our stated values survive contact with pressure.

Do we remain respectful when challenged? Do we listen when the answer may be uncomfortable? Do we take responsibility when something goes wrong or search for someone to blame? Do we make decisions with people or simply do things to them?

Authentic leaders do not pretend to have every answer. They are prepared to say, “I don’t know yet, but I will listen, learn and act.”

Credibility and calm

That is not weakness. It builds credibility because people are far more likely to trust a leader who is honest about uncertainty than one who offers false reassurance.

Leading authentically also means resisting the urge to display invincibility simply because we wear the leadership badge. We can acknowledge that something is difficult without becoming paralysed by it.

We can show vulnerability without asking our teams to carry us. We can lead with both head and heart: remaining compassionate while maintaining high expectations, and be decisive without losing our humanity.

The most important leadership moments are rarely the polished speeches or carefully written vision statements.

They are the small moments under pressure: the pause before responding, the difficult conversation handled with dignity, the honest apology and the decision that remains rooted in principle even when it is unpopular.

Authentic leadership matters most when leadership is not easy because that is when people need steadiness, clarity and hope. They do not need a perfect leader.

They need one whose values remain visible when the pressure is on and whose presence makes others feel that, together, they can find a way through.

Evelyn Forde MBE, an experienced former headteacher, is the author of Authentic Leadership in Schools: how to win hearts and minds, published by Routledge. She is a former president of the Association of School and College Leaders