The focal point of authentic leadership is whether the leader is “genuine and real” (Northouse, 2016, p. 195). Authentic leadership can be defined in three different ways: intrapersonal, interpersonal and developmental (Northouse, 2016, p. 196). The intrapersonal definition’s focal point is solely on the leader, “what goes on in the leader” (Northouse, 2016, p. 196). Interpersonal focuses on the leader and the followers, relationally (Northouse, 2016, p. 196). The third and finally definition is developmental. The developmental definition comes from the idea that authentic leadership can be developed over time, “triggered by lifetime events” (Northouse, 2016, p. 196). With these three definitions there are two different approaches, practical and theoretical (Northouse, 2016, p. 197). This blog will focus on the practical approach. Through my years I believe I have become an authentic leader as a lacrosse coach.
While we are focusing on the practical approach it is important to know what the theoretical approach is. In the theoretical approach researchers identify four parts that make an authentic leader: self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing and relational transparency (Northouse, 2016, p. 202). The theory suggests that authentic leadership is comprised of these four components and that positive psychological capacities, moral reasoning and critical life events have an influence on these four components (Northouse, 2016, p. 203).
“Authentic leaders have a genuine desire to serve others, they know themselves, and they feel free to lead from their core values” (Northouse, 2016, p. 197). By looking at the practical approach people can achieve becoming an authentic leader (Northouse, 2016, p. 197). The practical approach is essentially a “how to” manual to become an authentic leader (Northouse, 2016, p. 197). This “how to” manual highlights five key “dimensions” that make an authentic leader (Northouse, 2016, p 197.) The five “dimensions” are: purpose, values, relationships, self-discipline, and heart (Northouse, 2016, p. 197). If a person in a leadership role can master these five components they can be an authentic leader (Northouse, 2016, p. 197). Through my coaching and playing experiences in lacrosse I strongly believe I have mastered these and have become an authentic leader.
The first of the five dimensions is purpose. Purpose involves passion and a leader with purpose and passion knows who they are intrinsically, they know their goals and where their goals are going to take them (Northouse, 2016, p. 197). As a leader I would not be as successful as I have been coaching if I didn’t have purpose and passion. I know my purpose, it is to grow young boys into men while teaching them the how to play a sport. My goal as a coach has always been to win of course but it is also to teach boys life lessons that can help them grow and contribute to the community around them. I am strongly passionate about this and I didn’t realize it until I coached a group of kids from 7th grade all the way to 12th grade. I saw them grow and change, and I felt as though I was a big part of their growth. I strive to do that for every young man I coach.
The second dimension is values. “Authentic leaders understand their own values and behave toward others based on these values” (Northouse, 2016, p. 198). This is essentially saying that authentic leaders know what their values are and won’t stray away from their values no matter the situation (Northouse, 2016, p. 198-199). I have many values when it comes to coaching, but the one I will focus on is perseverance. There are always bumps in the road when playing a sport, and my teams will always play through them. I never give up, no matter how difficult a player may be or how difficult a game that we are playing is. Perseverance is a core value of mine as a coach and never giving up on a player or a game is something that I will never compromise.
Next is relationships. “Authentic leaders have the capacity to open themselves up and establish a connection with others” (Northouse, 2016, p. 199). Trust is very important to establish between followers and leaders (Northouse, 2016, p. 199). Every year I start the season with telling the players a little about my backround, where I’m from, how long I have played and coached and what I love about the sport. I also tell my players what I expect out of them every day, I tell them the three rules I have and if they break those rules what happens. Lastly I let the players know that although I am their coach they can come to me with any problems they are having whether it’s inside or outside of lacrosse. I make sure I establish that I am there for them. Then I tell my players I want them to come up with something that they expect of me every day that we are together. I do this to create a connection between all of us. I have a responsibility to fulfill for them and they have a responsibility to fulfill for me. This helps me to create a connection and relationship of trust with all my players.
The fourth dimension of the practical approach is self-discipline. Self-discipline helps leaders obtain their goals, it gives them “focus and determination” (Northouse, 2016, p. 199). As I stated earlier I always start the season of with talking to the players about who I am and what my expectations of them are. During that talk I always lay out my goals for them team and the season. The goals are always simple and clear. This past season one of my goals was to have a 75 percent success rate clearing the ball. Clearing the ball is when we move the ball from the defensive end of the field to the offensive end. This was one of goals because the better at clearing the ball we are the more opportunities we will have to score. I demonstrate self-discipline as a leader because every day we practiced clearing the ball, even though a lot of the time I preferred doing other drills. I made sure everyone knew what they were doing and that they were held accountable. Even when we were clearing the ball very well in the middle of the season we still practiced the clear. I was focused and determined to be successful at clearing the ball. In the end we had a 90 percent success rate when it came to clearing the ball.
The last and final dimension of authentic leadership is compassion and heart. “Compassion refers to being sensitive to the plight of others, opening one’s self to others, and being willing to help them” (Northouse, 2016, p. 200). I find compassion and heart to be crucial to being a leader. Every year my team, assistant coaches and I participate in some sort of charity event. Sometimes it’s a run for cancer and sometimes it’s a food drive. But no matter the circumstance we always do charity. This year in Houston, Texas we had a hurricane come through that flooded the city badly. People’s homes and business were destroyed. This happened right before the start of our fall ball season. So instead of practicing for the first two weeks I had my team gather together and we went around helped all the neighborhoods in our area. This involved demolition on houses, food drives and towards the end rebuilding. It was essential for me to help these people in need as well as for my players to do the same. I wanted them to understand the plight of others situation in this time, the way that I did.
I strongly believe that I am an authentic leader based on the description of the practical approach. I have a purpose that is clear and I understand, I want to influence the young men I coach. I have values and behave towards my players based on those values, I never quit and I show them we will never quit. I have strong relationships with my players, I create connections of back and forth trust with my players from day one and build upon that. I have self-discipline as a coach, I set goals and remain focused and determined to achieve those goals no matter what. I have compassion and heart, I do my best to understand the plight of others doing charity events with and sometimes for my players. Authentic leadership is important to become a successful leader and I will always strive to meet that standard.
References
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles. Sage Publications.