The first two people Mulcahy talked with, both
of whom ran big operating units, decided to
leave, but the remaining 98 committed to stay.
Throughout the crisis, people in Xerox were
empowered by Mulcahy to step up and lead in
order to restore the company to its former
greatness. In the end, her leadership enabled
Xerox to avoid bankruptcy as she paid back
$10 billion in debt and restored revenue
growth and profitability with a combination of
cost savings and innovative new products. The
stock price tripled as a result.
• • •
Like Mulcahy, all leaders have to deliver
bottom-line results. By creating a virtuous
circle in which the results reinforce the effectiveness
of their leadership, authentic leaders
are able to sustain those results through good
times and bad. Their success enables them to
attract talented people and align employees’
activities with shared goals, as they empower
others on their team to lead by taking on
greater challenges. Indeed, superior results
over a sustained period of time is the ultimate
mark of an authentic leader. It may be
possible to drive short-term outcomes without
being authentic, but authentic leadership
is the only way we know to create sustainable
long-term results.
For authentic leaders, there are special rewards.
No individual achievement can equal
the pleasure of leading a group of people to
achieve a worthy goal. When you cross the finish
line together, all the pain and suffering you
may have experienced quickly vanishes. It is replaced
by a deep inner satisfaction that you
have empowered others and thus made the
world a better place. That’s the challenge and
the fulfillment of authentic leadership.