Most could assume that the most important aspect of an organization is the employees. Creating an environment where employees can thrive and feel a sense of belonging is key in promoting employee loyalty. The downside of lack of loyalty among employees results in high turnover rates and decreases performance. Through learning about Authentic Leadership, I believe that this leadership style could promote employee commitment. This blog will explain how the components of an authentic leader can help a company leader engage employees. The three components I will focus on are self-awareness, internalized moral perspective (Northouse, 2021, p. 254).
The first component I will be examining is self-awareness. According to Northouse (2021) this component is “a process in which individuals understand themselves, including their strengths and weaknesses” (p. 254). This factor explains that an authentic leader can take accountability when they make mistakes. A successful workplace leader is one who shows that they can take criticism and use it to improve. The most important aspect of self-awareness is emotional intelligence. This strength builds trust among managers and employees because it shows that a manager can resolve conflicts in the workplace along with showing support to those who need it.
The next concept, internalized moral perspective, relates to self-control and using morals to make decisions. Northouse (2021) explains that this component “refers to a self-regulatory process whereby individuals use their internal moral standards and values to guide their behavior rather than allow outside pressures to control them” (254). A strong authentic leader is confident in their decisions and does not cave to influence. As a workplace leader, one may have to face ethical dilemmas. Through creating decisions that uphold ethical standards, followers’ confidence in a leader’s decisions increases. This is an extremely important aspect for employee engagement because it prioritizes ethical decisions that support the organization as a whole.
Balanced processing is the third component of an authentic leader. Northouse (2021) explains that authentic leaders with this ability are “open about their own perspectives but are also objective in considering others’ perspectives” (p.255). This statement explains that an authentic leader listens to different perspectives before giving input. Through giving others the opportunity to share their opinion, a leader in a workplace shows that they care about their employees’ feelings. This is important in the workplace because a leader who is corrupted by favoritism or bias will result in unfairness. A workplace leader who shows that they have high morals will gain trust from their employees by showing they treat everyone equally.
Overall, authentic leadership is a style that would be extremely beneficial for building employee commitment. The most important aspect to promoting engagement as a leader is gaining the trust of their employees. Through understanding strengths and weaknesses, a workplace leader can learn from behaviors that did not result in positive outcomes and improvement. Furthermore, a workplace leader that makes decisions using morals and self-confidence to guide them. Through making decisions that may risk the compliance of an organization, a workplace leader will lose employee loyalty. By taking employee perspectives into account, they feel more involved in organization decisions. Giving each employee the opportunity to share their voice encourages employees to feel empowered. Lastly, these components are extremely important to encouraging employees to communicate openly and promote an inclusive environment where they can thrive.
References:
Northouse, P.G. (2021). Leadership: Theory & Practice (9th e.d.). SAGE Publishing.
Having a sense of belonging in a workplace creates loyalty between the staff, and reduces the amount of biases. I agree that the lack of loyalty decreases performance. I have seen it at my workplace at Dicks Sporting Goods. If an employee doesn’t feel like the manager appreciates them then they tend to have a weak performance at work. Self-awareness is extremely important to have while trying to get your job completed. If we make a mistake then we take responsibility, and resolve the issue. Our managers hold us accountable for our mistakes, and they are open-minded to also take feedback. I have noticed that emotional intelligence is a very important factor to have a positive connection for good communication skills.
“Authentic leadership is a complex process that emphasizes the development of qualities that help leaders to be perceived as trustworthy and believable by their followers (Northouse 2021).” Internalized moral perspective is important to understand that outside influences are not in control, but my morals and standards are. My managers are strong minded people that do not give in to outside pressures. They let their morals and standards control their decisions. By my mangers treating everyone equally at work they create a positive work environment. Listening to the opinions of their employees shows that they are able to treat everyone fairly. The employees are able to trust them, and be loyal to them in the workplace. They also feel like they are valuable members to the staff. This promotes commitment like you mentioned, and a positive work environment. Self-awareness, and internalized moral perspective are two very important factors for a leader to have in a workplace. I agree with these specific points that were addressed in the post. The more secure the connection is between the mangers, and employees means better communication skills.
References:
Northouse, P.G. (2021). Leadership: Theory & Practice (9th e.d.). SAGE Publishing.