“Leaders are not born, leaders are made”, I am a strong believer of this quote which generally states that leadership qualities are progressively learned. It disregards the assumption that good leaders are born with good qualities. Authentic leadership is style of leadership that builds legitimacy, honesty and fosters a good relationship between the leaders and their subordinates. Authentic leadership acknowledges the input of every member of the organization and appreciates them. This approach of leadership is based on ethical footings thus it perpetuates safeguarding the human rights as well as successfully pursuing the organization’s goals. For quite a long time now, authentic leadership styles have been researched in order to establish what authenticity is really made of, It has progressively gained acceptance in contemporary organizations where leaders have become more genuine and self-aware in their operations.
Authentic leadership as established in this paper is based on morals and ethics and entails key principles such as balance processing and management, relational transparency, self— awareness and internalization of moral perspectives. What is authenticity? In order to understand what authentic leadership entails, one should first understand what authenticity really is. It proves to be difficult to exhaustively define authenticity especially in the modern world due to the several definitions present Authentic trends are present in the entertainment industry, politics and business. The definitions in these fields greatly differ in meaning and in practice. While an authentic leader in business should show his/her authenticity through behavior and actions, an authentic celebrity shows their authenticity through self-proclamation. Authenticity in leadership is about understanding your inner self before clarifying it through actions.
Self-assessment and evaluation is where authenticity starts. As much as self-assessment plays a major role in authentic leadership, it is also important that the leader listens to his subordinates to get their views before he can make a final decision. Authenticity therefore is an all rounded practice that ensures the expectations of everyone involved are met and at the same time the expected results are achieved. Qualities of authentic leadership As much as theorists have different view of authenticity, their different interpretations are based on the facets of truthfulness, openness and doing what is morally right. Authentic leadership entails self-actualization which helps an individual to establish their emotions, strengths and limitations. It allows leaders to reveal who they truly are to their subordinates Authenticity entails being truthful t0 and genuine to the employees so that the leader does not hide the mistakes that he has done nor hide his weaknesses for fear of looking inferior and weak to his subordinates.
By so doing, leaders continually gain better qualities that help them to overcome their weaknesses Mission Driven Authentic leaders are guided and focused on achieving specific results rather than self-interests. They put the goals of the organization before and above other interest They are consistent in their operations in pursuit of exponential results for the organization rather than themselves. This is not a common quality in many leaders. Most leaders are in their position because of the affluence they get from it. However, authentic leaders lead by their hearts not just by their mind. They put aside all their aspiration and focus their energy and might toward the organization’s performance In order to achieve that, the leader associates and connects with his subordinates regardless of his vulnerabilities in order to perpetuate excellence within his organization.
Self-awareness This is a Greek term that means “know thyself”. [t is centered on selfvunderstanding and internalization to know your outer and inner qualities, These individual qualities have a great impact on what type of leader an individual becomes. In authentic leadership, self— awareness is manifested in various ways which include understanding your: weaknesses and strengths, your multi—layered concept, your exposure and your impact on other people. Authentic leadership disregards creating a false facade about yourself and encourages showcasing genuine character and behavior. For that reason, shrugged ways and weaknesses are revealed and appropriate measures are taken to solve or improve them It asserts that weaknesses provide an opportunity to learn new life lessons hence the constant manifestation of mistakes encourages learning and eventually the character of a leader is molded.
Self-awareness also challenges leaders to constantly reflect on their performance hence they actively ask for feedback from their subordinates. They practice self-observation that makes them aware of peoples feeling thus they treat other people humanely Internalized moral perspective Authentic leadership entails doing what is right at all-time regardless of who is watching This is especially because authenticity revolves around what is ethical and fair for everyone. For that reason authentic leadership entails great concern of moral components. It is important to note that a moral perspective is not something that can be imposed or enforced on a leader, It is greatly influenced by the individual’s behavior and self—regulation which is and internalized moral. Balanced processing Authentic leadership entails being assertive rather than being aggressive. It entails making moral decisions and making them from a fair perspective. Leadership should be based on fairness and openness.
Opinions should therefore be encourages in decision making which is a value that authentic leadership enforces. It is also imperative to develop the ability to listen to employees since that does not make leadership soft. As a matter of fact listening enables leaders to make informed and tougher decisions than they would have made by themselves without consultation Authentic leadership therefore gives subordinates a sense of satisfaction and ownership when their opinions are considered Relational transparency Transparency and genuineness are key considerations of authentic leadership. Authentic leadership requires leader to be honest in the way the act and communicate.
It strongly discourages mid-games and hidden agendas by leaders as it seeks to make an environment that is inclusive, where people can openly declare their stands regarding their relationship with their leader. Transparency in this case does not entail revealing personal information, and neither does it mean that leaders should allow their emotions to lead them It simply means that the manner in which leaders operate and the command that they give should not be mysteriously enshrouded. Leaders should have genuine intentions while performing their tasks since that is what is required of authentic leadership, Conclusion As seen in the essay, authenticity is especially individual centric.
It starts with molding of an individual’s character and allowing other to help you overcome your weaknesses. lt entails putting the insLituLional goals first before other privileges and self‘ interestst One‘s a leader gains authentic qualities, he/ she is able to create relationships and engagements with the subordinates. By so doing, the leader easily associates with the employees situations and understands the issues that they raise. When there is a mutual relation between the leader and his subordinates, mutual respect also prevails which maintains a safe and healthy environment of operations. Authentic leadership is therefore a priced necessity that many leaders should adopt in order to run their organizations effectively and efficiently.
