John Donahoe, president of eBay Marketplaces and former worldwide managing director of Bain, was written about in the Harvard Business Review article, "Discovering Your Authentic Leadership", February 2007 by George, Sims, McLean & Mayer. He stressed that being authentic means maintaining a sense of self no matter where you are. Donahoe stated, "The world can shape you if you let it. To have a sense of yourself as you live, you must make conscious choices. Sometimes the choices are really hard..."

George, et.al. in their February 2007 HBR article write that authentic leaders have a steady and confident presence. They do not show up as one person one day and another person the next. Integration takes discipline, particularly during stressful times when it is easy to become reactive and slip back into bad habits. John Donahoe feels strongly that integrating his life has enabled him to become a more effective leader. "There is no nirvana," he said. "The struggle is constant, as the trade-offs don't get any easier as you get older." But for authentic leaders, personal and professional lives are not a zero-sum game. As Donahoe said, "I have no doubt today that my children have made me a far more effective leader in the workplace. Having a strong personal life has made the difference."

Authenticity is both external and internal in its expression. Being self-aware and true to oneself is the internal. Developing self-awareness is a process and a continuous effort to reflect, gain meaning and understand how to integrate one's past personal history into actions and behaviors that are expressed today. Self-awareness is a key EQ (emotional intelligence) attribute and an important soft skill to be mastered in becoming an effective leader.