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.

Traditionally in most settings, there is one leader who guides and directs a group of followers to achieve a common goal. This is usually true of most companies in today’s corporate world. The most effective teams don’t rely on the person placed at their head for success. They understand that there is a collective cohesiveness that pushes a team into another stratosphere. This idea is encompassed in the form of shared or distributed leadership. In this style of leadership the responsibilities are distributed across the team as a whole, leaders included (Northouse, 2021).

Teams are something that I have been a part of all my life. Whether it was sports when I was a kid, school, or teams at various jobs. The teams have been not only the most successful in my life but also the most enjoyable. Two of them stand out to me most and one of the most important aspects was having a leader among the team who stepped up. This goes hand in hand with what Northouse (2021) says about team members having the courage to step forward when situations need it. It felt different to have a peer repeat the things that we were hearing from our leader. It took our teams to higher levels of mutual respect and accountability.

The second point that Northouse (2021) makes that I saw firsthand was “maximizing team effectiveness”. One team in particular that I was a part of was an inbound operations team. We were timed on everything we did, but there were ways to cheat the system. Luckily the core of our team had high standards of integrity, and we were able to gain each other’s respect through that. Because of that respect, we were able to teach each other tricks that increased our efficiency. Naturally, the people who were not pulling all of their weight left or were not retained because they couldn’t keep up with the expectations. Eventually, as our core got better job opportunities the people who replaced them did not provide the team with the same benefits, trust, respect, and internal leadership. Our efficiency and effectiveness went with it.

We need to have followers who are willing to interject themselves into teams and lead from the “bottom”. This is going to continue to be more and more important because organizations are continuing to change. Corporations are more often than not adopting a flattened structure, with fewer leaders and larger teams (Northouse, 2021). To have the most success those teams will have to develop the relationships to hold each other to the standards expected of them by the organization and leaders in which they work.

Reference:

Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory & Practice (9 ed.). Thousand Oaks, California:  Sage Publications, Inc

In recent years, the United States Air Force and the greater Department of Defense have experienced profound shifts in leadership dynamics, marked by a concerted effort to break through the glass ceiling and cultivate a more diverse and inclusive leadership cadre. Since my time in, it seems the shift to focus on diversity and inclusion can be pinpointed to the year 2021. “The Department of the Air Force, in support of both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, stood up the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Jan. 11” (2021). However, changes were already at play when Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) JoAnne Bass and General Charles Q. Brown Jr. were appointed in 2020, recognizing both as trailblazers whose appointments signify both progress and a recognition of the persistent barriers that exist within the military hierarchy. 

The concept of the glass ceiling, a metaphorical barrier that impedes the advancement of women and minority groups to senior leadership positions (Northouse, 2021), has long plagued the military landscape. Historically, traditional norms and systemic biases have hindered the upward mobility of underrepresented individuals, sustaining a leadership demographic that does not fully reflect the diversity of the force. As Northouse explains, the reason for the underrepresentation may be due to less education, training and work experience, along with prejudice and discrimination (Northouse, 2021). However, Chief Master Sergeant Bass’s historic ascent to the position of the first woman and first Asian-American Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and General Brown’s groundbreaking appointments as the first African American Chief of Staff of the Air Force and subsequently as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, represent significant cracks in this glass ceiling. 

Despite these strides, the journey towards inclusive leadership is not without its challenges. Persistent barriers, including unconscious biases, entrenched stereotypes, and institutional forces, continue to impede the progress of women and minority leaders within the military ranks. Overcoming these obstacles requires a concerted effort to dismantle systemic barriers, cultivate inclusive cultures, and promote equitable opportunities for all personnel. Moreover, discussions on diversity and inclusion must also recognize the universality of leadership attributes that transcend demographic categories. While diversity brings a breadth of perspectives and experiences to the table, effective leadership is ultimately defined by qualities such as integrity, competence, resilience, and empathy—attributes that are not confined to any gender, race, or ethnicity. By embracing the universality of leadership attributes, the military can foster environments where individuals from all backgrounds are empowered to lead and excel based on their merits and capabilities. 

In conclusion, the United States Air Force and military are at a pivotal juncture in their journey towards inclusive leadership. “The Department of the Air Force is committed to enabling all Airmen and Guardians to thrive in a diverse and highly inclusive environment,” (2021). Chief Master Sergeant JoAnne Bass and General Charles Q. Brown Jr. represent beacons of progress in breaking through the glass ceiling and challenging entrenched norms within the military establishment. By addressing systemic barriers, embracing the universality of leadership attributes, and fostering cultures of inclusion, the military can harness the full potential of its diverse talent pool and uphold its commitment to defending the nation’s ideals of equality, opportunity, and justice for all. 

 

References 

Northouse, P. (2021). Culture and Leadership. In Leadership: Theory and Practice. SAGE. 

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. (2021, February 2). Department of the Air Force Institutes Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Air Force. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2490452/department-of-the-air-force-institutes-office-of-diversity-and-inclusion/ 

In this week’s lesson, we investigated gender differences in leadership. As part of that discussion, I wanted to focus on one of the many strengths associated with the ever-growing field of women leaders.

According to the text, gender plays an integral role in modernizing and developing effective leadership styles specifically when transitioning from a “traditional masculine, autocratic style to the more feminine or androgynous styles of democratic and transformational leadership styles” (Northouse, 2021, p. 407).

One contemporary style of leadership that is being recognized for its effectiveness is authentic leadership. This style represents a newer area of leadership research that focuses on authenticity (Northouse, 2021). Though authentic leadership is complex and difficult to define it emphasizes transparency, honesty, and morals (Northouse, 2021). Leaders under this theory build genuine relationships with their employees through trust, they respond to their employees’ needs and values,  and they foster positive work environments (Northouse, 2021).

So how does authentic leadership connect to women leaders?

Obviously, not everyone is defined by their gender by studies are showing that women do in fact excel in many of the factors that are associated with effective authentic leadership (Arruda, 2024).

One crucial factor of authentic leadership is from a intrapersonal perspective which focuses on the leader themselves including their self-knowledge, self-regulation, and self-concept (Northouse, 2021). Being self-aware is the foundation for authentic leadership and important in understanding your followers (Arruda, 2024). Interestingly enough, women are 86% more likely to display consistent and effective emotional self-awareness then men (Arruda, 2024).

Another important behavior associated with authentic leadership is balanced processing. This refers to how well a leader can analyze information objectively with the inclusion of others’ viewpoints and without bias (Northouse, 2021). Women have a natural inclination towards inclusivity and are more likely then men to ensure that all voices are acknowledged (Arruda, 2024).

Lastly, one of the most associated behaviors related to authentic leadership is authenticity or as the text words it, relational transparency (Northouse, 2021). This factor refers to being open and honest by sharing core feelings, motives, and inclinations with others in an appropriate manner, despite whether they are positive or negative (Northouse, 2021). Women excel better then men in open and honest communication which is extremely beneficial for this style of leadership (Arruda, 2024). They also generally lead in ways that are more inclusive, transparent, and feedback welcoming (Arruda, 2024). Not only does this open communication strengthen teams but it builds better leaders and motivates employees (Arruda, 2024).

It is clear that authentic leadership is a method in which women leaders can excel. I find it exciting that the ever growing efforts for women leaders are developing contemporary leadership styles like this one. I recommend looking into authentic leadership and its connection to women leaders as it is an incredibly interesting topic that has recently been gaining lots of recognition.

Just recently, in March of this year, the Center for Inclusion and Social Change (CISC) hosted the seventh annual Women’s Leadership Symposium (WLS) at the University of Colorado Boulder (Women’s Leadership Symposium promotes authentic leadership, 2024). There, over 200 people gathered to discuss women’s leadership with the theme, “Propagating pathways and embracing authentic leadership” (Women’s Leadership Symposium promotes authentic leadership, 2024). They participated in breakout rooms, exercises, discussions, and more on integrating authentic leadership (Women’s Leadership Symposium promotes authentic leadership, 2024).

It is interesting and rewarding to see newer leadership strategies like authentic leadership being used and developed everyday. Using our course material, we can begin to recognize the benefits and understand the components that are associated with effective authentic leadership models as they are being applicated throughout the real world.

References

Arruda, W. (2024, March 12). Why women hold the key to authentic leadership. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2024/03/10/why-women-hold-the-key-to-authentic-leadership/?sh=5f56ad00562b

Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and Practice (9th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781071834473

Women’s Leadership Symposium promotes authentic leadership. University of Colorado Boulder. (2024, March 11). https://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/2024/03/11/womens-leadership-symposium-promotes-authentic-leadership

I was getting curious about diversity in leadership and specially along the lines of gender. Women for the longest time have not been known to be the leaders, CEO’s, politicians, etc. However, have they already won out the rights to other kinds of leadership roles? We see how women are the first to be trusted as leaders over children, in the PTA, as babysitters, day care owners, teachers, etc. So why is it that women are building our nations leaders in the classrooms and child rearing departments, but not included as big organizational  leaders and business tycoons, etc.? In this post I will be exploring how gender stereotypes and sexist cultures have been holding women back, and how it makes no sense to trust women in key parts of leadership for the growing society, children, but not in the current day to day society of business and politics.

Women are showing just how capable they are in leadership, and society has no problem empowering them, granted it’s related to traditional gender roles. For example, we see how women are dominating the PTA meetings, and running the leadership positions. Studies found that “Majority were female (90.5%) and nearly three-fourths” when it came to PTA demographics (Regis et al., 2022). The PTA is in charge of essentially improving school conditions for the children and fostering a strong community, members of the PTA are not paid, it is considered charity work. Women dominate the make up of PTA’s because it is one of the only places society has deemed it appropriate for women to make decisions and have power, when it comes to children. This is by no mens a light responsibility. Women are set up to raise further leaders, and teach valuable skills to their kids, including soon to be men. So why is it that women can be in charge of raising the leaders, but not being the leaders themselves? This all ties into historical gender roles. Men have aways been defined by their ability to work and provide for a family. Most of America’s roots are found in conservative religious ideology and this its one man and one women together in a monogamous marriage that is governed by a set of unspoken rules and expectations. Gender norms have been dictated out of religious contexts, such as a man having power and calling the shots, while women were treated as property and expected to slave away to fulfill all needs of the man, not just sexually, but meal preparation and child rearing. This is the history we know, however as times have changed, women are more free to empower themselves and work and study in school etc., but even in business they are being held to gender roles. For example, in our text it was noted that “women were devalued compared to men when they led in a masculine manner” even though it was found that “men and women were equally effective leaders” (Northouse, 2021). The statistics show that men and women are equal, but we still see how a woman has to prove she is effective without using the same approach men use, otherwise she will be judged and rated negative and then prevented from further growth opportunities in the company. This systems relies heavily on evaluation by means of the gender roles scope, which is setting women up for failure. A woman can be a leader, but only if she goes against her gender norms, which in turn makes her dislike and halts her growth before she can break the glass ceiling. It is ludicrous! Women are in a tough spot because of harsh gender roles and rules our society has formed over time. There must be a shift n how society defines gender roles, and even more so how explicit we value gender conforming individuals, in other words, break the glass ceiling by breaking the rule of gender norms!

Women are just as educated and capable as men to be leaders, but sexist cultures hold women back from growth in their careers. We saw how gender roles and stereotypes limited women growth, but these were just the building block for a culture of sexism. In our text, research shows how “women earn 50% of all law degrees” yet “one make up 22.7% or partners” and this stands true “even though women represent 40% of those graduating with MBA’s (Northouse, 2021). These statistics are wild! This is basically showing that women are combative at the same level as their male counterparts, but are getting less than a fourth of available jobs. There are already significant roadblocks for women going to school, because society encourages them enough as it is to choose the family life, but the fact that these women re getting into school and are equally competitive, yet only getting less than a quarter of the leadership roles, shows a clear bias and sexist culture in our society. Men are using “in group favoritism” by selecting other men to succeed over female counterparts. The culture of sexism in the workplace has come along way but still keeps women at bay. If this were the PTA, all of those women who earned the degrees, would have gotten all of the jobs in the PTA, but the minute a woman is taken out of her place in society, she is doubted, and that is a sexist culture at work, even if the men are unaware of it as they make decisions. This is what makes having a diverse work place such a challenge, when people operate off of their unconscious bias and when a culture of en in charge is so strong that no one really questions it. On example I think of is when I was just a kid and I was on the lake with my grandma and her thirty year old son. She had all of the experience of a veteran boater and she took her safety rules very seriously. She had always been in charge of the boat, she was the leader if you will. On that day a storm was coming in, my grandmother knew immediately that we needed to get off the lake for safety. Her son however, felt he knew best and was already steering the boat. He basically brushed her off and kept us on the lake, things got wild and my grandmother tried to step in, but he refused to let her and even said to her to “let the men handle this” so, clearly he had no faith in this woman, who had all of the years of experience and expertise over him. Sure enough we got caught in a storm, the boat was damaged, and the day ended with all of us safe, but the boat in ruins. I can’t help but see this as applicable to our lesson, if my grandmother would have been trusted, on her merit alone, not related to her gender, then we would have easily stayed safe, and avoided damages, etc. I wonder how many companies are facing their own storms and refusing to promote the women with the expertise and solutions. The culture of sexism is making it tough for women to lead and step into leadership roles.

All in all, women are great leaders, and are responsible for raising the generations, but until we can stop gender roles rom dictating our options in the workforce, and sexist cultures, there will never be true equality and diversity in leadership. Women have the skills and the know how, but men refuse to see it, there is a long history of exit ideologies that still inhibit women from reaching the success they are deserve. The same can be said for any individual that isn’t a white man, because white men have a history of power and it’s a boys club that must be broken down and infiltrated. Luckily diversity is being taken more seriously and hopefully someday soon, we can see numbers show a fair distribution of power and leadership among the races and sexes, etc. 

References

Northouse, P.G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and Practice. (9th e.d.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications. [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. bned://ZiO6VvsMnWk-vrb5tJmdqbnJeGTmLZEOcqkIdHJSHo4.

Regis, D. P., Belleza, I. A., Adtoon, J.P., Cahulogan, B.R., & Sinfuego, J.S. (2022). Status of Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) in the New Normal. International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Studies. 2(7) https://www.ijams-bbp.net/archive/vol-2-issue-7-july/status-of-parent-teacher-association-pta-in-the-new-normal/