authentic

Trust

April 8, 2013 by dys5262

When I was thinking about authentic leadership and what I wanted to write about for this blog post, one word kept coming to my mind, and that was trust. We all want to surround ourselves with people we can trust, genuine friendships, relationships with spouse or significant other, as well as our relationships with co-workers and our peers. So, then, why would we want our leaders to be anything other than trustworthy? Authentic leadership requires genuine leaders that are able to see the big picture and truly want to accomplish a shared goal. They are visionaries, and most importantly, worthy of our trust. Our leaders should be people that we can trust that they will deliver on commitments they’ve made, but at the same time are able to admit their faults and recognize their own weaknesses (PSU WC L12).

I truly feel that in our society today, authentic leaders just aren’t as present as they once were. The people of the United States are losing hope in our government’s leaders, trust is just not there, and skepticism plagues many. But it isn’t too late for leaders to become authentic leaders. Bridges that were burned can be built back up with time and consistency in order to make good on promises or commitments made. People need to feel that they can genuinely trust their leaders. And this can be accomplished by developing skills like listening, communicating, acting in a way that you want those following you to act, and also sharing in your success with those around you that helped make it possible (PSU WC L12).

Thought this concept is not yet fully developed and its ideas have not yet been fully explained, I think that our society is craving more authentic leaders. Especially now with the current state of our government and economy. We need to be able to trust those who are supposed to have our best interest at heart.

Reference

Penn State World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership. Retrieved on April 5, 2013. <https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp13/psych485/003/content/05_lesson/04_top

Can anyone just be an Authentic Leader?

April 7, 2013 by kzh5149

This theory was not an easy one for me and I think still for even the professionals as there is so much yet to be defined. When we hear the word authentic, we immediately associate it with being credible, pure, reliable and trustworthy. So on the surface, authentic leadership should be easy to define. In actuality, it is a complex process that is difficult to characterize. Among leadership scholars, there is no single accepted definition of authentic leadership. Instead, there are multiple definitions, each written from a different view point and with a different emphasis (Northhouse 2013).

Bill George describes the authentic leadership approach through five basic characteristics: (1) They understand their purpose, (2) they have strong values about the right thing to do, (3) they establish trusting relationships with others, (4) they demonstrate self-discipline and act on their values, and (5) they are passionate about their mission (i.e. act from their heart) (Northhouse 2013) This is shown in the diagram below.

authentic leadershipKH.png

From George’s list of characteristics, it’s hard for me to say that I have ever come across a manager in my 15 yrs working in the corporate world. Unfortunately in the corporate world, many managers don’t lead with values and self-discipline but almost rather the opposite in order to climb the “corporate ladder” that much faster. So I needed to look outside of the workplace and explore who our daily leaders and influences are that fall into this type of passionate and unselfish role. The first person that comes to mind is Mother Teresa.

mother teresa.jpg Truly authentic leaders and people dedicate their life to a greater purpose that is in sync with their core values and beliefs. Mother Teresa does just that. She dedicated her life to helping the poor, the sick and dying around the world. She was selfless in her work with the needy. Mother Teresa didn’t do her work based on getting recognized or obtaining a higher position at a company, she did it based on her values. She was so passionate about her mission to help that it exuded to ones who followed her and understood what she was determined to accomplish.

Although this theory is still being defined completely in the literal terms, I feel that Mother Teresa defines and embodies what this theory is truly about.

Works Cited:

Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: theory and practice (6th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publication

PSU World Campus. (2013). PSYCH485 Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp13/psych485/001/content/12_lesson/printlesson.html

Authentic Leadership – Trust Gained through Getting to Know…Yourself.

April 7, 2013 by elk5079

I have been in a variety of leader-follower relationships over the years and more often than not on the side of the follower. I enjoy following and take pride in, not only following, but ensuring that the other followers do their part to make the whole leader-follower relationship work smoothly. I do this because that is what I would want my followers to do for me and enjoy working hard for a good leader. I have always felt that if everyone works together then things run better. However, I realize that this can be an idealistic way of looking at leadership and I certainly have had my share of followers; ones that I tried to lead and ones that were my co-workers that were not on board. The bottom line is that a good follower can be extremely motivated by authentic leadership.

One of the most important parts of a good leader-follower relationship is trust. Trust is one of the fundamentals of authentic leadership and as leadership consultant Steve Botham said, “people will only follow people they can trust” (PSU WC L12, P3). When this trust is authentic, then the leader is much more effective. People are intuitive and leaders that are not genuine will eventually be discovered and then will no longer have trust in them. This will quickly become pervasive throughout an organization and erode productivity. The Authentic Leadership Model below from a study of authentic leadership illustrates the relationship between the leader and follower and their significant characteristics (Wong & Cummings, 2009).

authentic leadership.png

An essential part of authentic leadership is intrapersonal perspective, which according to Northouse, is “what goes on within the leader” (2013). This self-reflection and awareness is essential to becoming an authentic leader. By knowing oneself and understanding one’s values, identity, emotions, motives, and goals, one can project themselves in an authentic way (Avolio, Gardner, Walumbwa, Luthans & May, 2004). In addition to this this, Avolio et al list the self-regulation characteristics of balanced processing, relational transparency, and authentic behavior that rounds out the authentic leader (2004). The important thing to understand as a leader who strives to become more effective is that authentic leadership can be learned and improved upon. The reward of this authenticity will be the trust of their followers with is an essential ingredient for lasting success.

References:

Avolio, B.J., Gardner, W.L., Walumbwa, F.O., Luthans, F. and May, D.R. (2004), “Unlocking the mask: a look at the process by which authentic leaders impact follower attitudes and behaviours”, The Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 15 No. 6, pp. 801-23.

Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice. (6 ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publishing.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485: Leadership in Work Settings. Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership. Retrieved from: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp13/psych485/002/content/12_lesson/03_page.html.

Wong, C., & Cummings, G. (2009). Authentic leadership: A new theory for nursing or back to basics? Journal of Health Organization and Management, 23(5), 522-38. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14777260910984014

Authentic Leaders in My Life

April 7, 2013 by jyb5358

Authentic Leadership enjoyable to reach about because for me I feel like I can really relate it to real life. According to our commentary (PSU, Lesson 12) there are 3ways to define authentic leadership. Authentic leadership is interpersonal, meaning there is a relationship between leader and follow that is strong, and genuine.

Authentic leadership is about being true to ones-self, or ‘authentic’. This makes sense because in order to be an authentic leader, one should probably be authentic in emotion and thought. It’s critical for a leader to be self-aware, and understand their place in the relationship between leader and follower. Authentic leadership is also development. This style relates to dealings with life events that take people out of their ‘comfort zone’, “life events cause the leader to use their authentic leadership skills (PSU, Lesson 12).

When considering an authentic leader, my father is the first one to come to mind. My dad has had the biggest impact on my life by far compared to anyone else. He was a single father, and raised me almost solely on his own. He did this and immigrated to the United States with nothing but a few garbage bags full of clothes. My dad taught me a lot of things, like many parents, but at a very young age I was living in a very real world. He showed me with his actions what hard work could get, how to be respectful, and he made sure I understood where we were coming from and how easy it would be to take the wrong turn in life. My Dad went from single, homeless father, to successful business owner over the course of 15 years. He went from food stamps to freedom, and lives a very happy, stress free life. I believe that to truly understand authentic leadership, one must have a good grasp and understanding of their life. The story of one’s life really provides a framework for one’s experiences which someone can use to find the inspiration to leave an impact on the world.

In my opinion, it’s one’s personal account their life that really matters, not just the literal facts of one’s life. Your personal life account is something that you draw from to make decisions, take actions, and generate opinion. We attempt to make sense of our lives and find our personal place in the world. While the ‘life stories’ of an authentic leader of course vary from one case to the next, including the positive experiences with their parents, coaches, mentors, school teachers, etc. many times a leader cites difficult or troubling life experiences as their source for inspiration and motivation. One of my mentors is author, serial-entrepreneur, and billionaire 30 year old Ryan Blair. His book his called “Nothing to Lose” and it’s a great story of overcoming difficult circumstances to gain success. To me, Ryan Blair is also an authentic leader, because the principles he shares are to use for one’s own personal success. Ryan Blair truly cares about other entrepreneurs their success and time freedom.

Ryan Blair

An authentic leader, like my Father or Ryan Blair usually have experienced transformative effects of personal tragedy, illness, job loss, etc. and also describe feeling rejected by society or their peers or being excluded. But instead of seeing themselves as victims, an authentic leader uses these negative experiences to give their lives certain meaning. To give them motivation and inspiration to help others see the same success. These types of individuals overcome these events and rise above roadblocks and later discover a passion to lead others. I must say, I think it’s a very motivational type of leadership to follow. I really enjoy the understanding of authentic leadership, it’s been one of my favorites thus far.

Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Authentic Leadership Examples

April 3, 2013 by gjt5024

Authentic leadership focuses on whether leadership is genuine or “real” (Northouse, 2013). Although this theory is still in its formative phase of development, there are several ways in which it can be defined.

One way to define authentic leadership is to say that it is interpersonal; that is, it occurs when the leader maintains strong, honest relationships with his or her followers (PSU W.C. L.12). The key here is to be open with your followers and to practice what you preach. In return, followers will recognize your authenticity and work with you towards the common goal. While this sounds like a no-brainer, many business executives in recent years have missed the mark completely. Consider Ford Motor Company’s former president Mark Fields for example.

Fields took over the struggling North American operations in 2005 and immediately implemented a turnaround plan he called “The Way Forward.” Some of the actions taken as part of this new plan for a successful future included eliminating one fifth of the workforce (45,000 employees), closing 14 manufacturing plants, and cutting healthcare benefits for the blue collar workers that remained. His new slogan was “Change or die,” and he told employees with urgency that they needed to share the sacrifices to save the company (Deutschman, 2009).

The problem with all of that is that Fields did not “walk his own walk.” While urging others to follow him and make sacrifices, he enjoyed a $2.3 million bonus for cutting costs that year on top of his $3.3 million salary. Factory workers were sacrificing their healthcare benefits while Fields commuted to the company’s headquarters in Detroit on the weekends from his house in Florida on the company’s private jet (Deutschman, 2009). It is no wonder why no one wanted to follow him. Being an authentic leader means sharing the struggle and risks with your followers and maintaining an honest, transparent relationship. If your followers see that your actions are not in line with your stated values, they will not see you as being genuine and your leadership attempts will be likely to fail.

Another way to define authentic leadership is to say in is an intrapersonal quality that has to do with what is going on in the leader’s head. It is about the leader being true to himself or herself, and also being able to self-regulate their behaviors and develop accurate self concepts (PSU W.C. L.12). One business leader who exemplifies this type of leadership is Patagonia’s CEO Casey Sheahan.

Sheahan is a longtime outdoor industry veteran and enthusiast. He has always enjoyed the outdoors, and has even work as an editor for outdoor magazines such as Runner’s World, Marathoner, Nordic World, and POWDER magazine. His company, Patagonia, specializes in quality outerwear and has a large vested interest in protecting the environment. He fits in perfectly with the values of the company, and he and his wife even formed the Conscious Global Leadership Institute to “share best inner practices for inspired, heart-centered leadership” (10 Most, 2012). Since being created in 1985, Patagonia’s Environmental Grants Program has supported conservation causes by donating $22 million. Patagonia has also recently joined 1% for the Planet, a group of companies that pledge at least 1% of their annual sales to help promote conservationism. Clearly Sheahan has been true to his inner self–a passionate environmentalist– and he has self-regulated his behaviors so that they are in line with his and the company’s values.

Northhouse (2013) says that the emphasis of this intrapersonal perspective is the leader’s life experiences and the meaning he or she attaches to those experiences. By aligning his personal experiences and values with his leadership style and Patagonia’s goals, Sheahan was able to effectively demonstrate authentic leadership.

References:

10 most ethical CEOs in corporate America. (2012, March 28). Online MBA. Retrieved April 4, 2013, from http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/10-most-ethical-ceos-in-corporate-america/

Deutschman, A. (2009, September 18). How authentic leaders ‘walk the walk’. Businessweek. Retrieved April 3, 2013, from http://www.businessweek.com/managing/c

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Pennsylvania State University (PSU), (2012). Leadership in work settings. Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership. Retrieved from: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa12/psych485/001/content/12_lesson/01_page.html