But what is enough transparency? Later in this section, well also explain some of the different ways authenticity can be measured. You cannot ignore your emotions forever. In addition, research detailed in the Harvard Business Review shows that a majority of employees believe authenticity in the workplace leads to benefits such as: For professionals aiming to advance their careers and make a lasting impact on their firms, investing the time and effort into becoming an authentic leader can be immensely valuable. Journaling is a great way to learn more about yourself. In emergency situations, it is hard to take quick decisions if only the democratic leadership . In order for you to become an authentic leader, you need to first achieve clarity about your inner self and then start showcasing the actual self through your actions. Your genuine leadership style is not set in stone. Such leaders often reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, which boosts their self-awareness. According to Avolio and Luthans, authentic leadership can manifest as directive, participative or even transformational leadership. Realize that placing strategy first will make you less authentic. They are open to hearing other individuals views and suggestions. Authentic leadership is a contemporary leadership theory, which emerges in response to the global economic and political turmoil at the turn of the century, and is viewed as the . They put tremendous effort into relationship building. The applications vary slightly from program to program, but all ask for some personal background information. In his Forbes article, Kruse said authentic leaders are able to put the mission and the goals of the organization ahead of their own self-interest. In this article, we will provide you with an honest evaluation of the benefits and drawbacks of the authentic leadership style as well as what you can do to implement it. This lead to higher satisfaction and more commitment from students. Having strong leadership skills means being able to admit when you are wrong. You are probably used to the status quo, the traditional leading method. Now let's consider the main advantages and disadvantages of transformational leadership. These are: The important point to remember about authenticity and authentic leadership is how its not a free pass to behave however you want or even make the leadership about you. Different to the above measures, the AI:3 tends to also emphasize the link between well-being and authenticity. Appreciating authentically can, according to Cashman, be part of authentic expression. As mentioned earlier, authentic leadership is closely related to ethics and especially the concern of fairness. With a stronger sense of your motivations and limitations, you can identify your personal leadership style and chart a professional development plan that capitalizes on your strengths and rectifies your weaknesses. The leader has good listening skills and a high level of empathy. As a leader, you cant always say the first things that come to your mind. In an authentic leadership environment, mistakes are not hidden or shrugged away. Denial and narcissistic qualities are not just odd phenomena; they occur in most of us. Be honest, but constructive. Self-proclamations of authenticity tend to take place in the world of politics, entertainment and business. You must also recognize that personal development, just like authentic leadership, is an on-going journey. According to Avolio and Luthans, The more certain you are about your values and beliefs, the more clear you will become about how transparent to act with others. That requires discipline. The focus is on empowering the employees and guiding them through the tasks in an empathetic and honest manner. Overall, the leadership style can take years to develop. Make it a point to check in with yourself as you complete daily taskssuch as delivering feedback and communicating with colleaguesto ensure youre bringing self-awareness to your role. According to Northouse. The relational engagement is closely related to the second positive of authentic leadership: its ability to build positive and rewarding relationships. Write down what your current weaknesses are and how you can work on them. When interviewing candidates, make sure their values are aligned with yours. The leaders values might not always align with what is right for the organization or its shareholders. The researchers developed seven individual hypotheses to tease out the potential individual and cumulative relationships between these factors, for example whether inclusion is correlated with authentic leadership, and whether inclusion is directly related to OCB, or . In fact, it is often these most authentic parts of. Self-awareness in authentic leadership can be manifested in a number of ways such as: Authentic leadership is not about creating a faade, but it asks for the leader, as well as the follower, to be genuine. If employees can associate your struggle with theirs, they also start viewing you as more relatable. George developed an idea of leadership as a journey, with three distinct phases: You can see what the journey looks like in the below chart: Authentic leadership is in its infancy, which means the concept still lacks certain universal answers or theories to specific questions. To understand authentic leadership, you must naturally define authenticity. You therefore must be able to see the end-goal and outline this vision for your subordinates. It will also help you feel more comfortable with feedback and criticism. It was my plan to help return this company to greatness and not to stay a day beyond that, he stated. Online resources to advance your career and business. That should be the question that you should ask from feedback. In his blog post, Peter Stark, President of Peter Barron Stark Companies, writes about examples where the team has failed to meet its targets and when authentic leadership might not provide the right answers. Being uncompromising about your values is a core trait of authentic leaders. The authentic leader understands that flexibility can get things done faster, because different tasks and different people require different things. Result-orientation requires a great deal of knowledge. Undoubtedly, the leadership theorys biggest disadvantage is its infancy. As he writes in the book, authentic leaders dont seek self-gain, but want the organization to succeed and prosper, along with the subordinates. This doesnt mean anything negative per se, but just reinforces the leaders need to understand two things. Being authentic at work solves these issues. Theyre not trying to be perfect or to somehow spring from the rib of Zeus into an iconic individual; but rather, they say, Day by day and week by week, Im going to work on myself. This commitmentmade with oneselfis the most important starting characteristic.. One of the first benefits of authentic leadership is the enhanced relational engagement it brings about. He has shown strong moral compass in how he treats his position in the company and his personal wealth. Instead of throwing it out or ripping it to pieces, she wrote a note to his lover and sent her the portrait, explaining that she knew he must have meant a lot for her. Competing perspectives can yield better results than focusing on cohesion of opinions. Self-awareness sounds easier than it is. What are the qualities you should aim to strengthen if you want to be more authentic? Access your courses and engage with your peers. This is also true with authentic leadership. According to Cashman, the second principle relies on the principle of psychological reciprocity: if you want to influence others, you must open yourself up to their influence. Therefore, a leader might find him- or herself in a situation where they have to either sacrifice their inner value of providing employee bonuses or provide these bonuses in order to grow the companys sale potential. Being transparent may cause feelings of vulnerability at times but should not make you so vulnerable as to invoke anxiety or invite exploitation from others.. However, it depends on the specific goals you have as well as your personality as a leader. Being an authentic leader requires more than just building self-awarenessyou need to put it into practice, too. Resume, Interview, Job Search, Salary Negotiations, and more. He wanted to restore peoples faith in corporations and show young leaders another way to lead. Authentic persons were true themselves and their surroundings. An organization could start highlighting its authenticity by acting in a responsible manner, reacting to uncertainty and being creative. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice. If you do this, your advice will be far more accurate and greatly appreciated. Whether communicating organizational change or assessing the potential challenges of scaling a venture, be transparent with your employees and tap into their motivational drivers. A transformational leader must be a role model for his followers. In the 1960s, authentic leadership entered the discussion and its inclusion was mostly driven by the need to reflect on certain negative elements the rising corporate culture had brought about. List of the Advantages of Transformational Leadership 1. The theory values opinions and the theory has a strong ethical foundation, just as the concept of authenticity has had throughout history. The book restated the idea that leadership is not something you are born with, but that authentic leadership, especially, requires constant development and growth. In True North, George points out an important distinction between being genuine and being perfect. A good example of this is Howard Schultz and Starbucks. As Georges three-step pathway to authentic leadership shows, you will need to gain experience and self-develop your style and understanding of your values long before you can start considering yourself as a leader or an authentic leader. Which values are different between the two of you, and how can you reach a consensus? But what characterizes authentic leadership, and why is it a worthy pursuit? Ensuring that the employer/employee relationship is strong and trustworthy boosts an authentic leaders confidence. If the leader is passionate about sustainability, then it will always provide a backdrop to everything the organization does. If you feel uncomfortable when getting feedback, write this down. Within a year, Whitacre had turned around the automobile company, with much of it down to his authentic style. Consider if any other values are at play when you make decisions. During an interview on the Mike Douglas Show, King explained his views on the Vietnam War. A truly authentic leader typically demonstrates increased social awareness, empathy, organizational awareness, political astuteness and being strategically attentive and responsive to the. There is no perfect leadership approach. In this section, well examine four examples of authentic leaders and how they have shaped their respective organizations as well. This theory further suggests that there is exchange between leader and each follower, and therefore influences the followers decision-making and performance overall. Just odd phenomena ; they occur in most of us results than focusing on of... 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