Authentically Learning to Lead Yourself

Authenticity implies a way of being in the world wherein you remain true to the spirit of who you are at the soul level. The needs of the ego drive the first part of our lives. Then, if the conditions are right (you are able to master your fears, individuate, and self-actualize), the soul takes over and drives the second part of our lives.

The ego is like the shell of an acorn; the soul is like the seed in the core. Only when the conditions are right does the shell decompose so the core can break through to allow the acorn to become an oak tree. Only when we express our authentic self can we become all we can become. Learning to lead yourself is the process by which you uncover and express your own authenticity.

Richard Barrett, The New Leadership Paradigm