Hortense le Gentil on Alignment: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You're Meant to Be

“Alignment is really the congruence of being yourself, the way you think, and connecting with your driver, who you are, who you want to be,” explains Hortense le Gentil, global executive leadership coach and author of Aligned: Connecting Your True Self With The Leader You’re Meant To Be. Today, Hortense shares why being in alignment with your true self is so important for leading with authenticity.

To truly lead with authenticity, you must really get clear on your values and your ‘why’ or your driving force. Leaders often think they are supposed to have all the answers and be somehow greater than human, but that is simply not possible. It takes courage to lead instead from a place of vulnerability and empathy. Nowadays, people connect better with leaders who are more human and who foster an environment where it is okay for everyone to be themselves.

In order for leaders to create authentic change, they must first lead from a place of authenticity and be willing to be vulnerable. Authentic leaders accept the limitations of being human and lead instead from a place of alignment with their own values and goals.

• “You have to be aligned if you want to be authentic.” (4:17-4:21 | Hortense)
• “Alignment is really the congruence of being yourself, the way you think, and connecting with your driver, who you are, who you want to be.” (9:48-9:58 | Hortense)
• “Take the time to rethink everything we were told and that doesn't work anymore today.” (12:09-12:15 | Hortense)
• “Can I have any impact on what's happened now? If the answer is no, why would you take your energy and your time thinking or doing what you’re doing?” (17:18-17:31 | Hortense)
• “Be sure you write your story, and not the story of someone else.” (23:21-23:25 | Hortense)