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.