The concept of authentic leadership is relatively new in the study of leadership and “is still in the formative phase of development” (Northouse, 2016, p. 195). Although scholars have made significant progress, there is still much to be learned about what constitutes truly authentic leadership. Because of its developing status, authentic leadership currently has two prominent approaches which are a practical approach, and a theoretical approach. We will focus on the practical approach to authentic leadership which argues that an authentic leader exhibits an understanding of their purpose, strong values, self-discipline, compassion for others, and the ability to develop strong relationships (Northouse, 2016, p. 200). Authentic leadership is a leader that people trust and will follow. To start this, I would like to propose Spartacus as the ideal Authentic leader. Who is Spartacus? Well, no one really knows his name, but he was a Thracian man who was sentenced by the Romans to become a gladiator as punishment for a crime. Spartacus became extremely lethal in the arena, and after becoming trained, he led 70 gladiators on an escape attempt of their gladiator school. After escaping, this band of convince gladiators was seen only as a nuisance and the Roman military did not think much of them. They sent a small force to defeat them and were surprised to see that Spartacus had recruited other freed slaves to fight with him. Still not taking this uprising seriously, Rome sent another force… and another… Spartacus’s escape launched the third servile war in Rome, and before the end of the war, Spartacus had recruited and trained over 70,000 freed slaves and defeated many legions of Roman soldiers. Before the final battles, Spartacus’s armies threatened to enter Rome itself and posed a serious threat to the nation. This is an ultra watered-down version of the fascinating story look here for more, and read this for even more. So, how is this story relevant? Because Spartacus most likely represented a truly authentic leader. He was able to mobilize thousands of slaves to trust and follow him on a campaign against impossible odds. Even through the end of the battle, his people stayed by him. If this is not authentic leadership, then I am not sure what is. So what made him authentic? Scholars disagree as to his actual character but Spartacus was known to be very intelligent, caring towards his followers, have a clear vision that other slaves could relate to, and he must have been able to develop relationships well with his followers. Even if this is not an exact representation of who he really was, his people trusted him and followed him, and that is what is important.
Like the slaves who encountered Spartacus on the warpath to Rome, it is easy to see authentic leadership when it is present. In my own experience, some leaders are very easy to follow and trust where others seem less genuine, and you feel more hesitation to follow. In a personal example of my workplace, we have three shifts, and each shift has its own captain who is in charge of the shift. One of the shift captains has a difficult time communicating and has difficulty building relationships. Furthermore, he is extremely by the book, and most of his decisions are made without much thought as to the human effect. Although the guys on his crew are committed to him, many other people do not choose to participate in events or projects that he is in charge of. Many feel that because he is socially withdrawn, they can’t trust him or don’t feel as though he likes them. For another example, a different shift Captain is extremely charismatic, works with people individually, makes human oriented decisions, and leads the exercise and wellness program for our organization. His leadership draws people into him and builds cohesion. He is a Spartacus in our workplace.
The two individuals I have described have the same position within the organization, yet one is perceived as being authentic were the other is not. In the case of the first shift Captain, he fails to meet the relationship and heart characteristics defined by the practical approach to authentic leadership. The lack of these characteristics undermines his perception of authenticity and cause people to remain at a distance to his leadership. In the second individual, his ability to lead with compassion, develop relationships, and behave in a self-discipline manner causes those around him to trust him and follow his leadership.
Take a moment to think about a few leaders in your own life, which ones do you see as Spartacus, and which ones seem unauthentic? What qualities or characteristics do you see in each individual that leads you to these perceptions? Now, think about how you act as a leader. Do you exhibit a purpose, core values, compassion, self-discipline, and the ability to develop relationships as you attempt to lead others? The practical approach to authentic leadership maintains that each of these characteristics must be present in an authentic leader (Northouse, 2016, p. 199). Take a look at Spartacus and other major leaders from history and your own life and see how closely they fit to this model of leadership, I think you will be surprised with the results.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice e7. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Mus'ab Abdalla says
Hi Kyle,
I enjoyed your post about Spartacus and some of his history. Your correlation between his leadership behavior and the authentic approach theory was interesting, especially your description of the way he was able rally the rest of the slaves and maintain their trust as convincing argument for his example of authentic leadership.
I thought your post was a good supplement to our readings and lesson on authentic leadership, and appreciated your personal insight and experience with the importance of having genuine leaders who we feel we can place our trust in. This model of leadership is especially important with leadership that represents us: the element of trust is essential in order for us to feel we can rely on the leader’s decisions and carrying out of responsibilities, as well as model the behavior and therefore defend the characteristics and traits we value.