Discovering an Authentic Leader

There are many qualities that come to mind when a person thinks of a good leader. It may not be an actual person that is pictured when term “leader” comes in casual conversation, but instead just a series of characteristics or experiences that might make a person fit to be in charge. Or rather instead there are some that see themselves when they think of authority and power, still even those that imagine what they could become if given the proper training. The emphasis society places on leadership is undoubtedly instilled within the minds of every child from a young age that are urged that having a sense of leadership is the only way to be successful. Despite this, only few are really fit for a position where

Contrary to what some might believe a successful leader should represent, authentic leadership shows us that a leader is not someone who leads without being willing to follow. An authentic leader can and should be vulnerable, open, and the truest version of themselves. These leaders do not have all of the answers, and they are willing to admit it. This openness creates an environment of mutual trust and respect and ultimately creates a positive work

Being a leader is not considered a job or position. Becoming a leader is not a talent, job or position. Although, leadership can be rewarding and difficult at the same time. In today’s society, “the kind of leadership necessary to move social movements forward is very different from the type of leadership required in a military setting, especially on the battlefield. A more sharpened focus on leadership processes versus individual leader traits and behaviors deepens our understanding of the complexities and interactive nature of leadership” (Komives, Lucas and McMahon 2013, 46). My goal is to understand how to face the complexities in life as a leader to communities, universities, organizations, the workplace and the world. As a leader,

Towards the end of the program, the DNP student’s mentor, Dr. Marie Etienne handed out an Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire created by Walumbwa and Associates to all participants. This self-assessment questionnaire assessed these four components: self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency. Participants were able to identify based on their score if they had a strong or weak authentic leadership. Scores ranged from very high, high, low and very low. The DNP student had a high authentic leadership

In the Leadership Challenge, 4th edition, it is Kouzes & Posner (2007) intention to present a road map for individuals to follow on their leadership journey. The authors stress that “leadership is not a gene and it’s not an inheritance.” Leadership they assert is “an identifiable set of skills and abilities that are available to all of us” (p. 23). They make clear that the “great person” theory of leadership is “plain wrong.” Leaders are our everyday heroes who do extraordinary things on a regular basis (p. 23).

In my book “True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership” by Bill George, I learned that it is impossible to be a perfect leader. I read about a variety of different leaders and their successes and failures that lead to them developing their leadership styles and values. Most importantly, I learned that the hardest person you will ever have to lead is yourself because once you are fully comfortable with who you are, leading others authentically becomes much easier.

Authentic leadership emphasizes that leaders must practice self-awareness, optimism, resiliency, balanced processing (valuing others’ input and all relevant information prior to making decisions), and relational transparency (being one’s self in all interactions). The authentic leader values bringing out the best in others and continually ensures that his/her behavior is both ethical and moral at all times (Laschinger, Borgogni, Consiglio, & Read, 2015). In order to be an authentic leader, a person must request and receive feedback with an open mind and take advantage of opportunities to explore one’s self, which often results in the individual feeling vulnerable (Kerfoot, 2006). Vulnerability is uncomfortable for many due to our society’s emphasis on being autonomous

Across five separate readings, I have discovered and learnt different aspects that make a great leader. More importantly though, is I have been exposed to ways that particularly relate to me and furthermore how I can use this knowledge to benefit my growth in becoming a great leader. These five readings include; “Legacy: 15 lessons in leadership: what the All Blacks can teach us about the business of life” (Kerr, J. 2013), “The authenticity paradox: why feeling like a fake can be a sign of growth” (Ibarra H. 2014), “The power of Appreciative inquiry: a practical guide to positive change” (Whitney, D., Trosten-Bloom, A. 2003), “Salsa, soul and spirit: Leadership for a multi-cultural age” (Bordas. J. 2012) and “Leading with questions: How

The article I chose attempts to define a leader, the types of leaders, and the ways in which a person can be an excellent leader. The author, Tom Decotils, lists three types of leaders: An appointed leader or someone who is a leader in name, an accepted leader or a leader in practice, and an authentic leader. Decotils suggests that when obtaining a leadership role, one must strive to be an “authentic leader,” whose focus is on results by moving followers forward through teamwork and insisting on personal excellence. (Decotils, 2015, para. 1) Decotils states that an authentic leader has good intentions, grit, and a constant yearning for improvement. (Decotils, 2015, para. 5) Additionally, an authentic leader must have a good

Kouzes and Posner support an approach to leadership that is practical and workable on a day-to-day basis. For these authors, becoming a leader requires a commitment to five fundamental guiding practices: 1) challenging the process, 2) inspiring a shared vision, 3) enabling others to act, 4) modeling the way, and 5) encouraging the heart. These five themes of leadership - honesty, forward-looking, inspiring, competent, and credible are traits to be admired and followed. They are qualities that we, can strengthen in ourselves as we work with our colleagues to accept the challenges of leadership. Because to be a leader, one has to believe in oneself, but with reasonable doubt and humility. One has to have a zeal for the role and genuinely care

I aspire to be a well-rounded leader capable of fluidly adapting to situations and effectively using the appropriate leadership tool. To accomplish this goal, I understand that I need to further develop certain aspects of my leadership and learn strategies and skills from leaders with diverse strengths. In actuality, these differences represent the gap between where I am and where I desire to be. Although working outside your natural tendencies is challenging, the reward for gaining these skills is immeasurable when leading

“Leaders must regularly turn off the noise and ask themselves what they stand for and what kind of an example they want to set” (Harry Kraemer). In this final paper, I will be going through chapter by chapter how I assessed myself based on each chapter’s topic. I will also be providing an analysis of my strengths, gaps, patterns, and themes to gather a leadership profile of sorts. And will finish it all out by developing a leadership plan of my own.

Inscribed on the entrance wall at the ancient Greek Temple of Apollo at Delphi are the words “know thyself”. Can a leader be truly effective without first knowing one’s self? Although it has roots in ancient times, authentic leadership is a concept that began to emerge in its modern form in the 1960s. It wasn’t until 2003 when Bill George wrote about authentic leadership and its connection to ancient Greece that it became a popular leadership concept (Clark, 2014). Bill George is senior fellow at Harvard Business School, where he has taught leadership since 2004. He is the author of four best-selling books: 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis, True North, Finding Your True North, and Authentic Leadership, as well True North Groups. His newest book, Discover Your True North, was published in August of 2015 along with its companion workbook, The Discover Your True North Fieldbook. Leading that is consistent with the core values and personality of the leader and one who leads from an honest, ethical and practical perspective is an indicator of authentic leadership. It is through the leader’s authentic self how that is perceived by others that determines whether followers believe the leader is authentic. It is through honest relationships and ethical actions that help to maximize the efforts of others in achieving the goal (George, 2016).

Northouse (2012) suggests that authentic leadership’s roots originate with transformational leadership; “It was identified earlier in transformational leadership research but never fully articulated” (p. 253). With authentic leadership being one of the theories which most influenced me, I thought it important to talk about this theory and learn how authentic leadership sprouted from this earlier system. As stated by Northouse (2012), the transformational leadership theory originated in 1973 by Downton (p. 185). “As its name implies, transformational leadership is a process that changes and transforms people” (Northouse, 2012, p. 185). This style of leadership is similar to authentic leadership in that they both relate to creating connection with their followers. In addition, as remarked by Northouse (2012), “Transformational leadership is concerned with improving the performance of followers and developing followers to their fullest potential (Avolio, 1999;

Although there are many outstanding, albeit necessary qualities of a good leader, it is the leader’s beliefs in which greatness is given its first breath, fostered by action, and spread throughout the institution. A great leader believes in encouraging, not destroying; in setting the precedence instead of yielding to prominence ; in collaboration, not division; in giving, not taking; and in having high standards and volunteering to be the first of many to be held to them. A great leader does not take advantage of the people being lead, but instead, creates an advantage for the people by giving them the opportunities to lead. Only when people take ownership of an institution will passion be cultivated, action be taken,