For those of you feeling powerless and frustrated or anxiously wondering what you can do to be a part of the solution, my request is that you go inward first.

Authentic leadership is not for the faint of heart. It’s not for those who are more worried about social status and the appearance of doing something right or avoiding doing something wrong,

To be effective in this movement and not lose yourself in the process, you need to know the authentic unshakeable loving power at your core. Without that connection to your core, you’ll second guess yourself, be ineffective at change, show up as an inauthentic actor or actually do harm.

Why? because we all have an immunity to change; survival wiring that is designed to keep us safe and close to our comfort zone. Change of this magnitude will require you to go beyond your survival instincts. It will require you to summon your authentic power and take action in the face of consequences and circumstances beyond your control.

If it wasn’t for the will and courage of Darnella Frazier none of this would be happening right now. If you don’t know, Darnella Frazier is the 17 year old young woman who defied George Floyd’s murderers to film his death.

Maybe she thought that by holding that camera up and pleading with the officers that she could save George’s life. They ignored her words and tried to intimidate her into shuttering her lens.

But Darnella summoned her authentic power, holding her ground and her camera and in the process ignited a revolution. She will live with the memory and trauma of that for the rest of her life. And I don’t wish that on anybody. But she didn’t back down.

Equally so, if it wasn’t for Tarana Burke, and the many women who summoned their courage alongside her to say metoo, many of the Hollywood elite and the countless other men–who relied on their social power and the silence of the impacted, the enablers and the bystanders–would still be free to dominate and victimize their way through life.

What you’re seeing is the ripping up of social agreements and the dismantling of institutions designed to serve some of the people all the time, while leaving others out. It’s time to create new agreements that shape a world that works for everyone.

To hold your seat at the table, you’ll need to be(come) the more authentic version of yourself. The good news is you’re already an authentic leader at your core, but you’ll need to chip away at the layers of the social agreements that cover it up.

So if you’re wondering what you can do, or what it takes to be an authentic or even transformational leader in your family, your community, your organization or across the world, it takes presence, power, love and purpose.

What I’ve learned is that the times when I really suffer and/or cause suffering in my life, are the times when:

• I’m operating from the chains of the past or fear of the future and no longer present in this moment
• I give my power away to someone else for personal gain and lose myself in the process
• I disconnect from my humanity and my deep desire for unity and connection
• I dishonor my life purpose by silencing myself or not taking action

No regrets though. Sure, I learned the hard way. But I wouldn’t be who I am today without the experiences I’ve had. Everything that I am and everything that I’ve experienced led me to the study of human development and transformational leadership and has prepared me for this moment.

I stand unmessable-with in the face of coronavirus, career transition, and the cancer that is racism pervading the cells of our global body, all against the backdrop of raising my biracial son in a world that no longer seems to make sense by old definitions. Sometimes you just have to bring it down to the studs and rebuild.

So when you ask what you can do or what more you can do… Stand up and be(come) the Authentic Leader you are.

Be Present: Wake up and be present and grateful for all that you have. For those who live with white privilege, I’m not asking you to feel ashamed of it. I’m sure most days it doesn’t feel like privilege. You’re out there working hard for what you have. But recognize that you do have unique access to opportunities that others do not or have to work much harder to get. Your privilege is unique to you. So what is it that you can uniquely bring to others through this one life experience?

Use Your Authentic Power: There are two streams of power: social power, which requires agreements, structures and external validation to be held in place and authentic power, which is intrinsic. Go beyond your social power to connect to your authentic power. How well does your life and your leadership express and honor that power today?

Let Your Purpose Guide You: Use your life and your gifts for something meaningful. Stop living from the scarcity and survival mindset that devalues the precious moments and diminishes yourself and others just so you can acquire yet another trinket.

Whatever you’re feeling, now is the time to clear out the cobwebs of complacency, connect to your authentic power and channel that energy into action!

Possible Actions

You can support members of your community who have less than you or are struggling with the many upheavals that 2020 has brought. You can contribute to the GoFundMe for Darnella. Or you can take action by donating to or volunteering with the not-for-profits that can make a difference in your community.

Shore up Your Leadership: If you’re committed to developing your Authentic Leadership and would like support or a place to start, you can direct message me, visit https://bookme.name/elanbailey to book a one-on-one or learn more about my upcoming programs at https://uplevelmyleadership.com.

Finally, I’ll leave with you excerpts from the two of the leaders that have inspired my action:

Maya Angelou – Still I Rise

[…] Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

You can read the full poem here

Dr. Martin Luther King on Power and Love

“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.