More being, less doing, the key to authentic leadership? Sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Especially in leadership, where we’re constantly bombarded with messages about doing more, achieving more, becoming more.

Most leadership training, tips and tricks point to a future state where you’ll finally be ‘improved’, ‘better’, ‘different’. In this future, you will be able to magically solve any problem, handle immense pressure without flinching, and inspire your team with effortless charisma.

But here’s the problem: this idealised future version of you is always just a little out of reach. There’s always one more thing to change, one more skill to learn, one more area to improve, one more experience to gain. It subtly reinforces the idea that you’re not good enough as you are, that you need to be fixed before you can really step up and lead.

The ‘improvement trap’: A dead end?

So we find ourselves on this endless treadmill, striving for a future that never quite arrives, hoping to achieve authentic leadership. We fall into the trap of believing that our value as leaders is tied to continuous improvement.

But what if it’s a dead end?

What if the constant striving is actually holding you back from your leadership potential?

And what if it’s more about realising than improving? Seeing rather than learning?

At least as a first step.

The power of ‘you are enough’

Think about it: The idea that you are enough, right now, in this moment. That you can and will get through the next big challenge. That you inspire your team, even with your imperfections, and that you are capable, competent and worthy of your leadership role.

This isn’t about complacency or giving up on growth. It’s about shifting your starting point. It’s about recognising that your inherent value as a human being and as a leader is not dependent on some future, ‘improved’ version of yourself.

This is the foundation of authentic leadership – leading from a place of wholeness, not deficiency. It is at the heart of Leading Beyond the Self. It’s about trusting your inner wisdom, showing up as you are and connecting with your team from a place of authentic presence.

More being, less doing in action:

“More Being, Less Doing isn’t about being passive. It’s about being present. It’s about showing up fully in each moment, attuned to yourself, your team and the situation at hand. It is not about not acting, but about acting consciously.

When you lead from this place of “enough“, you will

• Make decisions with greater clarity: You’re not clouded by self-doubt or the pressure to be someone you’re not.
  
• Connect more authentically with your team: You show up as a real person, not a polished ideal, fostering trust and psychological safety.
  
• Respond to challenges with greater resilience: You won’t be thrown off balance by every setback because your sense of worth isn’t tied to external results.
  
• Unleash the potential of your team: When they see you embracing your authentic self, they feel empowered to do the same.
• The journey begins now:

Letting go of the ‘improvement trap’ and embracing ‘more being, less doing’ is a journey, not a destination. But it’s a journey that can lead to a more fulfilling, impactful and authentic way of leading. It is a journey back to yourself.

So where do you want to start? Discuss with me or connect on LinkedIn.