{"id":2249520,"date":"2025-09-16T08:42:42","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T06:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/talenti.pl\/?post_type=materialy&p=2249520"},"modified":"2025-09-16T08:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T06:57:09","slug":"leadership-your-way-how-to-be-an-authentic-leader-in-the-modern-world","status":"publish","type":"materialy","link":"https:\/\/talenti.pl\/en\/materials\/leadership-your-way-how-to-be-an-authentic-leader-in-the-modern-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership your way. How to be an authentic leader in the modern world?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cNone of us wanted to be the boss. We imagined that a boss was someone like the character in the movie The Devil Wears Prada,\u201d says Agnieszka Czmyr-Kaczanowska, CEO of Talenti, about the beginnings of her adventure with leadership. Sound familiar? During the webinar \u201cLeadership \u2013 yes, but my way,\u201d she and Martyna Orlik, a coach specializing in leadership development, showed that leadership can look completely different from the stereotypes we see in movies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When reading books about leadership becomes a curse<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever read an inspiring book about management and tried to put all the advice into practice the next day? Martyna Orlik admits honestly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhenever I read a book on leadership, I behaved as if I wanted to simply absorb all that knowledge, go to work the next day, and it was breakneck and terrible and awful for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This shows how important it is to find your own leadership style instead of imitating ready-made models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What challenges do new female leaders face?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The webinar was not just a conversation between the two hosts. During the webinar, the participants also talked about their struggles in this position. \u201cMost often, I want to do it myself\u201d was, appropriately, the most common answer. This was followed by difficulties in setting boundaries and expressing dissent, problems with finding one’s own leadership style, and maintaining a work-life balance. Many respondents also struggle with the pressure of omniscience\u2014the belief that a leader must know everything\u2014and with losing themselves in their leadership role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Martyna Orlik points out, these challenges are natural. Often, promotion to a leadership position is a reward for being a great specialist, but no one teaches us how to manage a team. This is when the real adventure of discovering your leadership style begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Masculine vs. feminine leadership styles \u2013 why it’s worth knowing the differences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Agnieszka Czmyr-Kaczanowska presented a fascinating division into two fundamentally different management styles. The style referred to as \u201cfeminine\u201d is characterized by a focus on cooperation and caring for relationships, making decisions in a consultative manner based on analysis, networked team management with greater autonomy, and thinking about the good of the entire organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cmasculine\u201d style, on the other hand, emphasizes ambition, assertiveness, and control, prefers quick decisions made without consulting the team, hierarchical management with strong control, and sequential thinking implemented step by step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to emphasize that these names do not mean that a given style is used only by women or men. These are different approaches to leadership, each of which can be effective in the right situations. The key is to recognize which style is closer to us and when it is worth reaching for tools from the other approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delegation \u2013 an art that requires strategy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The problem of delegation is a real plague for new leaders. Martyna Orlik has a very practical perspective on this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cDelegating for the sake of delegating makes no sense to me. It’s just a lot of frustration on both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Her strategy is based on four pillars. First, it is necessary to define the real purpose of delegating \u2013 not for the sake of delegating, but, for example, to make the team more independent. Next, you need to determine how to delegate together with the team, clearly communicating what needs to be conveyed so that the other person knows what you mean. The third element is to anticipate your own weaknesses and be honest with the team that you will be prone to interfering. The final step is to give the team the real right to stop you by saying, \u201cThat was supposed to be my job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to find yourself in the role of a leader?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Martyna Orlik shares a very personal experience that may be inspiring for many women:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe moment I heard myself say and wrote down that I am not a business shark, a shark woman, was an absolutely liberating moment in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This shows how important it is to know your limitations and accept them. The expert suggests asking yourself three fundamental questions that can help you find yourself in the role of a leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first concerns self-knowledge: who am I, what are my values, what do I need from life and work, what kind of leader do I want to be, and how do I want to use my influence? The second focuses on tasks: why does my team exist, what does the organization need from this team, which tasks are most important, and what will I do and what will I not do? The third concerns opportunities and limitations: what can I influence and what can I not influence, what resources can I use, and what is blocking me from being the leader I want to be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verification instead of guesswork<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important skills of a modern leader is checking facts instead of acting on guesswork. Too often, we act on assumptions such as \u201cmy team expects this from me\u201d instead of asking directly, \u201cwhat do you need when I’m not there?\u201d Similarly, instead of doing a thousand things in the belief that the team will feel safe, it is better to ask specifically: \u201cWhich tasks are important to you and which ones do you pay attention to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martyna Orlik emphasizes that calling things as they are and checking whether our assumptions are still valid is the key to effective leadership. It puts a lot of things in order and takes a huge weight off our shoulders when things are clearly defined and established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing energy in difficult situations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When we have to be authoritarian against our nature, it costs us a lot of energy. Martyna Orlik has specific advice on how to deal with this. After a difficult situation, it is worth taking care of your body \u2013 through movement and rest, allowing yourself to regenerate and naming the emotions you felt. It is also very helpful to \u201cbring\u201d the experience outside by writing, drawing, or talking to someone you trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preventive thinking is equally important. It is worth considering whether situations requiring an authoritarian approach can be predicted and whether they can be resolved earlier, using other methods. It is also crucial to remember that sensitivity is not a weakness, but a strength that is worth cultivating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key message about authenticity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Agnieszka Czmyr-Kaczanowska emphasizes a key truth about modern leadership:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt was only when we learned that we also have the right to different management styles, that we can take different approaches, that we can also be authentic in what we do, that we can look for the approach that suits us best, that we began to open up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Martyna Orlik ends the webinar with advice that sounds provocative but carries a deep meaning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cGirls, you have to let go of yourselves. At least a little.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This does not mean giving up on ambition or development. It is a call to find a healthy balance between striving for perfection and accepting yourself. To be a leader in your own way \u2013 authentic, aware of your strengths and limitations, but above all, true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern leadership is not about playing ready-made roles from movies or books. It is about discovering and developing your authentic management style \u2013 one that allows you to achieve your goals, inspire your team, and remain yourself. It is about understanding that you can be an effective leader without losing your sensitivity, empathy, or natural way of being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entire webinar can be viewed here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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