Leadership Without the Act: Why Authenticity Is a Business Strategy

If your leaders are performing leadership instead of living it, your culture, and your bottom line, can feel it.

In the latest episode of Leaders Who Last, Latitude founder Elena Joy Thurston sat down with HR lawyer and interim CEO Terry Flores to unpack the real cost of leadership performance and the transformative power of leading from authenticity. This conversation is a must-listen for executive teams navigating transition, culture repair, or burnout prevention.

Here are three key takeaways from the episode—and how they tie directly to the work we do at Latitude.

The Burnout We Don’t Talk About: Performing Leadership

Terry and Elena explored how many leaders are promoted for technical skill but never trained to lead people—let alone lead authentically. So, they perform. They imitate what they think a leader should sound like, look like, and feel like.

But here’s the truth:

Pretending is exhausting. Authenticity is sustainable.

At Latitude, we teach leaders how to notice when they’re performing and how to shift into presence. Because leadership shouldn’t feel like acting. It should feel like you: aligned, grounded, and aware.

Culture Can’t Heal Without Psychological Safety

One of the most powerful moments of the conversation came when Terry said:

“If your staff don’t feel safe in your hands, your skills don’t matter.”

This is exactly why Latitude integrates psychological safety into every sustainable leadership program we offer. It’s the common thread between our DEI roots and our current leadership work. Whether you're preventing burnout or building inclusion, psychological safety is the foundation.

If your culture feels fractured, offering perks won’t fix it. It’s about safety.

Interim CEO, Permanent Impact

Terry’s stories as an interim CEO highlight how quickly authentic leadership rebuilds trust. Her “knit the culture back together” approach isn’t about polish. In her words:

“I’d rather be clumsy and authentic than too polished and ineffective.”

We agree. That’s why our Leadership Capacity programs start by identifying where your leaders are operating from outdated habits or emotional depletion, and help them build new capacity through strategic vulnerability and real-world tools.

Ready to Build a Culture That Lasts?

If you want your leaders to stop white-knuckling their way through burnout and start creating safe, high-performing teams, they don’t need more hacks. They need more alignment.

At Latitude, we help leaders drop the act, regulate their capacity, and lead in ways that actually work for their teams and themselves.

👉 Let’s talk about how we can help your team lead with less burnout and more impact. Schedule a quick chat here.

Bonus Burnout Prevention Tip: Chase Joy, Not Just Deadlines

Every episode of Leaders Who Last ends with this question: How are you accessing joy right now? Because at Latitude, we believe joy is a burnout prevention strategy, not just an outcome.

Elena shared her plans for fly fishing this summer—her way of recharging after years of full-contact parenting. Terry? She’s back in hot yoga after 15 years, embracing her “hedgehog in a ballet class” moment with full-hearted joy.

That’s the kind of leadership we believe in: real, weird, human. And built to last.

Don’t Miss the Next Episode

Next up: Vera Minot, co-owner of Southwest Solutions, joins us to talk about how the right vendors can help leaders increase capacity and improve culture, all while making you look like a rock star to both execs and employees. You won’t want to miss it.

→ Follow us on LinkedIn to catch the episode live.