Practical Benefits of Authentic Leadership: Why Self-Aware Leaders Build Resilient Companies

Devika Das, a founder of The Soul Soup Limited, and a Leadership coach with over two decades of experience, reveals her novel approach to building companies that are able to survive in turbulent times.

According to the Global Leadership Forecast 2025, recently published by DDI, the leadership across many countries and industry sectors faces several major issues. For instance, the study found that 40% of stressed-out leaders have considered leaving leadership roles to improve their wellbeing. In combination with the growing credibility crisis, when less than 30% of employees trust their immediate manager, it creates situations when those in leading positions struggle to adapt to a rapidly changing market or create an environment for employees to fulfill their potential. Devika Das, a mentor for global women leaders, an alum and a learning coach at INSEAD business school, and a member of Forbes Coaches Council, offers a solution: authentic leadership, the approach that helps readers to rely on insight, empathy, and self-awareness, improve their communication, thus creating a better environment for everyone.

“The significance of authentic leadership becomes especially high in turbulent periods,” explains Devika Das. “For many times I have seen that the most effective leaders are not those who are able to react harshly and quickly, but those who center their strategy around their inner value and respond thoughtfully even when everything around them is chaotic.”

The framework of authentic leadership, developed by Devika Das, draws from ancient teachings like Ashtavakra Gita and Yoga sutras, and uses them to help leaders discover their authentic power. It establishes the foundation of three core elements: self-awareness (the ability to understand own motivations and impulses), reading others (the ability to interpret human dynamics and interactions) and adapting with power, impact and influence (the ability to translate insights into practical choices and decisions, creating positive impact for employees and for the company as a whole). Further exploring the crucial significance of self-awareness for executives and team leaders, Devika Das published a book of through provoking questions executives can ask themselves to do the tough inner work of self-awareness. The book teaches leaders compassion, honesty and wisdom necessary to grow as a person and translate this growth into better company culture.

Leadership strategies rooted in this approach become an efficient tool to resolve multilateral and complicated conflicts. For instance, Devika Das mentions a case of a senior leader in a large public sector organization struggling to find common ground with other stakeholders, both inside and outside the company. Following the approach developed by Devika Das, the client focused on improving her executive presence through working on her communication style, emotional intelligence, and behavior in specific situations. Eventually, through awareness of her triggers and conditioning that shaped her self awareness, these changes translated into practical results, as she was able to create a sustainable influence plan, achieving better communication with the stakeholders, making them recognize her leadership.

“One of the core ideas of my method is responding instead of reacting. Efficient leaders do not react to external circumstances: instead, they respond mindfully, acting from their inner clarity,” comments Devika Das. “This approach to decision-making brings tangible benefits, making leaders able to find the right moves under pressure, reducing internal conflicts leading to burnout and improving performance through the creation of trust-based environments.”

Devika Das’s approach really shines when it comes to large companies with diverse teams. In those kinds of environments, it’s not just helpful—it’s essential—for leaders to understand different viewpoints, really listen to their people, and find common ground. Her framework gives leaders the tools to better grasp team dynamics and spot unresolved issues early—especially those stemming from cultural misunderstandings or hidden biases—before they have a chance to disrupt the team.

What makes her method so effective is that it’s grounded not just in business theory or organizational psychology, but in real-world experience. She’s spent over 20 years working with teams and leaders across a wide range of cultures, from Sri Lanka to Egypt, Indonesia, and China, so she truly understands what it takes to lead across cultural lines.

Authentic leadership is not just a personal development trend: it is a strategic advantage that answers the demand for more thoughtful, flexible, and mindful leadership, able to create productive environments for diverse teams, support innovation, and expand their influence without relying on their authority only. Fostering a healthier organizational culture makes companies more resilient, as the structures built of trust instead of authority can remain flexible without losing their goal and adapt quickly, whereas other, more rigid companies will struggle.