In turbulent times such as these, leaders must remember that they may be asking people to give up a piece of who they are. Since a significant part of personal identity is derived from our work identity (particularly for public health professionals), loss of a job creates a partial loss of identity. So, leaders must be able to balance clear, authentic communication with expressions of true empathy.Authentic leaders relate to individuals first as who they are, not just for what they can accomplish. We agree with John Gardner, who said: "we believe, with Immanuel Kant, that individuals should be treated as ends in themselves, not as a means to the leader's end, not as objects to be manipulated".
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