As Northouse stated, “authentic leadership is about the authenticity of leaders and their leadership.” That seems relatively simple, but the process is complex and multiple ways to define the theory exist. One view is the intrapersonal perspective. This focuses on the leader and his/her self-knowledge, self-regulation, and self-concept. A second way of defining the theory is interpersonal process. This views authentic leadership as relational between leaders and followers. A third and final perspective is developmental. This views authentic leadership as a characteristic that is learned over time and it can be triggered by one of life’s major challenges (Northouse, 2016, p. 196).
Bill George’s authentic leadership approach focuses on characteristics that include: purpose, values, relationships, self-discipline, and heart. In addition, the related characteristics include: passion, behavior, connectedness, consistency, and compassion (Northouse, 2016, p. 198). These are leadership characteristics that will continue to grow over time; however, can they be acquired by anyone? As mentioned earlier, the developmental perspective states that these characteristics can be the outcome of major life events, but everyone does not experience life in the same way. Some will be challenged by life while others challenge themselves. Outcomes will be different, but the opportunity exists.
Many of us work to uphold our financial obligations, support our families and afford some of life’s pleasures. Authentic leaders have a strong sense of purpose. They are extremely passionate, and they truly care about their work (Northouse, 2016, p. 198). In addition to having a strong sense of purpose, they also understand their values and behave towards others based on these values. As Bill George’s approach stated, “they know their true North” (Northouse, 2016, p. 198). How much passion exists in our personal or professional lives, and how many of us know our true north? This is what separates authentic leaders from others.
The third characteristic of authentic leadership is strong relationships. Authentic leaders are willing to open themselves, share their story with others, and listen to others’ stories (Northouse, 2016, p. 199). This will come easy to some and it can be difficult for others. It is easy to get overwhelmed with our daily objectives. Establishing new relationships and nurturing existing relationships can be overlooked; however, this is not overlooked by an authentic leader. They also understand the value in being transparent and building trust. This is essential, and it will foster followers that are loyal and fully committed (Northouse, 2016, p. 199).
Self-discipline is the fourth characteristic. This supports authentic leaders as they strive towards their goals. In addition, self-discipline gives authentic leaders energy to achieve their goals while staying loyal to their values (Northouse, 2016, p. 199). It is not uncommon to be challenged by self-discipline. Simple tasks such as changing our diet, exercising, or keeping a new year’s resolution can be a daunting task. This is not the case for authentic leaders. They have predictable behavior and that makes it easy for other people to communicate with them. It provides a sense of security (Northouse, 2016, p. 200).
The final characteristic identifies compassion and heart. This refers to being sensitive to the needs of others and being willing to help (Northouse, 2016, p. 200). Compassion is not a characteristic that all of us possess but it can be acquired over time. This can happen during relationship building when we learn others’ life stories. An opportunity also exists by being involved with other ethnic groups, working on community initiatives, or traveling to developing countries (Northouse, 2016, p. 200).
Collectively, these characteristics should be focused on if an individual wants to be an authentic leader. On the surface, it may seem relatively easy. Realistically, it is a lifelong process that is formed by each leader’s story (Northouse, 2016, p. 200). All of us have the opportunity, but we may not have the purpose, values, relationships, self-discipline, and heart that are required.
Referenced
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Nathaniel Clinger says
Guy,
Your post on authentic leadership really articulates well, Bill George’s characteristics of an authentic leader. There is no doubt that as mentioned in Northouse (2016), characteristics such as purpose, values, relationships, self-discipline, and heart equate to a solid leader. I find it important to note as well that when one embodies these characteristics it also inspires trust, which results in followers who are loyal and committed to their leaders (Northouse, 2016, p. 199). I truly believe and can attest in my own experiences that trust does result in greater loyalty and is extremely important to have between leaders and followers. With that said, I also think that it important to consider the theoretical approach to authentic leadership as described by Walumbwa and associates 2008 (as cited in Northouse, 2016), in which the components and their influencing factors produce a valid measure of this authentic leadership construct. Their research produced four primary components to include: self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency. These components are then further influenced by the intersection of positive psychological capacities, moral reasoning, and critical life events (Northouse, 2016).
Of the four components of authentic leadership, self-awareness is the first mentioned by Northouse (2016), in which the path to authentic leadership is begun with self-reflection. Understanding who we are, our core values, identity, what we believe in, our motives and our goals are all critically important to being authentic. If we don’t know who we are or where we are going then how ever will we be able to lead others from a position of authority. Furthermore, in order for authentic leaders to be respected and or trusted they must have an internalized moral perspective that equates to integrity, essentially “walking the talk” (Northouse, 2016, p. 203). Additionally, authentic leaders understand that they must be balanced in their decision-making. Being able to objectively analyze situations and consider other’s opinions and objections when making decisions, which shows followers that they are authentic (Northouse, 2016). Relational transparency, the fourth construct listed by Walumbwa and associates 2008 (as cited in Northouse, 2016), consists of being transparent when presenting oneself or interacting with others. This produces connectedness because people are often reciprocal in that if you are open and show your true self, it promotes a similar response and causes a sense of being “real” which inspires connectivity and trust, which results in loyalty (Northouse, 2016, p. 203).
In addition to the four components of authentic leadership, as previously mentioned, there are three factors that influence authentic leadership, which include positive psychological attributes, moral reasoning, and critical life events. Within positive psychological attributes, Northouse (2016), points out four key components; confidence, hope, optimism, and resilience (p.203). With this in mind, it makes sense how these key components of positive psychology would be important for a leader to possess. With regard to confidence, it is absolutely necessary that a leader has a solid belief in the abilities of their team to successfully complete the task at hand, welcoming challenge rather than running from it. Hope is also understandably important. How often are organizations in positions where the future is uncertain, times are tough and the unknown can be troubling, I offer quite often. It is at that very moment that a leader’s hope is so important. Without it, a leader cannot inspire and their team will face even greater adversity to accomplish their tasks. Optimism, as described in Northouse (2016), is “the cognitive process of viewing situations from a positive light and having favorable expectations about the future” (p. 204). We all know that attitude is contagious. If our leaders have poor attitudes, chances are so will all of those below them, conversely even in times of great challenge, if supervisors remain positive and “optimistic” so too will their team. I can’t tell you the number of times a leader’s optimism inspired change within the organization I work for. I can also attest to how quickly a lack of optimism can spread and it burns hotter than any wildfire without question. Last mentioned is resilience. Resilience, “the capacity to recover from and adjust to adverse situations as stated in Northouse (2016), most certainly goes hand-in-hand with optimism. Being able to bounce back from setbacks may very well be one of the top characteristics of successful people, just look at Thomas Edison and how many times (over 1,000) he had to conduct experiments before successfully creating the light bulb!
Critical events are the last listed influencing factor and according to Northouse (2016), “they shape people’s lives…act as a catalyst for change” and also “stimulate growth in individuals helping them become stronger leaders” (p.205). How true this is, how often is it that in our lowest moments, our most challenging times, we somehow find a way to dig deep within ourselves to create a new way, an opportunity for success? Not always is this the case, however the relationship certainly exists and there are several examples even in my own life to substantiate this. It is amazing when you see people who have lost an arm or a leg in an accident and yet they still manage to find joy in life, doing what they used to do. A clear example is the prosthetic industry, founded on giving people a new hope in times of utter despair.
In conclusion, it is understandable how authentic leadership can be considered quite complicated. There are several moving parts to it from practical approaches that include defining characteristics to theoretical approaches, which include various components and influential factors to how it is all viewed, to include intrapersonal, interpersonal, and developmental perspectives. Even so, it is also quite simple…people respond to what’s “real”. As stated in Northouse (2016), people want to be able to identify with their leaders and they want to know that they can trust them; without being authentic, leaders cannot truly achieve that.
Resource:
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd.