How Can to Become an Authentic Leader and Be Successful - Literature review Example

?Running head: How can you become an authentic leader and be successful? Insert   Insert Grade Insert 20 December How can you become an authentic leader and be successful? Introduction Modern societies and organizations are faced by various challenges and crisis, based on their type of leadership. Therefore, the thirst for new type of leadership is evident, one that is concerned with customers’ interests and needs, as well as employees’ motivation and well-being. This is in addition to a type of leadership, which emphasizes on creating and sustaining value for shareholders. Authentic leadership focuses on whether leadership is genuine; indeed, “from an intrapersonal perspective, authentic leadership incorporates the leader’s self knowledge, self regulation, and self concept“(Northouse, 2009, p.206). Therefore, authentic leaders lead from conviction, as they base their actions on their values; they are also original and do not imitate other individuals, and their leadership is genuine as well. Northouse (2009, p.207) adds that, from a developmental approach, authentic leaders can be viewed as nurtured, whereby, authenticity develops in form of a behavior pattern in an individual over a life time. In addition, there are five dimensions involved in authentic leadership: values, purpose, self-discipline, and heart, inclusive of several characteristics - behavior, compassion, consistency, passion, and connectedness. Authentic leaders have a sense of purpose, such that, they are aware of where they are going, since they are inspired by their goals (Northouse, 2009, p.212). They are also passionate about their job and have self-discipline, which assists them in achieving their goals, as it acts as a source of determination and accountability. Such leaders are compassionate, and are sensitive towards other’s feelings, having a will to assist them. According to George (2003, p.5), the modern society needs new leaders with a sense of purpose, and who can abide to their core values; in addition, they should have courage as a characteristic that will aid towards leading their organizations towards success. This paper will review theoretical approaches of authentic leadership, its components, and benefits. Benefits of authentic leadership According to Avolio et al (2005, p.802), due to the many crisis facing modern organizations, unique leaders are required in order to restore hope, optimism, resiliency, and confidence. Authentic leaders are capable of enhancing motivation, commitment, and satisfaction in their organizations. Building enduring organizations is not an easy task. Therefore, authentic leaders assist in building sustainable organizations, and they are capable of motivating their employees and maintaining a long-term value for the shareholders. Another benefit of authentic leaders is that they walk their talk; such leaders say what they mean, and therefore, they are ethically sound in their organizations. Due to their compassionate natures, they develop a special relationship with their followers based on mutual respect, trust, and support. These leaders are able to attain the best from their followers, since the subordinates are influenced by such leaders. In challenging times, they continue operating with humility, which inspires their juniors (The Cognitive Fitness Consultancy, 2009, p.4). Needless to say, the chances of continuous growth as an authentic leader are high, as individuals are capable of adjusting to the changing conditions. Authentic leadership fosters honesty and trust within the organization, and such leaders appreciate differences in opinions, leading to innovation enhancement. Bryman (2011, p.355) adds that authentic leadership mainly benefits the followers, who are said to increase their efforts in organizational activities, leading to better work performance. The followers also improve on their attitudes and mindset, such that, there is increased level of trust because of change in leadership. In addition, followers attain greater empowerment and moral development from authentic leadership. Authentic leaders recognize their followers’ talents and strengths as a result of the close relationship that exist; they then nurture these talents, which prove beneficial to an individual and the group as well (Wulffers, 2009, p.9). According to Avolio and Gardener (2005, p.324), authentic leadership is associated with several components. Self-awareness occurs when an individual is cognizant of his existence, and continuously understands his unique talents, purpose, value, and strengths. Self-regulation involves self-control, whereby, authentic leaders align their values with their intentions and deeds. This can be achieved by setting new or existing internal standards, assessing the differences between the set standards and the expected outcomes and identifying the intended actions. The third component is the positive moral perspective, where authentic leaders develop reserves of moral capacity, courage, and resiliency when addressing issues within their group, hence achieving sustained and authentic sustained actions (Avolio and Gardener, 2005, p.324). Theoretical approaches to authentic leadership Authentic leaders desire to serve others genuinely by using their natural abilities; they uphold consistency and self-discipline as values, and refusing to compromise, since they are dedicated to serving others. The capability of leading oneself and others is not an easy task; it requires determination and patience, as it is the case in any leadership. A number of theories support the authentic leadership; the ethical theories, which include intrinsic and extrinsic state that, intrinsic theory suggests that leadership is inherently ethical. It aims at meeting the followers’ needs and increasing their morale. Ethical leaders are principled decision makers who care about the interest of the society; hence, they do the right thing while upholding the values of openness, integrity, and fairness (Walumbwa, et al. 2008, p.102). Authentic leadership theory focuses on building people’s strengths; therefore, they do not fake their leadership with an aim of attaining a managerial position. However, they are original and their actions are based on their values; this theory responds to the standards of integrity and accountability. Moreover, this theory is characterized by self-awareness whereby, an individual develops a sense of self, which enables him to make firm decisions. It is also characterized by relational transparency, which involves high levels of openness, trust, and fairness. Authentic leadership theory contributes to organizational success through restoration of optimism, hope, and confidence, fostering transparent relationships and decisions that create trust and commitment within a group. In addition, the authentic leadership theory focuses on ethical leadership, which upholds moral and ethical standards, whereby, the leaders refuse to compromise and prefer to lead according to their values. Walumbwa, et al. (2008, p103) argue that, the authentic leadership theory consists of components that focus on self-awareness, balance processing, moral perspective, and relational transparency, which represent the characteristics of authentic leadership. According to Avolio, et al. (2004, p.806), authentic leaders have a desire to serve others rather that lead; they are more interested in empowering their followers and aspire to make a difference in people’s lives. These leaders are aware of the individual differences, and therefore, they have the ability of motivating individuals in order for them to identify their talents and hence improving them to strengths. George (2003, p.18) emphasizes that the authentic leaders consists of five qualities - understanding their purpose, putting it to action, solid values, leading with heart, practicing self-discipline, and establishing relationships within the group. However, in order to sustain authenticity, a leader must continuously develop these qualities and sustain them. Social Identity Approach People can categorize themselves as a group or as an individual; if an individual belongs to certain group, they feel proud to be associated with their group and value their membership. Authentic leaders are cautious on the effect their actions have on the group members; they influence the level to which members of the group identify strongly with their group. These leaders create moral values, which reveal high levels of honesty and integrity among their followers. The leaders’ ethical behaviors send a strong message to their followers, and as a result, such behavior influences the followers’ behavior and performance as well. Therefore, authentic leaders’ openness, commitment, honesty, and fairness influence the success of their followers; such leadership behavior motivates the followers to adhere to the goals and objectives of the group (Avolio, et al. 2004, p.808). Nevertheless, if leaders are not precise on their needs, values, abilities and motivations, it is difficult for them to develop personally and as leaders. The social identity theory of leadership views leadership as a function of a group rather than an individual’s function. This theory explains the group’s behavior, claiming that groups give members a sense of identity. First, members are categorized depending on their group. Secondly, they attain social identification, which enables members to adopt the identity of a particular group. Finally, social comparison involves comparison of that group to other groups. Needless to say, social identification is vital for group members. The willingness to associate themselves with a group can only prove that they are motivated as members and are satisfied with the present type of leadership. Exploring Your Authentic Self within a Group As a member of a discussion group in the university, I uphold the values of self-discipline and honesty; however, the pressure present in groups sometimes pushes me to loose patience, and as a result neglecting the consistent behavior, which aims at being an authentic leader. In addition, I have had a problem with accepting my weaknesses, and as a result failing to improve on them. Needless to say, I have a desire of getting things done fast and effectively, with my impatience being directed towards the slow individuals. In addition, as a leader, I am open to both positive and negative feedback. Regardless of how sensitive feedback may be, I believe it enables one to correct the involved issues, thus improving on performance. However, I encourage honesty in my group, as I believe that being straightforward with an individual leaves room for further mistakes in the future. Despite the fact that our group is for educational purposes, I try to motivate my group members by acknowledging and appreciating a job that is well done. As a result, every member is motivated to do their best; therefore, performance is competitive in our group. Most importantly, I am working hard towards being an authentic leader, with an aim of serving my members effectively. Nevertheless, I have realized that the determination to succeed can deflect us from our core values, and as a result leaving zero chances of being an authentic leader. In addition, a leader’s behavior and core values can affect his members either positively of negatively. An authentic leader behavior affects his members positively, since they are based on integrity, fairness, honesty, and self-discipline. Conclusion Authentic leaders have a desire to serve others; as a result, they are aware of the effects of their behaviors, since they operate under the influence of optimism and high moral. Consistency, openness, transparency, and self-awareness are the basis of authentic leadership; their will to serve others while overlooking personal interest is challenging many other types of leaders. Authentic leadership is the solution to the common crisis that faces the modern organizations. However, this type of leadership is challenging and it requires a unique individual with unique characteristics. Nevertheless, authentic leadership is an effective type of leadership that is not only beneficial to an organization, but to its employees as well. Reference List Avolio, B., & Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the Root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16; 315–338. (Online). Available at: http://keyleadership.com/Downloads/Authentic%20Leadership%20Development%20.pdf (accessed 21 December 2011). Avolio, B. et al. 2004. Unlocking the mask: A look at the process by which authentic leaders’ impact follower attitudes and behaviors. Elsevier Inc. (Online). Available at: http://nurseleaderdevelopment.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Avolio-et-al_2004.pdf (accessed 21 December 2011). Bryman, A., 2011. The SAGE Handbook of Leadership. NY: SAGE Publications Ltd. George, W., 2003. Authentic leadership: rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value. NJ: John Wiley & Sons Publishers. Northouse, P. 2009. Leadership: Theory and Practice. Edition 5. NY: SAGE publishers. The Cognitive Fitness Consultancy. 2009. Authentic Leadership Do the right thing whilst being yourself. (Online). Available at: http://www.cognitivefitness.co.uk/documents/Authentic%20Leadership%20e-book%20for%20RAF.pdf (accessed 21 December 2011). Walumbwa, F. Et al. 2008. Authentic Leadership: Development and Validation of a Theory-Based Measure. (Online). Available at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1021&context=managementfacpub&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.ke%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3DAuthentic%2BLeadership%3A%2BDevelopment%2Band%2BValidation%2Bof%2Ba%2BTheory-Based%2BMeasure%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D1%26ved%3D0CCEQFjAA%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalcommons.unl.edu%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1021%2526context%253Dmanagementfacpub%26ei%3DuVfwTtnAO47IsgaA-9gU%26usg%3DAFQjCNEjOgkrcySnbcUYsReleXWuzvuwMA#search=%22Authentic%20Leadership%3A%20Development%20Validation%20Theory-Based%20Measure%22 (accessed 21 December 2011). Wulffers, M., 2009. Exploring the perceived benefits of the self-development of authentic leadership in organizations through one-to-one coaching. (Online). Available at: http://www.i-coachacademy.com/media/research/Exploring%20the%20perceived%20benefits%20of%20the%20self-development%20of%20authentic%20leadership%20in%20organisations%20through%20one-to-one%20coaching.pdf (accessed 21 December 2011). Read More