Authentic Leadership Revisited: What Drives Real Impact — Inside the WEF Panel with Mershad Javan and Michael Riedl

Our CEO and GoDigital Head of Europe Mershad Javan recently joined a World Economic Forum webinar, "Authentic Leadership Revisited – What Drives Real Impact," alongside Michael Riedl, CEO of Team Internet, moderated by Rashimah Rajah.

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The backdrop: a WEF study of 800+ leaders across 98 countries found one common thread among future-ready companies - authentic leadership. But as the panel showed, that means far more than "just be yourself."

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Authenticity under pressure

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"It's not about the inspirational poster in the office hallway," Mershad said. "It's about being the same person when things get really hard - when there's pressure, uncertainty, money involved. Does your integrity still hold, or does it become negotiable?"

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His example: the sale of Octiive. With multiple offers on the table, some with stronger economics, the deciding factor was leadership, not valuation. "The GoDigital team were exactly who they presented themselves to be. No surprises, no corporate theatre."

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Riedl put it in one line: "Authenticity is not the absence of a filter - it's the presence of a spine." For him it rests on three principles his whole team can recite: evidence-based decisions, unequivocal accountability, and deliberate urgency.

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Culture beats strategy

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"Most companies that fail don't fail because of strategy," Mershad argued. "Strategy can be changed. What's much harder to fix is a broken culture, or leadership nobody trusts." Riedl added the execution angle: many companies fail simply because they move too slowly.

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And on the idea that authenticity is overrated? "Performative authenticity is overrated," Mershad said. "If your values only exist when things are going well, they're not really values. Authenticity costs something. If it doesn't, it's just branding."

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The takeaways

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Riedl's three: declare your principles in writing, honor them when it's expensive, and invite challenge through evidence.

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Mershad's were simpler: listen more than you talk, admit what you don't know - and one more. "Don't hire a**holes. If one slips through the cracks, act quickly. Talent is valuable, but not at the expense of culture. One toxic person does more damage than several great people can create."

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