WHAT IS AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP?

You must be aware that the concept of management or authentic leadership implies that you, as a manager or leader, should adapt your style of behavior and leadership according to the situation in order to achieve the best results. Unfortunately, some leaders mistakenly believe that they should play a role in every situation and engage in dishonest and duplicitous behaviors with different staff members. Undoubtedly, these individuals gradually lose the trust of their staff, and their staff will not like them. Authentic leadership style opposes this approach. However, before defining and presenting the characteristics of authentic leadership, let us become more familiar with the concept of authenticity.

What is Authenticity?

“Authenticity” is rooted in ancient Greek philosophy. The motto of these philosophers was “be yourself.” Therefore, authenticity means being genuine, true to oneself, and honest with oneself. When you are yourself in any situation and not playing a role, it means your behavior is based on authenticity. Authenticity means being pure and real, not a copy, imitation, or pretense. In other words, authenticity is the harmony of an individual’s thoughts, speech, feelings, and actions. This consistency fosters trust, and followers love leaders who build trust.

Definition of authentic leadership

The concept of authentic leadership was introduced in 2003 by Mr. Bill George, who is a business executive and a professor at Harvard University. This concept has gained significant popularity.Based on the definition provided, we can understand authentic leadership as a leadership style where the leader is true to themselves, transparent with themselves and others, and does not engage in pretense or role-playing. In authentic leadership, being genuine and true to oneself means that the leader operates from their innermost self. Being honest with oneself allows an authentic leader to access their core essence, values, beliefs, and principles. This helps them have an inner moral compass and make the right decisions in various situations, becoming the best leader for their followers. On the other hand, the behaviors of an authentic leader build trust in others. This is because authentic leadership is based on ethics, humanity, and valuing others. Authentic leaders are generally positive individuals who willingly support their followers. Their legitimacy is established in their relationships with their followers. They have the ability to uplift the performance of their teams and individuals. This approach is presented as a counterpoint to leaders who prioritize profitability without regard for human and ethical issues.

Characteristics and Dimensions of Authentic Leadership

Authentic leaders base their behavior on what comes from within themselves, so the style of each authentic leader is unique and distinct. However, there are some characteristics that are commonly seen in all authentic leaders, which can help identify them. These characteristics include:

Continuous Effort for Growth, Self-Awareness, and Self-Discovery

Authentic leaders are consistently engaged in the process of learning and personal growth. They are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and actively work on self-improvement. These leaders are familiar with their principles, values, and beliefs; they revisit and align their actions based on these principles.

Authenticity, Transparency, and Natural Expression
Authentic leaders behave genuinely and truthfully. They don’t lie or pretend to be stronger or better than they are. They freely express their viewpoints, beliefs, and emotions and have transparent behavior. They acknowledge their mistakes, take responsibility for them, and learn from them. They are willing to ask for help from others without hesitation. Authentic leaders are not afraid of others knowing their mistakes and weaknesses, and they don’t fear appearing vulnerable. This transparency, natural expression, and openness of authentic leaders convey a sense of humility, confidence, and trust to those around them and increase their influence on their followers.

Valuing Others and Embracing Different Perspectives
Authentic leadership places a high value on people. Authentic leaders care about individuals and help them flourish. They can uncover the pearls within people (their talents and outstanding abilities) and show them the way. Assisting followers in discovering who they are and providing honest feedback is a characteristic of an authentic leader. This is the same distinction that Steve Jobs had at Apple. Don’t miss this article: “What is authentic Leadership? How to Become an authentic Leader?” Additionally, authentic leaders listen to all perspectives. They accept opposing viewpoints and fairly address and pay attention to them.

Adherence to Principles and Values
Perhaps the most defining characteristic of authentic leadership is the possession of strong principles and values and a steadfast commitment to them. These principles and values serve as guiding lights for authentic leaders in different circumstances. It means they may take different actions in various situations, but they never compromise their principles and values, even if it goes against their best interest. The positive ethical foundation of authentic leadership in relationships and decision-making enables the leader to stand firm despite external pressures. These principles and values give the leader the courage to challenge the status quo (even if they themselves are responsible for it) or to defend the existing state of affairs. Followers appreciate relying on such a steadfast leader. Authentic leadership is based on values that arise from within, personal beliefs, and convictions. Authentic leaders consistently uphold these values in all situations. These values are shaped and improved over the years through study, reflection, experience, consultation, and more. The main criterion for recognizing authentic leaders is not just their words but their unwavering commitment to these values. Honesty and integrity are among the values to which all authentic leaders adhere.

Understanding Their Purpose and Mission, and Pursuing It with Enthusiasm
Authentic leaders focus on discovering their own purpose by looking within themselves, their talents, and their interests. They choose a mission for themselves that they can pursue with enthusiasm and passion. Authentic leaders are mission-driven and emphasize long-term results. They undertake their work to achieve meaningful outcomes, not for the sake of gaining power, money, or enhancing their own ego and self-centeredness.

Leadership with Heart
Authentic leaders lead with both their mind and their heart. They are not afraid to express their emotions and to appear vulnerable. Leading with heart and emotions does not mean that they lack decisiveness. In fact, these individuals can be very decisive, especially when needed, and provide direct feedback to others. However, they do so with empathy and an understanding of the feelings of those they are communicating with. Therefore, leading with heart means empathizing with others.

Building Sustainable Relationships
Authentic leaders have the ability to foster exceptional commitment in their followers. This is a result of their capacity to establish enduring personal relationships with their followers. Their honesty, sincerity, and the value they place on others allow them to create rich and meaningful relationships with people. Followers reciprocate this by displaying commitment, loyalty, and selflessness toward authentic leaders.

Personal Discipline
Personal discipline is evident in authentic leadership. Authentic leaders understand that striving to fulfill their mission and achieve meaningful, sustainable results requires order and accountability. Due to their passion for their mission, maintaining personal discipline is not a challenge for them. They set high performance standards for themselves and their teams and diligently adhere to these standards with determination and a strong sense of responsibility.
“If I knew that being authentic and myself would make me so rich, I would have chosen it for my work and life much earlier.”
– Winfrey Oprah

Development of Authentic Leadership

Authentic leadership is built over the years through self-awareness, self-discovery, and drawing on rich inner resources. Many authentic leaders have faced incredibly challenging circumstances at some point in their lives. Instead of giving up, they learned valuable lessons from these experiences, and these challenging situations served as inspiration for the development of their leadership style and mission.
The hardships encountered by authentic leaders have allowed them to discover themselves and become aware of their unique talents and capabilities. Therefore, authentic leadership is constructed based on your inner qualities, not according to leadership styles presented in scientific literature. Other authentic leaders who have not faced such extreme hardships have set challenging goals for themselves due to their high insight and self-awareness. The experiences they have had along this path have made them capable and authentic leaders.