9 minute read
AUTHENTICITY IN LEADERSHIP: CULTIVATING THE REAL YOU BUILDS TRUST AND INSPIRES LOYALTY
By Sara Hansen, Marketing Consultant
Productive Dentist Academy
What are you a champion of?
This is one of those questions that helps people understand what their passions and values are. It inspires self-reflection so you can articulate what motivates you. It’s a question I ask the dentists I work with to find out who they are and what they want out of life. As a champion of helping people find their true voice and tell their own stories, I’m deeply passionate about guiding others toward their bravest and most authentic selves. However, this realization wasn’t something that came easily to me. In fact, I had to navigate my own journey first - discovering the path toward my true self and finding my own voice. Only then could I become a guide to others who were seeking the same transformation. It’s a lesson I learned firsthand: in order to teach someone how to find their bravest self, you must first find your own.
When I was a little girl, I often imagined I could be anything I wanted to be. I was brave, and walked around with a pink blanket tied around my neck, because I pretended to be the most powerful person on the planet. I ran around so fast I thought my legs would fall off. And, of course, I had my secret mantra. I’d say, “Magic, magic, make me run faster!” and I was off like the wind. I was confident, brave, and unstoppable.
When I entered my teenage years, I started to feel that confidence slip away. I tried hard to figure out who I was: wondering if I was wearing the right clothes, and whether or not I would be part of the “cool” crowd. I fell into the trap of self-doubt and mediocracy – something I was plagued with for many years after.
Then, when I became a mother to two beautiful girls, I wanted them to have everything. I wanted them to believe in themselves, have strong voices, and know that they are on this Earth to do great things. But I realized I couldn’t tell my daughters these things; I had to show them. That realization became the most pivotal moment of my life.
Before I moved toward helping my daughters become the best versions of themselves, I had to prepare myself for a lot of healing. I reflected on my past and previous experiences and knew that I often hid behind a facade of who I thought I should be rather than embracing my true, authentic self. When you’re little, it’s all pretend. When you’re a teenager, you try so hard to fit in and conform to societal expectations. You hold onto those feelings for so long that you start to lose sight of your own values and beliefs. Now, as someone who was beginning to reconcile my past, what did I need to do to become the person who others wanted to follow?
I sought out a therapist who listened and pushed me to places that were scary, but ultimately, helped me realize my strengths. I had to figure out my “why,” and as an adult, I needed to start believing in myself.
It’s here my journey toward authenticity began.
The more I aligned with my authentic self, the more my confidence returned. As I began to exercise my own voice, it became stronger and stronger within me until, one day,
I understood that I was no longer wishing to be a strong woman with a strong voice - I was strong!
I wanted to share my story and help others find their strong voices also, but most of all, I wanted my daughters to see me and hear my strong voice so they could learn how to have strong voices of their own. I wanted them to see me as a leader so that one day they could be leaders themselves.
I’d always admired leaders. Not bosses, but leaders. Bosses are people in positions of power who oversee others and might not have earned or have the proper mettle for the position. But leaders, no matter what position they hold, are people who inspire others to follow them. Not every boss is a leader, nor is every leader a boss.
My entire life, leadership felt like a calling for me. Like I was meant to be part of something bigger. Maybe it came easier to me because I’m the firstborn, and my siblings often followed and sometimes looked up to me. For me, leadership was never just to lead. It’s to nurture, inspire, grow, and teach. The most influential leaders in my life have always been people who are authentic. They’re the real deal. Leaders are people you can feel safe around at all times. Real leaders are instrumental in helping others become the people they know they could be. That’s what I wanted for my daughters, and that’s what I knew I needed to become.
There was something inside me that I couldn’t explain, a feeling that I was meant for more. I kept feeling like I
needed to do something big, but I didn’t know what it meant, or what to do with it. So I leaned into it, not knowing where it was going to take me. I had to trust my gut and take a journey to an unknown place. That’s when my first speaking opportunity came my way. I was asked to get up on stage and speak for the first time in my professional career. I’d never considered speaking because it felt so foreign to me. But at the same time, something about it felt oddly right.
I was a bundle of nerves when I walked out on that stage for the first time, but going through my presentation felt so natural. I even felt at peace, like being onstage was a place I belonged. I felt empowered by the positive response I’d received from the audience. Their energy was exciting, and when I finished, I knew that I had found my calling. I started seeking out more and more speaking engagements to share my message with other dental professionals and their teams about the ways they can find their authentic voice, determine what they’re champions of, communicate their own message with their teams, and connect with their patients on a much deeper level.
As I continued to speak, teach, and help others locate their own authentic voice, I was also finding my own. I’ve never felt more confident, empowered, and fulfilled in my life. I came to realize that what I do as a fractional marketing consultant (fCMO), is I help my clients determine their authentic voice, and then I share their message via their authentic voice with the market, and tell uplifting stories about how they transform their patients’ lives. I give them a voice to be their true selves, and to show how they’re different from any other dentist in town. My job is to help them discover their “why,” and their strengths to continue on the journey they were meant to live.
I no longer feel the need to pretend or hide behind any self-doubt or suffer mediocrity. The things that happened to me in my past did not dictate the person I am. Leading with my strengths and authenticity to help others dig deep and find theirs has been the journey of a lifetime.
That’s where the power of authenticity comes from. It’s discovering who we are, and how we’re meant to be seen. It’s how we are meant to lead within our own given roles. Of course some leadership roles are larger than others, but no matter what position you’re in, we’re all meant to lead.
The best way to understand this is by figuring out your “why” or your purpose. This is going to require you to:
Get a coach who can help you face your fears and learn to be brave by taking small steps toward big dreams.
Live in the YES instead of the NO. Be relentless in your pursuit of your dreams.
Don’t be the leader that others will want to follow, be the leader that you’d want to follow.
Becoming a leader and speaker in the dental profession was not something that happened overnight. It required a lot of hard work, self-reflection, and personal growth. If I hadn’t been willing to do the work in the first place, I’d hate to think where I’d be today. I might be alright, but would I be this happy? This content? Probably not. I’m living my purpose, and I’m helping others do the same. My hope for my daughters, who are now young women, is that they will be confident in themselves, have strong voices, and believe that they can do anything. By embracing my true self, I’m trying to be the leader my daughters can be proud of. This is what women in dentistry do every single day. We can stand in our own power and pave the way for the generation of women coming up behind us. It takes strong women like us to do this. I’m grateful for the experiences and opportunities that have led me to where I am today, and the future feels brighter than ever.
I understand it can be scary – leaning into your gut and listening carefully to where it is guiding you. You know it’ll take some hard work, but that you’ve got it in you to find the leader within, and bring her out. We must go first. Leaders always go first.
There’s still so much time left.
There’s so much potential.
You can do anything.
Be anything…
We are all born to be leaders no matter what position we hold.
What does your authentic journey look like?
About the author:
As an experienced marketer and dental industry expert of almost two decades, Productive Dentist Academy Marketing Consultant Sara Hansen specializes in crafting customized and comprehensive marketing plans that reflect your unique identity, values, and goals. By implementing her personalized marketing roadmap, your practice can establish itself as the leading dental authority in your community and attract the patients you deserve. With a track record of propelling practices to success through marketing, Sara is committed to delivering personalized marketing plans that showcase your authentic voice and guide your journey to becoming the dental authority in your community. Outside of work, Sara enjoys running and has participated in many races. She also enjoys hiking and spending time with her husband and two daughters.
