Authentic leadership in action
Last week we introduced the concept of authentic leadership which is essentially a leadership style that focuses on transparent and ethical behaviour, while encouraging open sharing of information needed to make decisions whilst accepting followers’ inputs.
The case for authentic leadership has been motivated by two main factors namely: people are tired of air-brushed leaders sitting on their high horses and leading from a distance.
In today’s world employees are encouraged by people who are honest, brave, and willing to roll up their sleeves and climb into the trenches.
This way employees can connect with their leaders because they relate to them.
Authentic leadership is about harnessing the power of your team by tapping into their intrinsic motivation and inspire them as beings.
Secondly employees are tired of having wool pulled over their eyes by leaders who try to deceive them to have an advantage over them.
Inauthenticity can often be recognised by others and become a disruptive, negative force, adding to uncertainty, distrust, and a lack of passion among employees.
Authentic leadership is important within organisations because it promotes open communication within a team and has wide- reaching benefits for the entire organisation.
Luenendock (2020) made assessments of the many positive effects because this type of leadership is generally very positive.
- Increase employee morale – when team members feel that their concerns can be voiced and addressed. Employees also tend to feel more comfortable with both their strengths and weaknesses.
- Increased productivity – productivity is increased when team members work together under a strong and authentic leader.
- Strengthened trust- when a leader is willing to listen to their employees and consider feedback, this can increase trust among workmates.
- Improved work environment- since authentic leaders strive to connect with their employees, they contribute to an improved work environment.
- Increased motivation – from a clearer understanding of one’s goals and genuine support from leaders.
- Enhanced engagement – between employees and the leader is enhanced since the leader puts emphasis on initiating and establishing their relationships with honesty.
- Consistency for the organisation- as leader determines core values and beliefs within an organisation, the leader shows the way employees to be themselves and respect the company’s values and beliefs and run the business accordingly.
- Heightened collaboration – as authentic leaders encourage the engagement of the employees within the organization to enhance the sharing of the different ideas, opinions, and perceptions that each employee has.
Although authentic leadership is a positive leadership style, it is often difficult to achieve as it is not always possible for leaders or individuals for that matter to express themselves as they truly are in various situations.
Meghan Keaney Anderson, HubSpot’s VP of Marketing, describes it like this “It’s funny that something so basic as being yourself starts to become harder as you gain responsibility and scope”.
We should however take note that, Authentic leadership is a skill, which can be developed over time depending on the Leaders conscious effort.
It is therefore critical for leaders to remain focused on demonstrating authenticity whenever possible.
The ambiguity around specific component of Authentic leadership have been questioned.
Northouse point out that whereas authentic leadership implies that leaders are motivated by higher order values such a s justice and community, the way these values’ function influence authentic leadership is unclear.
In addition to this ambiguity, the moral component can cause contradicting objectives within an organisation.
This is because the leader’s values might not always align with what is right for the organisation or its shareholders.
In fact, the needs of the subordinates and other stakeholders might not always meet.
For example, a leader might find themselves in a situation where they must either sacrifice their inner value of providing employee bonuses or provide these bonuses to grow the company’s sale potential.
Chiedza Kadare is an OD Practitioner. You can get in touch with her on WhatsApp/call +263 77 283 0986 or Email chiedza.kadare@gmail.com
Paul Nyausaru is an OD Practitioner and leadership coach. For all your OD interventions and leadership development training you can get in touch with him on WhatsApp/call +263774062756 or Email pnyausaru@gmail.com
