In the wake of financial, ethical and societal crises, people have begun the clamor for authentic leadership.
Newspaper columnist Kathleen Noonan hit the nail on the head when she observed that all of us have become tired of the sanitised spin promoted by many of our politicians and their PR advisors. She stated that the electorate craves “realness”—leaders who say what they actually think without worrying about how others may perceive them.
The same holds true for staff at work[1. See Northouse above]. Research confirms that staff across the globe universally value openness and honesty in their leaders[2. See the GLOBE research by House and his colleagues above].
Clearly, authenticity matters. But what does it mean to be an authentic leader? Our review of research and literature reveals 5 common themes:
- Commit to the truth. Authentic leaders want to know what is really going on so they can respond accordingly. They surface and challenge unfounded assumptions. They name and deal with the unsaid truths that everyone knows about but conveniently ignores. More importantly, they have the courage to tell it like it is.
- Know yourself well. Authentic leaders know what they stand for. They are clear about the values that are important to them. They capitalise on their unique strengths and tendencies to offer an original approach to leadership grounded on who they are as a person.
- Show self-discipline. Authentic leaders consciously choose how they will act or react in any situation. They evaluate their options with questions. Does this option take me away from or closer to what I want to achieve and the leader that I want to be?
- Show compassion. Authentic leaders are fueled by the belief that despite it being in an imperfect world, they can lead action to make it better. They care about people and causes beyond their own self-interest. This care is evident because they are open to understanding the world through the eyes of others and they are then moved to make it better.
- Be genuine. Authentic leaders present their true selves to those they lead, in contextually appropriate ways. None of the other techniques will work if leaders are not being true to themselves and genuine in the way they interact with others. Conversely, a leader cannot be genuine without a commitment to truth, an accurate knowledge of oneself, the discipline to regulate one’s own behaviours and some degree of care for people other than oneself.
Being an authentic leader takes much experience and commitment. It is developed over time, often triggered by setbacks and major life events. Yet, authenticity is also something that you can choose to nurture at any time. I encourage you to give it go.
References
Avolio, B & Gardner, W. (2005), Authentic Leadership Development,Leadership Quarterly, 16, 315-338
B. & Steidlmeier, P. (1999), Ethics, Character & Authentic Transformational Leadership, Leadership Quarterly, 10, 181-217
Friedman, S. (2008), Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life, Harvard Business School Press
Gardner, W., Avolio, B. & Walumbwa, F. (2005), Authentic Leadership Theory & Practice, Elsevier Science
George, B. (2003), Authentic Leadership, Jossey-Bass; Bass
George, B. & Sims, P. (2007), True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, Jossey-Bass
Goffee, R. & Jones, G. (2006), Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?Harvard Business School Press
Goffee, R. & Jones, G. (2005), Managing Authenticity, Harvard Business Review December Ed.
House, R. et.al. (2004), Culture, Leadership & Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies, Sage.
Northouse, P. (2010), Leadership: Theory & Practice, 5th ed., Sage.
Terry, R. (1993), Authentic Leadership: Courage In Action, Jossey-Bass
Walumbwa, F., Avolio, B., Gardner, W., Wernsing, T. & Person, S. (2008),Authentic Leadership: Development & Validation of a Theory-Based Measure, Journal of Management, 34, 89-126
