Leadership Module: Critical Thinking Critical Thinking: Authentic Leadership

Module Number
Leadership
Module: Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking: Authentic leadership
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Introduction
Authentic leadership is the style of leadership that focuses on transparency, genuineness
and honesty in the behavior of leaders. With the help of these traits, authentic leaders are capable
of building good ties with their team members and build the relationship of trust, cooperation and
team work spirit.
Authentic leaders are self-aware and genuine. For instance, authentic leaders are the type
of individuals who realize their strengths, their weaknesses, and emotions. They are genuine
because they show their real self to their subordinates. These leaders are objective-driven and
focus on consequences and they often focus on long-term values.
Fig1: Traits of authentic leaders (Source: shutter-stock)
Authentic leadership as a determinant of organizational or individual success
Over the decades, several researchers have put their efforts into investigating the impact
of authentic leadership on the proper functioning of companies and the job outcomes of
subordinates. Many supporters believe that authentic leaders show their true self to their
followers and consequently build good ties with them based on trust, cooperation and team work
spirit among them. Authentic leadership skills enable team leaders to build a positive and
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rewarding relationship and enable employees to participate in the decision-making process of an
organization. Authentic leadership enables organizations to retain their employees by
guaranteeing ethical and moral standards operating procedures. Supporters of authentic
leadership believe that subordinates of such leaders are more motivated towards their
organizational goals with freedom of managing their lives in the company. Factors or authentic
leadership that contributes to the success of organizations include genuine behavior of leaders
and their self-actualization and trait of building food ties with their subordinates. On the other
hand, organizations also face failure if leaders give excuses in being genuine and showing
honesty to their organizations because it is difficult to be authentic in behavior and relationships
(Ford & Harding, 2011).
Elements of authentic leadership; behavioral elements
Key elements of authentic leadership include their purposeful vision, self-awareness, are
compassion, are capable of identifying emotions, they are good at managing emotion, and using
emotions.
Behavioral elements of authentic leaders include a high level of self-awareness. They are
well known for their strengths, limitations, and emotions. Authentic leaders are genuine because
they show their self-awareness by ensuring that their inner values better reveal their behavior and
self-awareness help them in regulating their behavior and dealing with external pressure. They
are transparent in their actions they believe in sharing their ideas with their subordinates with a
balanced display of their emotions because these leaders are emotionally stable. Authentic
leaders are known for rational transparency so their own their mistakes and share their success.
They are individuals who show a strong moral code in their public relationships and decision-
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making process. They are ethical in their actions and they are good at controlling their actions
according to their moral values (Northouse, 2019).
Fig2: Behavioral elements of authentic leaders (Source: slide-share)
Role of emotional intelligence in authentic leadership
There is a significant similarity between the model of authentic leadership and emotional
intelligence. Authentic leaders often apply the model of emotional intelligence. Emotional
intelligence skills enable individuals to understand their emotional state and authentic leaders are
also self-actualized individuals so emotional intelligence is very crucial for authentic leaders. It
enables leaders to understand and manage people and their emotions in their surroundings. And
with the help of emotional intelligence leaders help their subordinates in performing their routine
tasks.
Emotional intelligence enables leaders to build a connection with their own emotions,
and help them in developing a more connected and motivated workforce. Emotional intelligence
makes authentic leaders more effective and makes them capable of inspiring others, provide
them with better communication skills, and enable them to build good ties with fellows and
subordinates. This is emotional intelligence that helps leaders to understand their subordinates
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and the people surrounding them. It provides skills of self-awareness, self-regulation, self-
motivation, social awareness, and interpersonal skills to leaders and all of these traits are crucial
and integral traits of authentic leadership (Osi Dewina, 2018).
Amazon; authentic leadership
The President and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos is an authentic leader. He expressed an
interpersonal approach to authentic leadership. Jeff Bezos is interested in building good ties with
his subordinates, and he is always willing of putting forth the effort to make it real. He is a leader
who is self-acknowledged and he possesses self-regulating behavior that reveals his leadership
traits. He is a leader of great vision and he is also clear in his actions and vision. He has turned
his workforce into a better working group with a proper work-life balance approach. Employees
of Amazon are encouraged and motivated towards the achievement of organizational goals.
Personal evaluation
While writing the entire essay I have learnt a lot about the characteristics of authentic
leaders. By relating those attributes with myself I have realized that I do not possess these
characteristics as I am lacking in self-actualization and self-realization. I am not well aware of
my strengths and weaknesses but I am good at building relationships with y fellows. But I am an
emotionally unstable person and I do not have control over my emotions.
Conclusions
It is concluded that authenticity is important for the success of the organization and for
achieving organizational goals. It helps leaders in building a good relationship with their
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subordinates and builds the relationship of trust, openness, and cooperation among the
workforce.
References
Ford, J., & Harding, N. (2011). The impossibility of the “true self” of authentic leadership.
Leadership, 7(4), 463–479. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715011416894
Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership and Practice (eighteenth).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i4gxffz4emukvoq/Peter_G__Northouse_Leadership__T
%286%29.pdf?dl=0
Osi Dewina, L. (2018). The Importance of Emotional Intelligence for Internal Auditors.
Bappenas Working Papers, 1(1), 80–91. https://doi.org/10.47266/bwp.v1i1.11

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Module Number

Module: Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking: Authentic leadership

Authentic leadership is the style of leadership that focuses on transparency, genuineness

team work spirit.

focus on consequences and they often focus on long-term values.

Fig1: Traits of authentic leaders (Source: shutter-stock)

Authentic leadership as a determinant of organizational or individual success

organization. Authentic leadership enables organizations to retain their employees by

guaranteeing ethical and moral standards operating procedures. Supporters of authentic

honesty to their organizations because it is difficult to be authentic in behavior and relationships

(Ford & Harding, 2011).

Elements of authentic leadership; behavioral elements

according to their moral values (Northouse, 2019).

Fig2: Behavioral elements of authentic leaders (Source: slide-share)

Role of emotional intelligence in authentic leadership

and integral traits of authentic leadership (Osi Dewina, 2018).

Amazon; authentic leadership

characteristics as I am lacking in self-actualization and self-realization. I am not well aware of

emotionally unstable person and I do not have control over my emotions.

Leadership, 7(4), 463–479. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715011416894

Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership and Practice (eighteenth).

Bappenas Working Papers, 1(1), 80–91. https://doi.org/10.47266/bwp.v1i1.11

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