Authentic Leadership

INTRODUCTION

This week’s topic got me searching myself to know how many personalities I possess and when I apply each. It is obvious that not only leaders have the potential or feel the need to be different people at different times and in different situations or environments, followers or simple everyday people are faced with tough demands from work, family, the environment etc., adding one’s faith to it makes life a little more complicated.

The question now is, at what point do we stop and ask ourselves, ‘who I’m I? Is this the real me? In other words, I’m I being authentic, more or less authentic or inauthentic?

Authenticity Leadership

Gardner et al (2005) defined authenticity as owning one’s personal experiences (values, thoughts, emotions and beliefs) and acting according to those personal experiences. What standards define a person’s personal experience which in turn makes the person authentic? Gardner also stated that an authentic leader is able to achieve authenticity through self-awareness, self—acceptance, authentic actions and relationships with followers and associates. Being self-aware makes it possible for a leader to evaluate his values, identity, motives and goals and keep all these variables in check and this brings about the ability to manage oneself or self-regulation as posited by Gardner et al (2005). Self-regulation stated that certain distinguishing features are associated with self –regulation and they include:

1. Internalized regulation: the ability for one to be true to him/herself about his values, beliefs, motives, goals, makes it easy for a fault, when noticed, to be corrected. The intrinsic regulation is that system which states the expectation and the current state and agrees to the areas for correc...

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...n political intelligence go together with authenticity?

Works Cited

Gardner W.L et al (2005) Can you see the real me? A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. Vol. 16, pages 343-372 [Online] available at: http://uwtv.org/files/2013/01/gardneravolioluthansmaywalumbwa2005.pdf. Accessed 19th April 2014

Avolio, B.J & Gardner, W.L (2005) authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. Vol. 16 pages315-338 [Online] Available at: http://www.keyleadership.com/Downloads/Authentic%20Leadership%20Development%20.pdf. Accessed 20th April 2014

Emuwa A. (2013) Authentic Leadership: Commitment to Supervisor, Follower Empowerment, and Procedural Justice Climate. Vol. 6(1) pages 45-65 [Online] available at: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/elj/vol6iss1/3elj_vol6iss1_emuwa.pdf. Accessed 20th April 2014