In my article, The Authenticity Paradox, I discussed while authenticity has become shorthand for good leadership growth and development is necessary if we want to be most effective in the workplace and in life. And the person we are today may not be the person our team needs us to be in the future. I introduced the concept of “authentic range,” which is expanding the ways you show up while staying rooted in your values. When you have authentic range you can flex your behavior, tone, and approach without losing your core.
This article brought up an excellent question: Do I need to be a leader to cultivate and practice my authentic range at work?
My answer: No; you don’t need a title to cultivate and practice authentic range. In fact, the best time to build these muscles is before you’re responsible for leading others. I believe the leaders who accelerate fastest are the ones who start expanding their range long before anyone reports to them.
Here’s how to practice authentic range as an individual contributor, emerging leader, or aspiring manager:
1. Practice Cross-Functional Translation
You may not manage a team yet, but you work with people across functions, experience levels, and communication styles. Start noticing when your natural approach doesn’t land.
What this looks like in practice:
- You’re naturally concise in Slack. That works for your senior colleagues who value efficiency. But you notice that your peer, who’s newer to the company, often needs more context to move forward. An authentic range means you send her the three-line version and add the background paragraph.
- You prefer data-driven arguments. That resonates with your finance partners. But your creative team needs the story first, then the spreadsheet. Authentic range means you lead with narrative when the audience requires it — without feeling like you’re performing.
Try this now:
Map the five people you interact with most at work. For each one, write down how they prefer to receive information and what they need from you to do their best work. Then experiment with matching their style in your following three interactions. Notice what shifts.
2. Volunteer for Stretch Assignments That Feel Uncomfortable
If your default mode is behind-the-scenes execution, raise your hand to present at the all-hands. If you thrive in the spotlight, ask to lead a project that requires deep, solo research.
The goal isn’t to become someone else. It’s to prove to yourself that your identity is more flexible than you think.
What this looks like in practice:
- You’re an analyst who loves the precision of working alone. You take on facilitating a cross-departmental workshop. It’s awkward at first. You stumble. But you learn that you can hold space for others without abandoning your analytical strengths. You become someone who can lead a room when needed, even if you are not someone who always needs to.
- You’re a relationship-builder who energizes through collaboration. You commit to writing a solo thought leadership piece for your company blog. It’s uncomfortable. You revise it twelve times. But you discover a voice that didn’t require a meeting to emerge.
Try this now:
Identify the project, presentation, or responsibility that makes you think, “That’s not really my thing.” Then ask your manager if you can own a miniature version of it in the next quarter. Frame it as development, not duty. Track what you learn about yourself in while navigating the discomfort.
3. Seek Feedback on Your Edges, Not Your Strengths
Most early-career professionals ask for feedback on what they do well. Aspiring leaders ask for feedback on what’s holding them back.
What this looks like in practice:
- Instead of asking, “How did I do on that presentation?” ask, “What’s one thing about how I communicate that might limit my leadership impact as I grow?”
- Instead of celebrating your speed, ask your manager, “When does my urgency help the team, and when does it create unintended pressure?”
- Instead of defending your directness, ask a trusted colleague, “How does my communication style land for people who are different from me?”
Try this now:
Schedule a 20-minute coffee with someone whose leadership style you respect but differs from yours. Ask them: “What’s one behavior I should start practicing now if I want to lead well in five years?” Listen without justifying. Thank them. Then act on it.
4. Practice “Momentary Leadership” in Meetings
You don’t need a direct report to practice leadership. You need a meeting.
Every time you’re in a room — virtual or physical — you have micro-opportunities to lead. To ask the question no one else is asking. To summarize, when the conversation spirals. To name the tension everyone feels but no one voices.
These are low-stakes, high-impact chances to try on leadership behaviors that may not feel natural yet.
What this looks like in practice:
- You’re naturally quiet in meetings, preferring to process internally. But you notice a junior colleague tried to contribute twice and got talked over both times. Authentic range means you pause the conversation and say, “I want to hear what Jordan was starting to say.” You don’t become the loudest voice in the room. You become the person who makes space for others.
- You’re naturally collaborative and hate conflict. But you’re in a planning meeting where the team is about to commit to an unrealistic timeline because no one wants to be the dissenter. Authentic range means you say, “I want us to succeed, and I’m worried this schedule sets us up to fail. Can we revisit the milestones?” You don’t become combative. You become courageous.
Try this now:
In your subsequent three meetings, choose one “momentary leadership” move: ask a clarifying question, amplify someone else’s idea, or name an assumption the group is making. Notice how it feels. Notice what changes in the room.
5. Build a “Range Journal.
Leadership growth is invisible unless you track it. Start documenting the moments when you stretched beyond your default self — and what happened as a result.
What this looks like in practice:
- After each stretch moment, write two sentences: “I did [behavior that felt uncomfortable]. Here’s what changed: [outcome or insight].”
- Over six months, you’ll have a private record of your expanding range. You’ll also have proof that your authenticity is evolving.
Try this now:
Open a note in your phone or a document titled “Authentic Range Experiments.” After any moment this week when you tried a new leadership behavior, capture it. In three months, review the list. You’ll be surprised how much you’ve grown.
The Truth About Building Range Early
Here’s what I wish someone had told me at the start of my career: the leaders who rise fastest aren’t the ones with the most confidence in who they are. They’re the ones with the most curiosity about who they could become.
You don’t have to wait for a promotion, a team, or permission to start building an authentic range. You have to be willing to feel awkward, try differently, and believe that your future self will thank you for the discomfort.
Because by the time you do lead a team, these muscles won’t be new. They’ll be practiced. And your authenticity won’t be a limitation. It will be a launchpad.
