Event Emphasizes Authentic Leadership, Highlighting Its Strength

Event Emphasizes Authentic Leadership, Highlighting Its Strength

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In July 2025, the U.S. Chamber and Russell Reynolds Associates hosted the "Lessons in Leadership: Featuring Women of Washington" event. The panelists, including Brittany Masalosalo, Chief Public Policy Officer of HP, Karen Harbert, President and CEO of American Gas Association, Stacey Bernards, Senior Vice President of Global Government Relations at Honeywell International Inc., and Elizabeth Baker Keffer and Stephanie Tomasso as hosts, shared insights on authentic leadership, personal brand building, networking, and refining one's leadership style.

Masalosalo emphasized the importance of being authentic and giving people permission to be themselves as key attributes of a leader. She found it meaningful when colleagues wanted to be like her, which she took as a call to action to always be authentic and herself. Harbert, with her experience serving on the boards of various organizations, emphasized the importance of embracing authentic advocacy, rewarding people, and providing mentors.

The panelists found smart, strong, resilient, and compassionate to be important attributes in a leader, among other traits. However, they did not discuss any new aspects of personal brand building, attributes or traits considered important in a leader, or new experiences or insights from their careers.

Tomasso emphasized the importance of not losing sight of what one has learned and thinking about one's personal stories, brand, and positioning. She encouraged attendees to proactively think about positioning themselves, lean on their mentors and champions, and strive for the next step. Bernards, on the other hand, emphasized the importance of mastering one's current position rather than focusing on the next job jump.

The speakers did not emphasize any new strategies for refining one's leadership style. However, they underscored the four core components of authentic leadership: self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency. Authentic leaders are self-aware, have high integrity, maintain a deep sense of purpose, and stay true to core values. They also demonstrate traits such as being genuine, results-driven, focused, and empathetic.

The event concluded with a reminder for attendees to balance authenticity and assimilation when joining an organization. When joining a new organization, women should strive to brand themselves to their fullest potential, emphasizing their accomplishments rather than focusing on their families or personal lives. At the same time, they should also balance authenticity and assimilation to fit in with the culture of the organization.

Attendees were reminded not to stay at any job for too long, making sure to take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way. The "Lessons in Leadership: Featuring Women of Washington" event provided valuable insights into the world of leadership, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, self-awareness, and personal branding in today's professional landscape.

[1] Avolio, B. J., Walumbwa, F. O., Weber, B. A., & Dong, L. (2009). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. Journal of Management, 35(1), 89-123.

[3] Gardner, W. L., Avolio, B. J., Luthans, F., May, D. R., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2011). Authentic leadership: A new theory and its measurement. Journal of Management, 37(3), 603-622.

1. The Chamber of Commerce and Russell Reynolds Associates delved into the concept of leadership in July 2025, with a focus on women in Washington, highlighting topics like authentic leadership and personal brand building.
2. Brittany Masalosalo stressed that being authentic and allowing others to be themselves is crucial in any leadership role. She acknowledged the significance of colleagues aspiring to emulate her behavior.
3. Karen Harbert, having served on various boards, underscored the importance of authentic advocacy, rewarding people, and providing mentors.
4. Leadership traits discussed included being smart, strong, resilient, and compassionate, among others, although no new aspects of personal brand building were presented.
5. Stephanie Tomasso encouraged attendees to think proactively about positioning themselves, drawing upon their mentors and champions, and aiming for new career opportunities.
6. Stacey Bernards, on the contrary, emphasized the importance of mastering one's current role instead of constantly seeking the next job opportunity.
7. The panelists agreed that authentic leadership involves self-awareness, a moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency, among other traits like genuineness, results-orientation, focus, and empathy.
8. Attendees were advised to find a balance between authenticity and assimilation when joining a new organization, showcasing their abilities while adapting to the organization's culture.

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