Authentic leadership is an approach to leadership that emphasizes building the leader's legitimacy through honest relationships with followers which value their input and are built on an ethical foundation. The authentic leader acts upon his or her values and beliefs, and inspires others to do the same, is committed to know and develop oneself. Are you committed to developing yourself; know your motivations and the purpose of your leadership? Read this article to know more about authentic leadership style and discovering your authentic self.
“A person cannot make hard decisions, hold unpopular positions, or stand tall for what he believes unless he knows who he is and feels comfortable in his own skin. I am talking about self-confidence and conviction. These traits make a leader bold and decisive, which is absolutely critical in times where you must act quickly, often without complete information. Just as important, authenticity makes a leader likable, for lack of a better word. Their realness comes across in the way they communicate and reach people on an emotional level. Their words move them; their message touches something inside. When I was at GE, we would occasionally encounter a very successful executive who just could not be promoted to the next level. In the early days, we would struggle with our reasoning. The person demonstrated the right values and made the numbers, but usually, his people did not connect with him. What was wrong? Finally, we figured out that these people always had certain phoniness about them. They pretended to be something they were not - more in control, more upbeat, more savvy than they really were. They didn’t sweat. They didn’t cry. They squirmed in their own skin, playing the role of their own inventing. A leader in times of crisis can’t have an iota of fakeness in him. He has to know himself - and like himself - so that he can be straight with the world, energize followers, and lead with the authority born of authenticity”. – Jack Welch in Winning
What is clear from the comment of Jack Welch produced above is that no one can be authentic by trying to imitate to be someone else. One can learn from others’ experiences, but can you be successful by just trying to be like them? Your followers will trust you only when you are genuine and authentic, not when they see you as an imitation, replica of someone else. Leadership has many voices and has many styles. Authentic leadership is all about being what you really are and not trying to emulate somebody else.
The authentic leader acts upon his or her values and beliefs and inspires others to do the same. He can stand tall for what he believes, he knows who he is and feels comfortable in his own skin. He can be straight with the world, energize followers, and lead with the authority born of authenticity. Authentic leaders avoid self-deception by fiercely examining their behaviors and decisions, genuinely asking for feedback on how to improve performance. They are committed to know and develop themselves.
1. Authentic leaders genuinely desire to serve others through their leadership
2. Authentic leaders are interested in empowering their followers
3. Authentic leaders are more interested in developing people and leading to make a difference
4. Authentic leaders lead with purpose, meaning, and values
5. Authentic leaders build strong relationships and networks of collaborative relationships
6. Authentic leaders are consistent, reliable, and strong
7. Authentic leaders are dedicated to personal growth and learning
8. Authentic leaders are aware of their strengths, limitations, the perceptions of others toward their leadership, and how they impact others
9. Authentic leaders are transparent, perceived as genuine and sincere
10. Authentic leaders set consistent and high standards for moral and ethical conduct
11. Authentic leaders ask for help, solicit opinions and viewpoints before making an important decision
12. Authentic leaders build credibility and win the respect and trust of followers
13. Authentic leaders act in accordance with deep personal values and convictions
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George and Peter Sims (2007)
Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value by Bill George
Narcissistic leadership is a leadership style in which the leader is only interested in him. Narcissists are good for companies that need people with vision and the courage to take them in new directions. Such leaders sometime might be highly successful, but is it a style to be followed. Learn the various types of narcissistic leadership and the characteristics of such leaders.
Power is the ability to exercise influence or control over others. Leadership involves authority and it is very important for leaders to understand what type of power they're using. The 5 Types of Power in Leadership are Coercive power, expert power, legitimate power, referent power, and reward power. Authority is the right to command and extract obedience from others. It comes from the organization and it allows the leader to use power.
Appreciative leaders encourage contributions from those around them and facilitate the discussion to mutually solve problems. Understand the concept of Appreciative Leadership and learn about tools to create and ask powerful questions - that lead to new discoveries and possibilities. Instead of focusing on what’s wrong in the workplace, learn about, and build upon what works. Learn in this article the art to apply appreciative inquiry to specific situations and challenges at your workplace.
Adaptive leadership is a style of leadership that emphasizes the importance of each and every person and role within the company. Adaptive leadership views the organization as an ever-changing, living organization, where employees can learn, adapt, and grow. Adaptive leaders mobilize people towards a common goal and also have the courage to experiment with new ideas and approaches. Adaptive leadership is the practice of mobilizing groups of people to tackle tough challenges and thrive. Learn how to adopt this style and how to become an adaptive leader!
What are the functions which a leader does to establish as a leader? What are the activities undertaken by them to become great leaders, rather revolutionary leaders? The most important tasks done by a leader in all situations are defining the vision, mission, and goals, leading the team, administrative functions, motivating followers, decision making and conflict resolution, and continuous development.
The ten most important qualities that define a good leader are self-awareness, interpersonal and communication skills, ethical values, organizational consciousness, self-confidence, adaptability and flexibility, imagination and creativity, focus & result-orientation, continuous self-development and accountability and ownership for his actions. These ten qualities of leadership every good leader should possess to a certain extent and must continually strive to develop them.
There are four characteristics of leadership that help us to understand the character of leadership as a concept. 1. Leadership is a process, 2. Leadership involves influence, 3. Leadership always occurs in a group context and 4. Leadership involves goal attainment. These are the four components that make up the character of the 'leadership' term and help us to define the leadership concept. All of these components of leadership have common characteristics.
Frederick Winslow Taylor started the “Scientific Management Movement”, and attempted to study the work process scientifically. Scientific management, also called Taylorism, was a theory of management that analyzed and synthesized workflows. It is a system for increasing the efficiency of manpower to its maximum potential and streamlining production to improve efficiency. This article explores this theory in more detail.
This style is characterized by leaders making decisions for others and expecting followers to follow instructions. The directive leader is adept at giving instructions, setting expectations, and establishing timelines and performance standards. However, it is possible for the same leaders to display both directive and supportive behavior as per the demands of the situation.
Have you ever resonated that there seem to be as many different ways to lead people as there have been great leaders? When we recall the success of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon Bonaparte to Steve Jobs and Jack Welch, we also notice that they all used different approaches that were suitable to their specific situations and circumstances. Over the last century, researchers and psychologists have developed simple ways to describe the “Styles of leadership” and in this section, we will explore these commonly known leadership styles.
© 2023 TechnoFunc, All Rights Reserved