Authoritative leadership is out. To lead with integrity and purpose is in.

The proof is in the feelings of the employees: those in high-trust workplaces they are 76% more engaged and 29% more satisfied with their lives.

As CEO and founder of Creative nogginan advertising and marketing agency whose mission is to empower smart, passionate women to enjoy their work and their lives, I've seen the evidence firsthand. Leading with integrity and purpose has resulted in a culture of trust where team members stay on average over eight years.

I have also experienced the opposite side.

Before founding Creative Noggin, I worked for several organizations, some of which didn't have a clear purpose. Despite checking all the boxes when it came to benefits, birthday cakes, and happy hours, employees didn't feel part of a larger management purpose beyond hitting revenue goals. Burnout was common, morale suffered and turnover was high.

These experiences taught me that leadership is not simply about benefits or politics. It's about always doing the right thing and giving team members a real reason to come to work every day beyond checking boxes or selling widgets.

When a customer pays twice for a bill, there's never a question of what will happen to the extra money. This clear sense of integrity goes a long way in fostering genuine trust with our team and clients.

As a company with an all-female leadership team, I find that women are uniquely capable of creating this trust. When you consider common female characteristics like loyalty, optimism and compassion, it's no wonder.

If you are interested in learning how to introduce a sense of believe in your workplacethere are three essential practices you will find in leaders that exemplify integrity and purpose.

Related: 4 Reasons why values ​​matter so much in business

1. Lead by example

As a worker, I've often heard, “You have to mirror your boss if you want to be successful.” As a leader, I take this to heart.

My goal is for my employees to show up every day as their whole selves and work – and play – hard. To achieve this, they must be present in their personal lives and be close to their families. As a leader, it is my job to model a balanced life. I often tell my team that we should all “work to live, not live to work”. While I never hesitate to work hard, elbow-to-elbow alongside my team, to get projects done, I don't hesitate to leave in the middle of the day to pick up my kids from school.

Mary Barra, the first female CEO of General Motors, is another leader who makes a point of leading by example. Her inclusive leadership style involves building teams and working together to solve challenges. With her intentional leadership at the helm, General Motors has consistently scored well on gender equality reports and was one of only two global businesses no gender pay gap in 2018.

Related: How to find your purpose and power in your lowest moments

2. Empower others with a purpose-driven culture

When employees understand the purpose of their work, they are much more likely to engage and perform at their best. At Creative Noggin, our mission driven goal Women's empowerment takes shape in many ways. To name a few:

• We donate at least 5% of our profits to community-based organizations that support women, such as Empowerment of Women AND St. John's Program for Real Change.
• We partner with purpose-driven organizations. Over 70% of our work has been for mission-driven organizations.
• Each of us takes ownership of our work and roles and improves business operations as a whole. I give my team autonomy over their responsibilities and how a company is run on the EOS platform (enterprise operating system).my team regularly identifies and resolves issues within the company, such as improving our services, systems and business processes. No one on the team has a “that's not my job” mentality; instead, they all work together to elevate the business.

All of these practices have contributed to rallying my troops around a central guiding vision for the organization and provided a strong foundation for our purpose-driven culture.

One leader I admire who also prioritizes purpose-driven cultures is Sarah Friar, former CEO of Nextdoor. She lined it up personal commitment to foster a better world through the transformative power of community with the company's mission: to be a globally impactful platform that helps neighbors connect and strengthen their communities.

Related: This simple habit will make you a great leader

3. Prioritize transparency

It literally pays to be transparent with your team. Disengaged workers cost the U.S. economy up to $600 billion a year in lost productivity and 80% of workers they want to know more about how organizational decisions are made.

I try to be open with my team about where we are and where we are going. This goes beyond professional matters. For example, during my divorce in 2018, I chose to share my situation with my team, despite initially keeping it private. When I realized I wasn't showing up as my full self at work or performing at my best, I held a meeting to explain what was going on. They were extremely compassionate and supportive, which helped me through a difficult time in my life.

Being transparent with my team built a foundation of trust. Many have opened up to me about their personal situations over the years since that meeting. I feel grateful that they have felt safe to do so, and as a leader, I have been given knowledge that I would not otherwise have, so that I can better support them personally and professionally.

Leadership with integrity and purpose remains integral to our success. As women continue to expand their presence in the workforce, the need to shift from authoritarian to more compassionate forms of leadership will only increase. Those of us who embrace it and rely on it will thrive. Those who don't can be left behind.

Ultimately, leadership is not about power. It's about purpose.