Why “Perfect” Isn’t Always Powerful
In leadership, there’s often an unspoken belief that perfection equals credibility. Leaders spend countless hours refining slides, scripting words, and preparing for every possible reaction. The intent is good; they want to inspire confidence and reduce risk. But here’s the paradox: perfection can create distance. Authentic human leadership, instead, emphasizes connection over flawlessness. It can feel sterile, rehearsed, and inauthentic.
What truly engages people isn’t the polished facade. It’s the raw, unfiltered humanity. A leader’s ability to show up authentically — transparent, heartfelt, and consistent — often has more impact than the most perfectly crafted rollout. This is the power of authenticity, and it’s a tool that every leader can wield with confidence.
A Moment of Witness: The Human Wins
I recently had the opportunity to witness a leader who spent a great deal of time preparing the perfect strategy launch. They had outlined every detail, thought about every objection, and scripted their delivery. But when the moment came to present in front of both the leadership team and the broader organization, something unexpected happened.
They made a surprising decision to let go of the script.
Instead of sticking to the polished plan, they chose to speak from the heart. They shared their reasoning, admitted where things were difficult, and, to the surprise of both me and the HR professional observing with me, they were almost too transparent. Honest to a fault. Vulnerable in a way many leaders would shy away from.
And yet — they were magnetic.
People leaned in, or at least those people where they let their egos drop away. The strategy, though not perfect in its delivery, resonated because it was authentic. Employees left engaged, motivated, and bought in, not because the presentation was flawless, but because the leader was real. This is the power of authentic leadership, which forges a deep connection and fosters a shared commitment to success.
The Universe Always Echoes
In parallel, and as often happens when the universe underscores a message, here I go being “woo” again. I picked up a new book a few days later. It told the story of a successful entrepreneur — a woman in a high-stakes situation — whose board decided to bring in a crisis consultant. The situation itself wasn’t the takeaway. In short, what stood out was the consultant’s advice: This leader needed to be less cold and put-together and more approachable.
Her success would come not from proving how polished or professional she could be, but from showing up as an authentic human being.
This resonated with me on many levels, both in what I had just witnessed and personally, as I am now more willing to be transparent about my use of empathy and intuition in my coaching and consulting.
These two experiences, back-to-back, left me reflecting on what I see in leaders across various industries. The most influential leaders are not necessarily the ones who impress us with their perfection. They are the ones who make us feel seen, heard, and motivated through their authenticity and consistency.
Heartfelt Success: What Resonates
As I continue to focus this fall on asking leaders whether they are in soul alignment with their work, I want to layer in a deeper set of questions:
- Is your success heartfelt? Or is it simply achievement on paper without personal fulfillment?
- Is your presence authentic and motivational? Do people feel energized after interacting with you?
- Are you consistent? Does your team know that whether they approach you in stress or in celebration, your response will be steady and aligned with your values?
For me, consistency is not optional. If you are consistent with yourself — not only in what you believe, but in how you show up — then your response to stress and your response to success will mirror each other. Your team knows what to expect. That predictability builds safety and trust.
This is what I call consistent leadership presence. It’s not about being robotic. It’s about being reliable and relatable in your humanity.
Why Authentic Beats Perfect
When leaders default to the “perfect professional,” they risk three things:
1. Distance – Perfection can make you seem untouchable, like an actor on a stage instead of a partner in the work.
2. Distrust – Teams often feel that rehearsed messaging is hiding something. Authentic transparency builds more credibility.
3. Disengagement – People connect emotionally before they commit logically. Without authenticity, the energy in the room never ignites.
When leaders show up authentically, the opposite happens. They create connection, foster trust, and spark genuine engagement. Research backs this up — as Harvard Business Review notes in Connect, Then Lead, people are more likely to trust and follow leaders who project authenticity and warmth before they demonstrate authority.
Authentic Leadership in Practice
Authentic leadership doesn’t mean winging it. It’s not about being casual or unprepared. It’s about pairing preparation with presence, and strategy with soul — passion or fire.
Here’s how authentic leaders turn preparation into power:
- Plan the strategy, not the persona. Preparation is essential, but don’t let polish erase personality.
- Anchor in soul purpose. Ground your message in why this matters to you and the organization.
- Leave room for humanity. Share what’s hard. Admit where you don’t have all the answers.
By weaving humanity into preparation, leaders move from being “perfect professionals” to being trusted humans.
Leadership Presence: Authentic, Approachable, and Consistent
I often ask my clients three questions when we discuss presence:
- Are you authentic? Do you show up as yourself, not as a role you’re performing?
- Are you approachable? Do people feel safe bringing both challenges and successes to you?
- Are you consistent? Do you respond in ways that align with your values, no matter what the situation?
This triad — authenticity, approachability, and consistency — is what makes leadership presence powerful. It’s what transforms strategy into buy-in and authority into influence.
A Personal Belief: Consistency as a Compass
I’ve lived my professional life with a guiding belief: if I am consistent with myself, then I will be consistent with others. My stress response and my success response should always align with the same core values.
This doesn’t mean I never feel pressure. It means that when I do, I respond from the same place I respond when celebrating. That steadiness fosters trust, and trust in turn cultivates followership.
The Long-Term Payoff of Authentic Human Leadership
When leaders embrace authenticity over perfection, they unlock long-term benefits that no polished rollout can replicate:
- Engaged Teams: People commit to leaders who feel real, not rehearsed.
- Resilient Cultures: Authenticity breeds psychological safety, making it easier to navigate setbacks.
- Sustainable Influence: You don’t burn out from pretending. You lead from your soul purpose, which fuels consistency and resilience.
This is heartfelt success. It’s not success that looks good only on a balance sheet; it’s success that feels right, sustains energy, and builds legacies.
Closing Thoughts
Perfection has its place in execution, but in leadership, it often falls short. The leaders who inspire genuine buy-in are those who balance preparation with presence, who ground strategy in soul purpose, and who show up consistently, authentically, and human.
So the question I leave you with is this:
Are you leading from a polished script, or are you leading from your authentic self? And if your team were asked, would they describe you as consistent, approachable, and human?
Because in the end, authentic human leadership always outshines the perfect professional. And often shows one the happier person!!
