Authentic Leadership

If you have to ask, the answer is probably no

April 13, 2015 by Barbie Vickhouse

Image retrieved from https://jeangreyphoenix.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/character.jpg

If you have to ask if you’re an authentic leader, the answer is likely to be no. Why? Because being an authentic person is simply being yourself (PSUWC, Module 12, p.2) and if you can’t say yes then no one else can either. Being an authentic leader is really the same thing. It’s obvious when someone isn’t authentic because it comes off as patronizing.

I like to buy cars. It’s a very expensive impulse buy, I know. But I usually despise the car buying process. Why? Because I hate being patronized. I hate being “sold.” They’ll ask you what you want and then show you vehicles way above that price range. It is so obvious that they are trying to sell you a car, not meet your needs or fix your pain point. They want you to think they care but the authenticity isn’t there, and it shows.

I now have a salesperson and a dealership I work with because my he listens to me. He knows what I want and what I need (which aren’t always the same thing- I want a brand new Mustang… but I need the SUV). He knows my children’s names and will stop me in the grocery store to say hello.

That, to me, is what being an authentic leader is all about. I want my followers to never question my intentions. I want them to know that I genuinely care about them and I believe that it comes through in my actions. I don’t question if I’m an authentic person. Because I feel like if I had to ask then the answer would be no.

References

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015). PSYCH 485, Module12: AuthenticLeadership. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1486679/modules/items/15963935

Certified Real

July 29, 2014 by Willie Edward Mathis

After reading the lesson commentary and Northouse chapter on authentic leadership, I couldn’t help but to look at myself and put myself through the authenticity test. By nature, I am a quiet person. In settings where there are many people in the room I may have a question or a comment but due to my quiet nature most of the time those questions or comments never come out. I was once told that I’m “too nice” and in order to become President or CEO I would have to be a little more mean at times. I’ve heard this on more than one occasion and can’t help but to always respond that if I “act” mean then I’m not being myself. I cannot “act” and be genuine, people will see right through it. A lot of how I am is based on how I was raised. I was raised to never interrupt, to wait until the other person is speaking to talk, not to be rude, and to be polite and kind. When reading the lesson commentary, I was refreshed to learn that the concept of authentic leadership falls in line with my principles.

I rely heavily on relationships in order to get what I need to get done and to help others achieve their goals. The three ways to define authentic leadership of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and development are all used when I’m leading (2014 Northouse, p. 254). I know who I am, I know how to form genuine relationships and I’m aware that training is needed to shore up my weaknesses. There’s nothing more disheartening to find out that a person you look up to really isn’t who they portray to be. In my opinion, this is the quickest way to lose respect and in turn lose the ability to lead.

Although I’ve been told that “I’m too nice” on numerous occasions something has been working. I’m an Executive in my organization and I was able to do it by proving over and over my ability to lead change. It’s easy to look at others leadership styles and think to yourself, “if I had that, I’d be…”, but the refreshing things is that this course has taught me that there are different leadership styles. I’ve always thought to myself, I can’t force myself to be someone I’m not. If I did that I would be true to myself and I would not be able to put on the “hard face” when perceived to be appropriate and then take it off after the show is over. Who would want that? I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror everyday. When you review The Authentic Leader wheel characteristics, the inner ring lists purpose, values, relationships, self-discipline, and heart as the key to being an authentic leader (2014, Northouse p. 259). I guess I’ve been certified real.

References:

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

Do you work for a Toxic Leader?

July 11, 2014 by Aidan Kitching

It’s safe to assume that at one point or another, each of us has had the misfortune of experiencing toxic leadership. Wikipeida defines toxic leadership as “is a person who has responsibility over a group of people or an organization, and who abuses the leader–follower relationship by leaving the group or organization in a worse-off condition than when s/he first found them.” In other words, they’re a bad boss. Some example behaviors exhibited by a toxic leader could be:

Oppositional behavior.
Plays corporate power politics.
An over competitive attitude to other employees.
Perfectionistic attitudes.
Abuse of the disciplinary system (such as to remove a workplace rival).
A condescending/glib attitude.
They are shallow and lack self-confidence. Toxic leaders are not confident with themselves and become aggressive to cope.
Poor self-control and/or restraint.
Physical and/or psychological bullying.
Procedural inflexibility.
Discriminatory attitudes (sexism, etc.).
Causes workplace division instead of harmony.
Use “divide and rule” tactics on their employees.
Arrogant
Irritable

At a minimum they can be difficult to work for and in some circumstances they can be downright miserable to the point of warranting legal action. In most cases It can lead to undesired attrition of good people while the bad apples remain in place and continue spoiling the bunch.

So Why is it so tricky to identify toxic leaders?

Today’s fast paced challenges call for super-performance. As a result, people tend to focus on the results and deliverables, and not pay enough attention to the method or the way things get done. Additionally, in the corporate world, the effects of a toxic leader are harder to detect, and symptoms might be attributed to other issues or go unnoticed. Employees should feel secure in their workplace and know that their employer’s human resource department is there to intervene in situations of toxic leadership. While the employee should feel comfortable in being able to blow the whistle on this type of behavior it isn’t enough. Companies should also make sure they’re investing in establishing processes that first identify, and then keep toxic leaders at bay.

Watching out for toxic leadership in your organization. (n.d.). World’s Largest Professional Network. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140204184838-10810077-watching-out-for-toxic-leadership-in-your-organization

Toxic leader. (2014, June 7). Wikipedia. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_leader

Abandoning the Team Mentality

July 11, 2014 by Aidan Kitching

Are Two Heads Better Than One?

The mantra in corporate America today is “Collaboration! Collaboration! Working as a team is the path to success! Two heads are better than one!” … Well, I’m here as an advocate for just the opposite and to explain why a team mentality can actually be counter productive.

In theory, drawing many together to solve a common problem sounds like a much more efficient and productive way to address an issue rather than leaving it for the individual. In many cases this is true and there is an absolute value in combining the varied experiences and strengths of others to approach a problem. However, I believe common leadership style trends have recently begun to rely on this method as the standard. This misapplied collaboration can be prone to delaying an outcome and even produce long-term project setbacks as well as time consuming personnel conflicts. The key to proper collaboration is preparation on the part of the leader as well as the team members. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams, has spent a career exploring—and questioning—the wisdom of teams. When questioned about why teams typically fail he said:

“Research consistently shows that teams underperform, despite all the extra resources they have. That’s because problems with coordination and motivation typically chip away at the benefits of collaboration. And even when you have a strong and cohesive team, it’s often in competition with other teams, and that dynamic can also get in the way of real progress. So you have two strikes against you right from the start, which is one reason why having a team is often worse than having no team at all.”

While preparation and direction from the leader is imperative to the success of the team, there is no leader who can single handedly make his team succeed. They are there to facilitate the collaboration, referee personalities, direct efforts, and provide guidance. Teams create their own realities and control their own destinies to a much greater extent than most team leaders realize.

Often a team will fail because the task itself is either one which only requires minor effort or produces a variety of viable solutions. Teams will go around in circles trying to decide on the most beneficial solution when any of the options will serve.

Teams can be very productive but proper preperation and evaluation of the problem is the most important step in beging to find a solution.

Why Teams Dont Work. (n.d.). Harvard Business Review. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from http://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work/ar/1

Lady Gaga as an Authentic Leader

November 17, 2013 by mrs5728

Authentic Leadership Gaga Rezied

When it comes to authentic leadership, Bill George identifies five dimensions and their respective characteristics that someone must develop in order to be an authentic leader. These five dimensions of purpose, values, relationships, self-discipline, and heart can all be seen within the pop star, Lady Gaga (Northouse. pp. 259. 2013).

Besides being known for pop music, Lady Gaga has been referred to as the queen of the outcasts because of her support of individuals who ride the boarder of social outcasts and underdogs. As everyone knows, Lady Gaga is far from what most people call “normal” and as a result suffered much bullying growing up. In multiple interviews she has recalled moments of bullying to the extent of being thrown in a trash can by her peers (Kristof). Propelled by her own experiences, Lady Gaga made it her purpose to help others rejoice in their individuality and not feel like outcast.

Before rising to fame, she established her values that everyone was created equal and should all be treated with love and respect. Immediately upon arriving on the pop scene she began using her stardom to promote equality within the LGBT community. As time progressed she began addressing issues of teen suicide, eating disorders, drug and alcohol use and the important of continuing education. To combat these issues she established the Born This Way Foundation, named after her third album “BORN THIS WAY”, with the help of her mother, Oprah Winfrey and members of Harvard University (Carrick-Davies). Lady Gaga was quoted as saying that the foundation was created to “foster a more accepting society, where differences are embraced and individuality is celebrated, helping to connect young people with the skills and opportunities they need to build a braver, kinder world” (Carrick-Davies).

Her relationships with her followers, known as Little Monsters, grew immensely overtime through constant interaction. For example, during her Born This Way Ball Tour, the Born This Way Foundation would set up a festival in the city she was performing for youth to attend and have an opportunity to receive a warm meal and participate in activities promoting the values held by the foundation. During these festivals, Lady Gaga would make appearances and participate in the activities while bonding with her fans. In her eyes, her Little Monsters are like her children, earning her the nickname “Mother Monster.”

The amount of self-discipline it takes for her to continue this relationship says a lot about her character. As most people know, Lady Gaga ended up cancelling her Born This Way Ball prematurely as an injury she acquired while on tour developed into something worse. Through tweets and PR statements made by her management team, it was revealed that Lady Gaga had suffered a hip injury earlier in the year, but ignored the pain in fear that cancelling the show would let down her Little Monsters. After multiple performances she reached a point where she could no longer walk and was forced to throw in the towel. At first they thought it was a labral tear, but in reality it was much worse. “I had broken my hip. Nobody knew, and I haven’t even told the fans yet.” She then continued to explain, “The surgeon told me that if I had done another show I might have needed a full hip replacement. I would have been out at least a year, maybe longer” (Corner). The fact that she broke her hip and continued to perform says a lot about her self-discpline.

After breaking her hip, she continued communicating with her Little Monsters over social media websites until she came across Emma. Emma was a Little Monster who suffered from scoliosis and hip dysplasia. After hearing her story Lady Gaga made arrangement to have Emma flown to New York and paid for her to receive treatment from the same medical team that provided her own hip surgery (Gaga Daily Staff). The fact that she continued to communicate with her fans and assist them during her own recovery shows a lot of heart and true compassion for her cause.

Because of her display of these five dimensions and the number of lives she has changed because of her efforts, it is safe to say that Lady Gaga displays the characteristics of true authentic leadership.

References

Carrick-Davies, S. (2012, May 3). Gaga’s born this way foundation: Are we born to be brave? Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/stephen-carrickdavies/lady-gaga-born-this-way-foundation-are-we-born-to-be-brave-_b_1320399.html

Corner, L. (2013, July 30). Lady gaga talks hip surgery. Retrieved from http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a502310/lady-gaga-talks-hip-surgery-my-injury-was-actually-a-lot-worse.html

GaGa Daily Staff. “Lady Gaga Helps Fan Get Surgery: Emma’s Story.” Gaga Daily. N.p., 17 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://gagadaily.com/news/lady-gaga-fan-surgery/>.

Kristof, N. D. . (2012, Feb. 29). Born To Not Get Bullied. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/opinion/kristof-born-to-not-get-bullied.html?_r=0

Northhouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice. (6th ed., pp. 259-260). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.