Over the past decade, Australia has seen a revolving door of leaders, political stalemates, and a growing sense of public disillusionment. We blame the politicians. We blame the system. And while there’s no shortage of criticism, I believe the real issue runs deeper.

What we are facing is not just a political crisis, but a crisis of Being.

Leadership, after all, is not separate from society. It is a reflection of it.

The Fear Behind the Curtain

In my coaching and consulting work, I often speak about the fear of separation—our primal, often unconscious fear of being rejected, excluded, or judged. In politics, this fear plays out visibly. Leaders shy away from courageous decisions because they fear the backlash. They hedge, spin, and avoid vulnerability because they’re terrified of losing their standing, their seat, or their sense of control.

In my article How to Break Through Groupthink, I explored how the fear of separation is not just political—it’s biological. Just the idea of standing alone can trigger a deep survival response. But without the ability to stand alone, to speak truth even when it’s unpopular, authentic leadership simply can’t survive.

Otto Scharmer of MIT has captured this beautifully:

“Leadership in its essence is the capacity to shift the inner place from which we operate.”
(― C. Otto Scharmer, Theory U)

This is precisely the work of Being, not performing leadership, but embodying it.

And as Ashkan Tashvir explains in his foundational work on the Being Framework™:

“It is because of who and how they are BEING, the underlying qualities that drive their behaviours and actions.”
(― Ashkan Tashvir, Being – ashkantashvir.com/being)

We Say We Want Authenticity—Do We Really?

We hear it everywhere: people want leaders who are "real," who "tell it like it is." But when those same leaders make hard calls or admit uncomfortable truths, we often turn on them. We want authenticity, but only when it doesn’t disrupt our comfort or worldview.

In The Delusion of Invulnerability, I’ve written about how the need to appear invulnerable can distort leadership. When leaders feel they must appear perfect, they become disconnected from the people they serve. Vulnerability is not weakness—it’s the root of connection and courage.

Brené Brown puts it succinctly:

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity.”
(― Brené Brown, Daring Greatly)

Tashvir extends this by emphasising the need for deep introspection and transformation:

“The Being Framework™ draws your attention to the extraordinary power of discovering and honing your well-polished qualities and casting light on your Being to reveal the ‘shadow’ or troubled parts of you, explaining how those can be transformed.”
(― Ashkan Tashvir, Being – ashkantashvir.com/being)

In other words, authenticity isn’t just about being honest—it’s about being whole. And that requires inner work.

Leadership Reflects Us—Not Just the Leader

Here's a truth that might sting: we get the leaders we tolerate.

When we reward politicians for playing safe, avoiding risk, or entertaining outrage culture, we become complicit in maintaining a system that discourages integrity. Authentic leadership isn’t just about the person in office—it’s about the culture that surrounds and sustains them.

In Beyond Work-Life Balance, I argue that culture is the invisible hand shaping performance. The same applies to our national political culture. If we want leaders who operate from Being—grounded, principled, and present—we must become a public that can receive that kind of leadership.

Simon Sinek reminds us of the necessity of leading from purpose:

“Great leaders are those who trust their gut. They are those who understand the art before the science. They win hearts before minds. They are the ones who start with WHY.”
(― Simon Sinek, Start With Why)

The Cost of Inauthentic Leadership

When leaders operate from fear rather than principle, the cost isn't just personal—it’s societal.

Take the climate crisis, for example. Australia’s patchy and politically weaponised approach to climate policy has long been shaped by fear—fear of upsetting the fossil fuel lobby, fear of economic downturn narratives, fear of voter retaliation in swing seats. The result? A national strategy that stutters, stalls, and contradicts itself. While the public demands action, many in leadership still hesitate, afraid of alienating one group or another. In the meantime, opportunities for long-term energy security, sustainability, and economic innovation are lost.

Or consider the referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Regardless of one’s stance on the outcome, what was glaringly evident throughout the campaign was the absence of deeply present, principle-driven leadership from either side. Instead of courageous truth-telling and space for dialogue, we saw posturing, fear-mongering, and a retreat into echo chambers. The public was not invited into a reflective, generative national conversation, but rather into a binary, performative political battle.

These are not failures of intelligence. They are failures of courage. And they mirror our own discomfort with sitting in the uncertainty that often accompanies authentic leadership.

Indecision is a decision. And its consequences accumulate—eroding public trust, compounding disadvantage, and pushing the real cost onto future generations.

Leadership without presence creates drift. Leadership without Being creates damage.

The Inner Journey of a Leader

It’s easy to demand authenticity in our leaders, but far harder to recognise the cost of delivering it.

To lead from Being is to walk a harder path. It involves facing one’s own internal contradictions, ego attachments, and outdated narratives. It means standing in discomfort without rushing to resolve it. It asks a leader to go first—to step into the unknown, often without guarantees of support or even understanding.

I’ve seen leaders wrestle with this. I’ve witnessed the moment when someone realises that their public persona no longer matches their internal truth, and the tension that creates. And I’ve seen what happens when they choose to do the inner work anyway. The result is rarely instant popularity. But it is enduring integrity.

This is the unseen labour of leadership that most of the electorate never sees. And yet, if we want leaders to do this work, we must recognise and respect the personal cost it takes to lead from a deeper place. That respect—expressed not just in votes, but in conversation, media, and cultural tone—makes the journey possible.

A Call to Presence—for All of Us

This isn’t about left or right, progressive or conservative. It’s about the courage to step out of reactive, fear-based leadership and into something deeper. A leadership that is not performative, but transformative. One that leads not from ego or image, but from essence.

In The Andreia Method and through my work with the Engenesis Platform, we help individuals uncover and move beyond the default settings that keep them stuck—leaders included. Leadership transformation begins with self-awareness. It demands inner work before outer reform.

And if we, as citizens, expect that of our leaders, we must also expect it of ourselves.

Final Reflection: Are We Ready?

We’re at a crossroads. We can keep cycling through public figures who mirror our collective anxiety and cynicism. Or we can raise the bar for ourselves and for those who serve.

Authentic leadership doesn’t always feel good. It will challenge us, stretch us, and sometimes disappoint us. But it’s the only kind of leadership that can truly move us forward.

As I’ve written before, “No company can transform with a leader who has not undertaken personal transformation.” The same applies to nations.

Ashkan Tashvir echoes this larger truth:

“Multiply this on a collective scale, and the benefits will be apparent on a larger scale.”
(― Ashkan Tashvir, How Your Way of Being Determines the Results in Your Life – engenesis.com)

Transformation begins with each of us. And it begins now.

Referenced Thought Leaders & Sources

• Ashkan Tashvir, Being, ashkantashvir.com/being

• Ashkan Tashvir, How Your Way of Being Determines the Results in Your Life, engenesis.com

• Brené Brown, Daring Greatly, Quote Source

• Otto Scharmer, Theory U, Goodreads

• Simon Sinek, Start With Why, Goodreads