Review: The Authentic You by Kristina M. Holle

A human resources coach, Kristina M. Holle, has devised an original method for developing our finest qualities by looking into our emotional and psychological self-image, in The Authentic You: Unleash Your Leadership Potential.

A curious mixture of self-help and business manual, Holle combines some familiar self-help tenets with the tenets of leadership and management, which are often held separate. As one might behave much differently in an office environment than at home or with friends, it can be difficult to meld these two “selves” together, so Holle takes an interesting approach to this conflict.

Holle asserts that just as you want to know others for what they truly are, so they want to see you and connect with the real, best person you can be, which can lead to new opportunities. Though a work environment can be stifling, she implores readers to resist the temptation to conform, and never suppress creativity.

She examines in detail the many factors that may hold us back from becoming a high performer, among them fear, the judgment of others, shame self-inflicted or put on us by society, guilt, and the presence of toxic personalities in our work realm. We may at times yield to apathy, simply seeing our situation as not worth fighting to change. Dynamic steps towards authenticity will include forgiving ourselves and others, and accepting ourselves, with our strengths and weaknesses fully understood.

One technique promoted throughout Holle’s wide-reaching manual is regular journaling. Each aspect of the journey to authenticity is defined and explored, including brief but cogent examples from her own experience. She notes a time when she had a challenge with a new manager, a highly critical person, who took charge. Rather than be dominated by him, she was able to move on to another, more creative position.

Each section concludes with questions for the reader to use in a personal journal format. In the segment on guilt, for example, questions include: “Do you suffer in silence?” and “What will you do about it?” Addressing and responding to such difficult issues is part of the process of uncovering and promoting our real values and beliefs – the work world would be a far better place, Holle states, if managers were authentic people, able to inspire and motivate us through the power derived from their own journeys to self-actualization. While it may not be possible to control others’ attitudes, self-improvement can go a long way towards making a more palatable work environment.

Holle’s book is lively and engrossing, using appropriate jargon and humor, balanced by wisdom quoted from such admirable sources as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Albert Einstein. Far from relying on other people’s quotes, which can be overused in the field, Holle is an engaging writer and thinker in her own right. The book ends up being both inspiring and practical. She concludes her work with her own pragmatic guidelines, called “KH Rules of Engagement for the Workplace,” which contains such advice as avoiding seeking validation from others, and refusing to engage with toxic characters.

All told, The Authentic You is refreshingly unique and more wide-ranging than books on either leadership or personal self-help, as it contains self-improvement methods for both the workplace and all aspects of life.