Authentic leadership is a new leadership style that has been difficult for a lot of people to understand. The style of leadership is confusing since it takes different definitions. First, it can be defined in the interpersonal context which dictates that authentic leadership results from the relationship between leaders and followers. Secondly, authentic leadership could be defined as intrapersonal, which is dependent on the thoughts, self-knowledge, or ideas of the leader. Thirdly, there is the developmental context which illustrates that leadership can be acquired unlike in the previous forms where it was based on traits (Norton, 2016). However, an excellent authentic leader may have an element of each classification. Former president of the United States, Barack Obama is an outstanding illustration of what authentic leadership entails.
President Obama is considered to be one of the US leaders who mastered interpersonal and intrapersonal leadership skills. Also, he had an exclusive understanding and application of the developmental approach to leadership. As a leader, he was open to learning and was always out to try new leadership ideas. He had aa good relationship with the citizens and followers at the white house. His approach when addressing public concerns portrayed a leader that cared for the ideas and thoughts of the people that he led (Friedman, 2008). As such, he made excellent decisions through consultations with the followers. Equally, when he addressed an issue from a personal perspective, he did it with an exclusive focus and knowledge that made people appreciate his ingenuity. Furthermore, it would be inappropriate to ignore the fact that Obama regularly quoted previous US leaders meaning he observed their leadership approaches that made him outstanding whenever he was to make a leadership decision (Friedman, 2008).
Moreover, President Obama made a positive breed of an authentic leader despite most people seeing him as charismatic. I think it is possible for one to possess more than one style of leadership. He built a culture that portrayed America as a highly disciplined nation since. It is important not to forget that he highly valued gender balance in his administration. This is an example of the uniqueness of President Obama’s interpersonal leadership skills. As such, there will be an extensive discussion highlighting various elements of authentic leadership using President Obama as an example (Friedman, 2008).
The intrapersonal perspective of authentic leadership carries exclusive weight as a definition for the value that a leader carries in terms of their traits and behaviors. The perspective consists of the leader’s self-regulation, self-knowledge, and self-concepts. Such leaders portray genuine and convinced leadership, and act as originals and not copies (Norton, 2016). Also, the perspective considers the leader’s life experiences and the meaning that they attach to life as critical in the development of the kind of person they become. They take experiences as platforms to become better in their undertakings. They build strength from the challenges that they may have withstood in their lives (PSU WC, 2016, L.12).
As such, President Obama is an outstanding example of intrapersonal skills as excellent elements in defining successful leadership. President Obama came into power when there were heated concerns that the United States could not elect an African-American as the president. Despite the previous prejudice and being considered inferior because of his skin color, President Obama’s attractiveness through eloquence in speech, richness in knowledge and wisdom, and attachment to people regardless of their skin color made him attractive to Americans. It is out of the intrapersonal packaging that President Obama was elected as the President of the United States (Friedman, 2008).
Furthermore, the interpersonal perspective portrays the other side of a successful authentic leader. The perspective is important in the sense that it defines authentic leadership as relational where the leader and followers are major contributors. The perspective does not only depend on the leader’s efforts but also on the followers’ response (Norton, 2016). Authenticity is mainly from interactions between followers and their leaders. It is a highly sensitive perspective since followers’ influence leaders and leaders to influence followers. An authentic leader understands the value of creating a balance in his relationship with the followers. Such a leader is aware that his decisions would affect how followers behave or respond to situations (PSU WC, 2016, L.12).
In relation to the interpersonal perspective, President Obama portrayed remarkable knowledge of interpersonal relations. He is considered to have created warmth in his cabinet and the White House. He had influenced his followers who were the vice president, secretary of state, and leaders of federal executive departments. He did this in a manner that they rarely questioned his ability as a leader (Friedman, 2008). On the other hand, he portrayed exclusive concern for the followers from the office to the public where he had numerous followers. This illustrates that Obama was an exceptional authentic leader. It is out of the cordial relationship with the followers that he successfully led the United States for two consecutive terms (Friedman, 2008).
Further, the development approach is a foundational element redefining how authentic leadership is a pattern of leadership behavior that results from the positive psychological traits and strong ethics of a leader. There is the idea that authentic leadership consists of unique but connected components which include relational transparency, internalized moral perspective, self-awareness, and balanced processing. Leaders seek to understand, develop, and master the above traits (Northouse, 2016). Their idea is to have the best out of the four traits. They intentionally select the people that they consider most suitable to relate to any situation. They become transparent to allow others to access them easily while they do not compromise on their standards for personal values (Northouse, 2016).
President Obama is an excellent representation of the significance of the development approach in defining one’s leadership behavior. As the president, on different occasions, he portrayed the value of specific leadership traits. He was unique in terms of how he interacted with his members of staff as well as the public. He portrayed the mastery of psychological values that would often make him command exclusive following (Friedman, 2008). He took a unique position whenever a sensitive issue affecting society was to be addressed. He did not discuss issues out of emotions, but out of psychological conviction and understanding. He could defend his position to a point where he convinced the opposition to join his way of thinking or understanding for a specific issue. He did not contradict his position or stand in a critical matter. As a result, he continually mastered the art of being an outstanding leader. His positions were morally upright with exclusive value for the followers and the United States at large (Friedman, 2008).
Moreover, authentic leaders understand their values and they treat others based on the values (Norton, 2016).. It could be said that authentic leaders know their true North. They have an accurate understanding of who they are what they intend to achieve, and the appropriate thing to do to get there. In difficult situations, the leaders understand what they ought to do to save themselves from the risks and dangers associated with the problem at hand. In most cases, authentic leaders portray a high level of confidence (PSU WC, 2016, L.12).
I think anyone who experienced Obama’s leadership or administration can say that he is an accurate example of the above statement. The former president hardly contradicted himself. Although he could be challenged by the opposition, he was able to compromise or stand his ground. He was true to his responsibility as a leader that whenever a challenge arose, he knew what to do. For example, in his tenure there was extensive debate on LGBT rights, he did not fear any controversy but stood for the rights of all Americans regardless of their sexuality (Friedman, 2008).
Another major characteristic of authentic leadership is that the leaders understand how to develop and nurture strong relationships. Such leaders understand that they have the capacity to open themselves up and establish a deep connection with others (Northouse, 2016). They are interested in the sense that they are willing to share their story with others and listen to what others have to say. Through mutual disclosure, leaders and followers nurture trust and closeness. This means that the leader would be in an outstanding position to guide followers in a specific direction because they are in an excellent relationship (Northouse, 2016).
President Obama is an excellent example of a leader who would nurture trust and closeness. His attachment to his followers when he was in office has not been lost. It has lived on even after he left office. For instance, in 2016 when his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton ran for the presidency, President Obama supported her. Although as a sitting president traditionally does not show excessive favor to a candidate, he offered his support. The same case has happened in the 2020 elections. President Obama has been a campaigner to his former vice president Joe Biden who is now the president-elect. He relentlessly fought for an opportunity to have Biden defeat President Trump. His gave his support because he has exclusive trust for Joe Biden and he considers him most suitable to advance his previous undertakings as the president.
Moreover, it would be inappropriate to talk about authentic leadership while ignoring the value of self-discipline. An authentic leader is self-disciplined and highly focused to achieve their goals. Such leaders have high levels of determination and focus (Northouse, 2016). When they develop standards and objectives of excellence, self-discipline assists them to attain the goals while they keep everyone accountable. It is out of self-discipline that authentic leaders get the energy to undertake their responsibilities in line with their values. The idea is to make the best out of every situation. They undertake their activities based on specific standards that they consider most suitable in the definition of their character and behavior (Northouse, 2016).
Obama’s wife Michelle Obama considered her husband self-disciplined. Other employees of the White House thought that President Obama was the most disciplined leader they had worked around (Friedman, 2008). He was punctual during meetings and ensured he people that he was committed to doing everything that he considered right for the country. From time to time he would challenge people for not keeping time during meetings or failing to show up. He insisted that as a leader he had to lead by example by portraying a high level of self-discipline. It is out of self-discipline that Obama managed to do exemplary things. He did not expose himself as an irresponsible leader. He was focused on attaining specific goals for his country which called for exclusive self-discipline (Friedman, 2008).
Furthermore, authentic leadership can be considered to promote a pattern that upholds and promotes positive psychological capacities as well as a positive ethical climate, promotes self-awareness, balanced dissemination of information, relational transparency, as well as internalized moral perspective. Such leaders understand that they have been assigned the responsibility to achieve certain goals on behalf of their followers (Northouse, 2016). As such, they have to resist any amount of selfishness and corruption that may make them stumble. They cannot be involved in corrupt activities that would put their leadership in a bad light. Instead, they would focus on the issues that are of their best interest which include the wellness of the people that they lead (Northouse, 2016).
During his tenure as the president, the United States had minimal cases of corruption associated with the executive branch. He was disciplined and ensured that everyone working around him observed the relevant laws that call for discipline, as well as ethical behaviors (Friedman, 2008). President Obama had to ensure that he did not tolerate any selfishness in his office. As a result, he gave his followers the responsibility to be disciplined and to do their jobs with the country at heart. Even the criticizers of his administration hardly get an opportunity to challenge Obama’s administration on issues of integrity (Friedman, 2008). He understood that he was meant to serve the people and everything he did was to promote the wellbeing of the people. He could not do what was considered inappropriate or he would be betraying the people who elected him.
Every authentic leader is influenced by specific factors. From time to time they have to adhere to certain factors that push them towards success or excellence. Positive psychology is a fundamental factor in determining the success of certain leaders. There are certain psychological attributes that impact authentic leadership (Northouse, 2016). Such attributes include confidence, optimism, hope, as well as resilience. These attributes are instrumental since they were taken from the fields of positive organizational behavior and positive psychology. Positive psychology pushes one to develop certain traits that are suitable for authentic leadership. Such people strive to have the attributes as their definition or description (Northouse, 2016).
President Obama is an example of such a leader. He was optimistic and highly determined to attain desired excellence. He is known as a resilient leader with an exclusive focus on goals that would make the United States better. He never gave up on what he considered to be helpful to the American people (Friedman, 2008). One of the things that he pursued with extensive effort was healthcare reform. The process to establish Obama Care was not easy. He had to withstand excessive criticism from the opposition and the people who considered it an inappropriate agenda. Participation in other procedures illustrates that he was willing to become better in his undertakings. He was not ready to settle for anything short of what he considered appropriate. Through his optimism and resilience, he introduced Obama Care (Friedman, 2008).
Equally, President Obama portrayed a high level of confidence in his pursuit for the achievement of certain goals. Confidence translates to having self-efficacy meaning one can easily pursue a goal because they are guaranteed that it is attainable (Norton, 2016). Obama’s confidence was tested when he pursued to find Osama bin Laden. Such a course could have been costly to the United States, but this did not stop Obama. He was confident that the capture or murder of Osama bin Laden would bring hope to the United States and the world. True to his ambition, Osama bin Laden was successfully killed using the military. It is an illustration that the president had extensive hope that was driven by the goal to make the United States secure (Friedman, 2008).
Another critical factor in defining an authentic leader is moral reasoning. It is the capacity to come up with ethical decisions concerning the issues that are wrong or right (PSU WC, 2016, L.12). The process of developing moral reasoning is long. Moral reasoning enables leaders to make decisions that surpass individual differences but are aligned to common goals. In such a case, the leader focuses on making a decision that would serve the greater good of the organization, country, or community. Also, moral reasoning builds the capacity of a leader to enhance justice and attain what is appropriate for a community (Northouse, 2016).
An noticeable example of a situation where President Obama exercised moral reasoning is when he fired Gerald Walpin who was the Inspector General of the Corporation for National and Community Service. He was informed that Gerald was investigating AmeriCorps and other programs that the US government had initiated in support of service to the people. Since the President did not consider him to have good intentions in the investigations, it thought it was appropriate to fire him. He did it to ensure the US safety was guaranteed. It was meant to safeguard the Americans against attacks by people who may have access to critical information regarding their security systems (Obama fires AmeriCorps’ inspector general. NBC News, 2020).
Also, critical life events play a critical role in shaping the behavior and character of leaders. The leaders are molded by the events that they come across. They take lessons from life events as platforms for learning to equip themselves with critical lessons about what could be happening around them (Northouse, 2016). Life events come with lessons because they are experiences that one would not wish to forget. They focus on getting the best out of every situation and seeking to nurture progress through negative experiences. Despite the event, an authentic leader would take it as a learning opportunity so that they may be ready to serve the people surrounding them more diligently and with a clearer purpose. The events may not have a timeline as they may have occurred a long time ago or could be recent experiences (Northouse, 2016). Such leaders are aware that they can do something to ensure that another person does not face similar challenges in future. It would mean doing everything within their capacity to guarantee the people that their wellbeing is in exclusive consideration (Northouse, 2016).
President Obama had firsthand experience with what it means to be a non-white in the United States. He had experienced what a lot of immigrants go through since his father from Kenya. He had to deal with a host of challenges that shaped him and they made him aspire to become a leader. Therefore, when he got the opportunity, he was willing to give his best for the benefit of fellow Americans. President Obama was aware of many of the problems that most non-native Americans face. In addition, he was aware that there are numerous challenges facing people of color in the United States that needed to be addressed immediately (Friedman, 2008). As such, he was convinced that he had the power to do something that would help people of color. As a result, when he became the US president, he was determined to ensure that Americans of color were not denied opportunities because of the color of their skin. He is a renowned crusader of equality in the country. He did not fear to pursue equality even if it could taint his name as the president. He was aware that the people of color were not treated equally and he had to fight for their opportunities (Friedman, 2008). As a leader, it could have been considered wrong to favor certain group, but Obama was clear that he intended to attain equality by giving African-Americans equal opportunities as the rest of the people living in the United States of America.
In conclusion, authentic leadership is continually developed from charismatic and servant leadership. The style of leadership is mainly evident in recent leaders who have learned the value of being exclusively involved in their assignments as leaders (Norton, 2016). The leaders understand that their inner ability is crucial in determining the success that their organization gets. They are driven by selfless focus with the intention to make the lives of the involved parties better. They are ethical in their undertakings to ensure they protect the welfare of the public. Despite the challenges that they may have to overcome, they have to remain clear in their goals to guarantee exemplary service to the members of the public. Such leaders work on personal values to ensure they are qualified in fostering a stronger relationship with the members of the public or followers. They are confident and driven by the desire to see their organizations or followers successful (Norton, 2016). As such, President Obama is an accurate definition of an authentic leader. The former president has unique values that made him lovable and acceptable to Americans. He offered to exercise moral reasoning, portray stronger personal values, and illustrate greater focus in his undertakings as the president. Over time, he has attained greater value and is recognized as one of the best US presidents. He brought in a unique style of leadership where his followers were his best supporters (Friedman, 2008).
References
Friedman, S. (2008). Obama’s Authentic Leadership — And Yours. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 21 November 2020, from https://hbr.org/2008/11/obamas- authentic-leadership-an.html.
Pennsylvania State University (2020). Leadership in work. Module 12: Introduction to Authentic Leadership. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2075467/modules/items/30110523
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. 7th Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Obama fires AmeriCorps’ inspector general. NBC News. (2020). Retrieved 21 November 2020, from https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna31325894.