Leading authentically
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-03-2015-0026 |
| Published date | 08 June 2015 |
| Pages | 109-110 |
| Date | 08 June 2015 |
| Author | Tracy Duberman |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
Leading authentically
Tracy Duberman
Tracy Duberman is the President
and CEO of The Leadership
Development Group, New York,
USA.
Being authentic can not only
improve the quality of your
interpersonal relationships
but also your performance as a
leader. Someone who is authentic is
open and honest, transparent in
one’s intentions and expectations
and practices his/her values
consistently. Authentic leaders are
genuine and true, and have a vision
of success that is wholesome and
optimistic. They also understand the
importance of leading through
demonstration and collaboration,
rather than barking orders and
demanding results. Truly authentic
leaders translate words into
actions – they stick to their
convictions and set forth an
operational plan to achieve better
business results.
Authentic leadership is a relatively
new theory of leadership that
originally stemmed from the four
cardinal virtues of ancient Greek
philosophy. These virtues are
prudence, temperance, justice and
fortitude, and have molded the
modern theory of authentic
leadership to comprise four key
elements:
1. Balanced processing
(prudence): Authentic leaders
keep an open mind to all
possible courses of action so as
to be fair-minded when making
decisions, and lead open
discussions with others to
choose the best possible option.
2. Self-awareness (temperance):
To be an authentic leader, it is
important to be emotionally
balanced and in control, and to
know one’s own strengths and
limitations.
3. Relational transparency (justice):
Authentic leaders do not have
hidden agendas, and are fair in
their dealings with others.
4. Internalized moral perspective
(fortitude): Simply put, authentic
leaders place great attention on
ethical consideration and have
the courage to do the right thing
(Table I).
These virtues of authentic leaders
lead to concrete business results
because they enable a relationship
between leaders and team members
built on trust. The role of the
authentic leader is to encourage
and motivate others, and keep team
members on track with operational
goals by instilling a shared mission,
and outlining marginal steps to
achieving success. When team
leaders are authentic and true, the
rest of the team is willing and eager
to go the extra mile.
How to become an authentic
leader?
Start with work on your emotional
intelligence (EI) and self-awareness.
How to ...
DOI 10.1108/SHR-03-2015-0026 VOL. 14 NO. 3 2015, pp. 109-110, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 STRATEGIC HR REVIEW PAGE 109
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