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Authentic Leadership: What It Is & Why It's Important

• 10 Dec 2019

Leaders who relate to their teams and inspire action are critical to business success. According to a study in the Leadership and Organization Development Journal , employees' perception of authentic leadership serves as the strongest predictor of job satisfaction and positively impacts work-related attitudes and happiness.

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In addition, research detailed in the Harvard Business Review shows that a majority of employees believe authenticity in the workplace leads to benefits such as:

• Better relationships with colleagues
• Higher levels of trust
• Greater productivity
• A more positive working environment

For professionals aiming to advance their careers and make a lasting impact on their firms, investing the time and effort into becoming an authentic leader can be immensely valuable.

But what characterizes authentic leadership, and why is it a worthy pursuit? Here are five traits of authentic leaders offered by Harvard Business School Professor Nancy Koehn, who teaches a sample online leadership lesson about legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton.

What Is Authentic Leadership?

Authentic leadership is a leadership style exhibited by individuals who have high standards of integrity, take responsibility for their actions, and make decisions based on principle rather than short-term success. They use their inner compasses to guide their daily actions, which enables them to earn the trust of their employees, peers, and shareholders—creating approachable work environments and boosting team performance .

Authentic leadership’s key differentiator is the motivation behind it. An authentic leader strives to create a meaningful relationship with their team as they work toward goals related to their organization's mission and purpose—not just its bottom line.

Characteristics of Authentic Leaders

1. they’re committed to bettering themselves.

Becoming an authentic, successful leader requires first focusing on bettering yourself.

“Authentic leaders begin with the will and commitment within to work on themselves,” Koehn says. “They’re not trying to be perfect or to somehow spring from the rib of Zeus into an iconic individual; but rather, they say, ‘Day by day and week by week, I’m going to work on myself.’ This commitment—made with oneself—is the most important starting characteristic.”

Investing in yourself through such avenues as taking an online course can be a way to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to feel more confident in your leadership role and help your team thrive. Participating in leadership training can also enable you to build a network you can lean on throughout your career.

Related: 3 Benefits of Leadership Training for Professionals

2. They Cultivate Self-Awareness

A keen sense of self-awareness is one of the most important traits a leader can possess. Moreover, research by consulting firm Korn Ferry shows companies that employ professionals with high levels of self-awareness tend to perform better financially.

According to Koehn, cultivating this foundational component of emotional intelligence involves asking yourself questions such as:

• What am I experiencing?
• What are my strengths?
• How am I showing up in the world?

Through looking inward and engaging in self-assessment , you can not only gain insight into your emotions and beliefs throughout your leadership journey, but improve your understanding of those held by others.

3. They’re Disciplined

Being an authentic leader requires more than just building self-awareness—you need to put it into practice, too. That requires discipline.

Make it a point to check in with yourself as you complete daily tasks—such as delivering feedback and communicating with colleagues —to ensure you’re bringing self-awareness to your role.

With a stronger sense of your motivations and limitations, you can identify your personal leadership style and chart a professional development plan that capitalizes on your strengths and rectifies your weaknesses.

4. They’re Mission-Driven

A deep and abiding commitment to a mission is integral to both authentic leadership and business success. According to a survey by EY and Harvard Business Review Analytic Services , 89 percent of executives say a sense of collective purpose drives employee engagement, and 84 percent say it leads to greater success in transformational efforts.

As you progress through the different stages of your leadership trajectory, consider what issues and challenges motivate you to take action, and empower others to do the same.

Koehn says that while identifying your mission can take time, it’s a worthwhile pursuit.

“Some leaders—like the abolitionist Frederick Douglass—discover their mission early on,” Koehn says. “Others—like environmental crusader Rachel Carson or newspaper publisher Katharine Graham—stumble into it. Recognizing a mighty purpose and embracing this is critically important.”

5. They Inspire Faith

Gaining colleagues’ trust and influencing them to believe in and mobilize around a mission is a key tenet of effective leadership .

“The last—but by no means least—characteristic of authentic leadership is a willingness to take a leap of faith when things are difficult,” Koehn says. “To help your followers believe the mission is worthy of pushing forward—even in the face of unexpected hurdles—and that the vast future ahead of them, as Lincoln said, is worth fighting for, being inspired by, and identifying with.”

Whether communicating organizational change or assessing the potential challenges of scaling a venture , be transparent with your employees and tap into their motivational drivers.

The Importance of Authentic Leadership

As more organizations commit to purpose and make authenticity paramount to their business strategy , enhancing your leadership capabilities can be a boon to your career.

“It’s what we’re thirsty for now,” Koehn says. “We’re looking for leaders who can help us make a leap of faith and be integral to creating a better world—and to believe this is worthy of doing and possible.”

No matter where you are professionally , taking the time to commit to bettering yourself, heightening your emotional intelligence , putting your leadership skills into practice, and embracing a mission can lead to substantial returns—for yourself, your team, and your organization.

Do you want to elevate your leadership skills? Explore our online leadership and management courses to discover how you can develop the skills to get things done and bring out the best in your team. Download our free course flowchart to find the right one for you.

This post was updated on January 24, 2023. It was originally published on December 10, 2019.

About the Author

• Published November 17, 2020
• 8 Minute Read

Authentic Leadership: What It Is, Why It Matters

How to Be a More Authentic Leader

Authenticity is the healthy alignment between internal values and beliefs and external behavior. Authenticity comes from finding your style and your way of leading — and making life decisions that reflect your ethics, values, and your personality.

Leadership success starts with authenticity — doing our jobs without compromising our values and personality. People trust us when we are true to ourselves, and that trust makes it possible to get things done.

Leaders who are clear about the importance of building trust are better able to be authentic without being inappropriate. But being authentic and practicing honesty isn’t a license to behave without filters, political savvy , or good judgment.

Why Is Authentic Leadership Important?

Authenticity helps organizations. People who have an authentic leadership style bring their whole selves to their jobs and participate fully and honestly in the workplace. Organizations that foster authentic behavior are more likely to have engaged, enthusiastic, motivated employees and psychologically safe cultures .

In contrast, inauthenticity can often be recognized by others and become a disruptive, negative force, adding to uncertainty, distrust, and a lack of passion among employees.

Being authentic is easier when you already “fit.” If you look, walk, or talk in a manner consistent with dominant images of leadership in your organization, line of work, and even the broader culture, authenticity usually comes easier for you.

That’s why it’s important to understand social identity and embrace inclusive leadership so that more people will feel able to bring their full selves to work. This creates a culture of respect at your organization.

Authentic leadership benefits individuals, too.

Being a phony is hard work. Managers who struggle with inauthenticity often find themselves depleted, losing interest in their work, and experiencing low levels of job satisfaction. It takes a lot of energy to behave in ways that are out of sync with our true values, priorities, hopes, characteristics, and leadership style. The energy expended trying to come across as something you are not is energy unavailable for work and other activities.

Build & Support Authentic Leaders at Your Organization

Today’s people managers need to be authentic leaders. Strengthen the culture of your organization and foster belonging and authenticity through a customized learning journey for your people using our research-based leadership topics .

Available modules include Authentic Leadership , Communication, Conflict Management, Emotional Intelligence, Listening to Understand, Self-Awareness, and more.

What Guides an Authentic Leader?

There are several ways to describe an authentic leader — they’re passionate about their work, they have a commitment to the organization, and they focus on the future ahead. Authentic leaders are those who are true to themselves and the principles that guide them. Although they may be in charge, their principles ultimately govern them, and people ultimately matter. For authentic leaders, building character and culture is a function of aligning their beliefs and behaviors with the principles of the organization.

Authentic leaders have the integrity and skills to make the right choices when necessary. Here are the other skills that define this leadership style:

• Self awareness. Enables you to understand yourself and your relationship to your employees, the organization, and the vision.
• Genuineness, modesty, and humility. Allows you to share the glory with your team members.
• Empathy and ethics. Gives you the ability to make necessary decisions with integrity and allows you to support your team and remain committed to doing what’s right.
• Results-focus. Empowers you to create a future beyond your present reality and enables you to energize your employees to see the vision as clearly as you do.

Becoming an Authentic Leader

Becoming a more authentic leader doesn’t have to be complicated. Try these 5 helpful tips to start building a more authentic leadership style.

5 Ways to Be a More Authentic Leader

1. rethink “leadership image.”.

A sincere passion and desire to learn and change is what building a leadership image is all about. With that in mind, consider the gap between the image that others have of you and the image you would like to project. A big obstacle to authenticity is a strong need to maintain a certain image. You may have defined your image of “executive” or “leader” more narrowly than you need to. Try to let go of the tight limits or expectations of how you need to appear — revealing your personality and humanness is a better sign of effective leadership.

Often, gaining awareness of your current image and leadership brand goes a long way. But before you make any changes, be sure to get a good, truthful picture of your current image. Take time to understand how others see you and why. Seek feedback from your colleagues, boss, and direct reports. Ask your friends, children, and significant other. Each of these points of view will shed light on how your words and behavior are viewed by the people around you.

2. Increase your self-awareness.

A key component of behaving authentically is to understand what you care about most. Try these ways to boost your self-awareness . What are your values, likes, dislikes, and weaknesses? This might sound simple, but we often avoid or overlook the process of clarifying what’s most important to us. Sometimes, given societal norms and conditioning, women in particular struggle with this aspect of leading authentically . Consider asking yourself questions like, what is my current skill level and knowledge related to the role? Or, how would others view my performance so far?

3. Assess and evaluate.

Once you have established your values, likes, dislikes, and weaknesses, you can better understand how aligned your behaviors are with your values and ethics. Assess what you have already given up, and be clear on what’s most important to you now and what you will and will not do to get there. Remember, there are no “right” trade-offs to make, and your choices will likely change at various points in your life. Set goals for yourself that are aligned with your values .

4. Take action, but get support.

Make a change in your life, turning your intentions into reality . You may decide sweeping changes are needed, but, if so, remember that you don’t need to do it all at once. You can start with small steps and gradually align your behaviors with your most important values. Remind yourself that genuine change is rarely dramatic or sudden. For leaders, a significant change is likely to be viewed suspiciously as false or manipulative behavior.

You’re not likely to make real, sustainable change without a commitment to small, daily tweaks over time. Bring trusted colleagues and friends into your plan for greater authenticity, too. They can be sounding boards, feedback-givers, cheerleaders, and problem-solvers. At the same time, have faith in your own judgment about what’s right for you and your leadership style.

5. Work on being a more effective communicator.

Communication is so important for leaders  to build trust and show authenticity, so consider these tips:

• Tell stories. Leaders who give examples through their stories are more engaging. You influence the organization’s culture when you tell stories about what happened, about how a problem was solved, or about someone who did something notable.
• Master your message. Clarity of thought and message is key, so think about what you want to say. Every question and every conversation is an opportunity to share ideas, vision, and values with honesty. But strike a balance between too much detail and not enough. Also, be sure you can talk vision and concepts, yet show your grasp of the tactical.
• Leverage leadership networking.  It’s not about collecting business cards or schmoozing. It’s about building relationships and making alliances in service of others and in service of your organization’s work and goals. To assess your network and enhance communication, think about your current priorities and challenges, then create a network diagram that directly relates to these factors. Rank the people in your diagram in terms of their importance to you, and identify your most important relationships. Finally, diagnose any weaknesses and gaps in your network and take action to learn from others.
• Use vocal variety. People listen better to a pleasant and enthusiastic speech pattern. Pay attention to your intonation, speed, diction, pacing, and volume. Do you regularly overuse a word, or forget to breathe and rush through what you have to say?
• Focus on “ we .” Leaders who use inclusive language, like “we” and “us,” inspire passion in their listeners and draw on shared effort and interests.
• Smile. You’ll appear friendly if you tap into your personal warmth, and the best way to convey warmth is to smile. Often leaders don’t relax or crack a smile unless they’re talking about something personal such as a child’s school event or a recent vacation. You’ll be more effective if you take the same tone when talking about the business.
• Consider visual impact. Your listeners will see you before they hear you, and nonverbal communication is powerful. Change your haircut or update your wardrobe. If you feel good about your appearance, you’ll project an image of greater confidence and job satisfaction. Consider how to make the most of your virtual persona and communication effectiveness , too.

As you work on becoming a more authentic leader, practicing new behaviors may feel uncomfortable or strange. That’s okay, but avoid doing anything that doesn’t mesh with your values, ethics, and intentions.

Your image can be either an asset or a liability for you as a leader. Building a more authentic leadership image is not about creating a false picture of yourself, but about recognizing genuine aspects of yourself that should be coming across to other people — but aren’t.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Build more authentic leaders and strengthen the culture of your organization. Partner with us to craft a customized learning journey for your people using our research-based modules. Available leadership topics include Authentic Leadership , Communication, Conflict Management, Emotional Intelligence, Listening to Understand, Self-Awareness, and more.

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What Is the Authentic Leadership Style? 3 Real-Life Examples

Talented leaders must balance the input and needs of their followers while still ensuring the collective meets its goals.

They must carefully regulate their own behavior and emotions, recognizing these are contagious and can reflect on the image of their team.

Most importantly, skilled leaders ensure consistency between what they say and what they do, and take care to make decisions that allow them to sleep soundly at night.

The few of us who’ve mastered this balancing act can be said to have mastered the art of authentic leadership . And although it may seem challenging, this empowering and open style of command is within reach for even rookie leaders.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Leadership Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or others adopt positive leadership practices and help organizations thrive.

This Article Contains:

What is the authentic leadership style, the theory and model explained, 10 characteristics and traits of authentic leaders, 3 examples of authentic leadership in action, pros and cons of the leadership approach, training authentic leadership skills in coaching, 7 best exercises and activities, 2 questionnaires and inventories, 8 questions to ask your coaching clients, fascinating books on the topic, a take-home message.

Authentic leadership is

“a pattern of leader behavior that draws upon and promotes both positive psychological capacities and a positive ethical climate, to foster greater self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing of information, and relational transparency on the part of leaders working with followers, fostering positive self-development.”

Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, and Peterson, 2008, p. 94

This definition combines many key aspects of authentic leadership identified by researchers, including:

• The promotion of followers’ psychological capacities, such as resilience (Luthans & Avolio, 2003)
• High self-awareness, self-esteem , and self-acceptance that facilitates openness and non-defensiveness with others (Gardner, Avolio, Luthans, May, & Walumbwa, 2005; Kernis, 2003)
• Consistency between our values, beliefs, and actions (Walumbwa et al., 2008)
• The use of high ethical standards to guide decision-making and behavior (May, Chan, Hodges, & Avolio, 2003)

Authentic leadership and emotional intelligence

The facets of an authentic leadership style overlap substantially with conceptualizations of emotional intelligence (EI). For instance, Goleman’s four-dimensional model of EI includes the component of self-awareness .

Further, this model includes various competencies that overlap with authentic leadership, such as confidence and transparency, which are similar to self-esteem and openness and aimed at facilitating positive interactions with others (Goleman, 1995; Miao, Humphrey, & Qian, 2018).

Indeed, meta-analytic research has confirmed that the authentic leadership style is significantly and positively related to EI and that high-EI leaders can better discern when it is most appropriate to employ the authentic leadership style (Miao et al., 2018).

• Self-awareness Understanding how you make meaning of the world and how that meaning-making process affects self-image over time; awareness of strengths, weaknesses, your multifaceted nature, and your impact on others.
• Relational transparency Presenting your authentic self to others; promoting trust through disclosure, information sharing, and expression of true thoughts and feelings.
• Balanced processing Objective analysis of all relevant data before making decisions; a willingness to solicit and consider views that challenge your own.
• Internalized moral perspective Self-regulation guided by internal moral standards and values rather than external standards; behaving and making decisions consistent with these internalized values.

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So what makes good, authentic leaders?

If a person possesses some of the following traits, they are likely to use the authentic leadership style effectively (Kotzé & Nel, 2017).

• Consensus orientation
• Skill at critical evaluation
• Persuasiveness
• Social skills/confidence
• Innovation/forward thinking
• Open expression and display of emotions
• Behavioral consistency across people and situations
• Ability to self-regulate
• Empathy and caring

Unsurprisingly, these characteristics overlap significantly with the various components of authentic leadership’s four-dimensional conceptualization. For instance, critical evaluation skills can aid with balanced processing when making decisions, while empathy can aid with relational transparency.

Authentic leadership in the workplace

One interview-based study exploring the intersection between work managers’ identities and authentic leadership highlights the challenges involved in balancing the authentic leadership style with your preferred leadership style (Nyberg & Sveningsson, 2014).

The managers in this study explained that they constituted a natural hub around which their workgroups and departments revolved. This meant they had a high level of impact on operational procedures and outcomes.

Consequently, the managers of this leader-centric organization found the principles of authentic leadership, which center around inclusion and worker involvement, to contrast with their natural approaches to leadership, which involved being forceful and dominant in decision-making and sometimes cutting collaborative processes short (Nyberg & Sveningsson, 2014).

Therefore, depending on a manager’s natural style of leading, what we consider an ‘authentic’ leadership style may not be authentic in the sense that it is inherent or feels natural to a given leader.

Authentic leadership in healthcare

One study of skilled nursing facility administrators found that authentic leadership can be leveraged to bring about healthier and safer practice environments for nurses and their patients (Penrod, 2017).

Among the four dimensions of authentic leadership noted as important, internalized moral perspective was mentioned most often by the study’s interviewees (95%). In particular, administrators who maintained a genuine positive attitude, a willingness to ‘get their hands dirty,’ and regularly demonstrated appreciation for their employees’ work drove higher levels of job satisfaction .

Likewise, an internalized belief in the importance of patient safety among administrators would translate into better formal and informal training regarding safety procedures (Penrod, 2017).

A look at authentic leadership in education

Authentic leadership shown by principals and other education leaders can be especially powerful during challenging times of change.

One study conducted in Thailand followed the principal of a small primary school 100 kilometers west of Bangkok. Principal Somchai was recognized as an illustrative case of someone who effectively used the authentic leadership style to navigate the impact of over 20 years of nationwide educational reform (Kulophas & Hallinger, 2021).

When interviewed, Principal Somchai expressed a strong belief in involving teachers and parents in decision-making. This was reflected in the frequency with which he formally and informally engaged teachers, parents, and local community members to gather views and input on decisions.

He also noted the importance of being transparent when planned activities didn’t work out and would personally take on extra work during busy periods. Taken together, these actions motivated teachers’ engagement, reduced turnover, and nurtured a family-like atmosphere within the school community (Kulophas & Hallinger, 2021).

Authentic leadership for the future – Irving Washington III

The most appropriate style of leadership to use in any situation highly depends on the context in which a leader and team are working. Therefore, the authentic leadership style has pros and cons in different situations.

Pros of the authentic leadership style

Research has identified a combination of positive relational and performance-based outcomes associated with authentic leadership. In particular, authentic leadership has been shown to increase trust and work engagement while also facilitating more effective conflict management (Fotohabadi & Kelly, 2018; Hassan & Ahmed, 2011).

Further, authentic leaders are more aware of their strengths, weaknesses, and values, so they tend to exhibit greater social awareness and manage relationships more effectively (Pereira, 2015).

Cons of the authentic leadership style

One downside of the authentic leadership style is that it is often inappropriate in high-risk and emergency situations.

Take, for example, the commander of a submarine who is trying to ensure their crew remains undetected. Upon learning of an approaching unidentified vessel, it would be inappropriate to stop and build consensus around the most appropriate course of action as per the authentic leadership style.

Rather, this leader should adopt a commanding or directive leadership style to direct the rest of their team to take evasive action before it is too late (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2013).

Additionally, research has shown that organizations may see diminishing returns from the authentic leadership style when it comes to innovation. This is because the apparent moral superiority of these leaders can inadvertently communicate that innovative suggestions are not needed because the leader already knows best (Černe, Sumanth, & Škerlavaj, 2016).

However, it appears that with the proper intervention, you can expect a significant increase in a client’s authentic leadership skills after just 12 one-hour sessions of training (Fusco, O’Riordan, & Palmer, 2016).

Here are seven steps that may form part of an authentic leadership coaching program (Klass, 2019):

• Identify the leader’s unique strengths and talents Consider administering a strengths assessment or asking the leader to reflect on skills and talents that come most naturally to them and energize them.
• Compile a list of the leader’s core values Investigate the leader’s values to help create a clear moral basis for making decisions and setting direction.
• Gather perspectives from the client’s colleagues or boss Encourage the leader to ask for feedback from others who’ve seen their leadership in action.
• Help clients find their authentic voice Discourage clients from mimicking styles of communication they’ve seen used by other leaders and instead find a volume and rhythm that feels most natural to them.
• Have clients create and share powerful stories Teach your clients the power of emotive storytelling as a means to illustrate important discoveries and lessons to followers.
• Develop an authentic leadership action plan Help clients use the information they’ve gathered about their strengths, values, and communication to set goals about how they wish to present themselves as an authentic leader.
• Periodically reevaluate and realign the plan With each major shift in the client’s career, have them check in with themselves to ensure their current leadership style is still authentic while still meeting the needs of their work situation.

For some useful training options, check out the authentic leadership training offered by executive coach Andrea Beaulieu  or management skills training providers such as the TSW Training Group .

World’s Largest Positive Psychology Resource

The Positive Psychology Toolkit© is a groundbreaking practitioner resource containing over 500 science-based exercises , activities, interventions, questionnaires, and assessments created by experts using the latest positive psychology research.

Updated monthly. 100% Science-based.

“The best positive psychology resource out there!” — Emiliya Zhivotovskaya , Flourishing Center CEO

If you’re looking to design a training program, look at the following free exercises to develop each of the four dimensions of authentic leadership:

• Self-Awareness Worksheet for Adults This worksheet features 15 questions prompting insight into your capabilities, traits, and life experiences.
• The EQ 5 Point Tool This activity walks through five steps to facilitate clear and respectful communication when broaching difficult topics with others.
• Decision-Making Worksheet for Adults This worksheet presents six questions that support balanced and effective decision-making and decision evaluation.
• Writing Your Mission Statement This worksheet guides users through a series of four questions to help clarify links between values, skills, and the impact you wish to leave on the world.

3 Best group activities

Online group coaching, in particular, has been effective for training clients in the authentic leadership style (Fusco et al., 2016).

For resources to support your group coaching in this leadership style, check out the following free worksheets.

• Empathy Bingo This worksheet can help leaders and their teams practice differentiating between empathy and other responses they may have during dialog with others, including interrogating, storytelling, or consoling.
• Generating Alternative Solutions and Better Decision-Making This worksheet can help a leader and their team systematically practice better decision-making by brainstorming many alternative solutions to a problem.
• Spotting Good Traits This worksheet can be adapted for use with a group of leaders as a way to help them spot and reflect on positive leadership traits . Consider inviting the members of your coaching group to share positive leadership traits they have observed in one another at the beginning of the exercise.

Authentic Leadership Questionnaire

The ALQ is one of the most commonly used tools assessing authentic leadership and was developed by leading scholars in this field (Walumbwa et al., 2008).

This questionnaire features 16 statements assessing the four above-mentioned dimensions of authentic leadership style. All items are presented on five-point scales ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

Sample items from each of the questionnaire’s sub-dimensions are as follows:

Self-awareness

• My leader seeks feedback to improve interactions with others.
• My leader accurately describes how others view their capabilities.

Relational transparency

• My leader says exactly what they mean.
• My leader is willing to admit mistakes when they are made.

Balanced processing

• My leader solicits views that challenge their deeply held positions.
• My leader listens carefully to different points of view before coming to conclusions.

Internalized moral perspective

• My leader demonstrates beliefs that are consistent with actions.
• My leader makes decisions based on their core beliefs.

If you’re interested, you can purchase a copy of the ALQ through Mind Garden .

Authentic Leadership Inventory

The Authentic Leadership Inventory (ALI) was developed as an alternative to the ALQ, given concerns about the former questionnaire’s content validity and factor structure (Neider & Schriesheim, 2011).

This inventory features 14 positively worded statements that assess authentic leadership’s four sub-dimensions. All items are presented on five-point scales ranging from 1 (disagree strongly) to 5 (agree strongly).

The full set of items is as follows:

• My leader describes accurately the way that others view their abilities.
• My leader shows that they understand their strengths and weaknesses.
• My leader is clearly aware of the impact they have on others.
• My leader clearly states what they mean.
• My leader openly shares information with others.
• My leader expresses their ideas and thoughts clearly to others.
• My leader asks for ideas that challenge their core beliefs.
• My leader carefully listens to alternative perspectives before reaching a conclusion.
• My leader objectively analyzes relevant data before making a decision.
• My leader encourages others to voice opposing points of view.
• My leader shows consistency between their beliefs and actions.
• My leader uses their core beliefs to make decisions.
• My leader resists pressure to do things contrary to their beliefs.
• My leader is guided in their actions by internal moral standards.

Looking for a quick way to gauge your clients’ self-perceptions of authentic leadership? Consider posing the following questions adapted from the Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire (Northouse, 2010):

• Can you list your three greatest weaknesses?
• Do your actions reflect your core values?
• Do you seek others’ opinions before making up your own mind?
• Do you openly share your feelings with others?
• Can you list your three greatest strengths?
• Do you allow group pressure to control you?
• Do you listen closely to the ideas of those who disagree with you?
• Do you let others know who you truly are as a person?

You can access the full questionnaire and scoring information from the University of North Carolina Wilmington website .

17 Exercises To Build Positive Leaders

Use these 17 Positive Leadership Exercises [PDF] to help others inspire, motivate, and guide employees in ways that enrich workplace performance and satisfaction. Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Here are some of our favorite practical books for integrating the principles of authentic leadership in your work.

1. Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts – Brené Brown

Authentic leaders recognize the value of openness, curiosity, and vulnerability as keys to bringing out the potential of their followers.

In this book, New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown draws on two decades of research to reveal the keys to cultivating a work culture of empathy and connection.

Accessible and loaded with moving anecdotes from global leaders, this book is a must-have resource for anyone looking to overcome fear and begin leading with authenticity and courage.

Find the book on Amazon .

2. Authentic Leadership: How to Lead With Nothing to Hide, Nothing to Prove & Nothing to Lose – Dan Owolabi

Even the most well-respected leaders experience moments of fear and insecurity, but that need not be the case.

In this book, Dan Owolabi breaks down the timeless principles of authentic leadership through stories, research findings, and a range of practical examples.

In particular, this book will teach you how to lead from a place of genuine confidence by first learning the skills to lead yourself.

3. True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership – Bill George and Peter Sims

In this book, the authors present the results of interviews with 125 top leaders, presenting five focus areas for realizing success as a leader.

Among these is the importance of clarifying your values and seeking integration across your life to bring about authenticity and groundedness as a leader.

The first step to becoming an authentic leader is to know thyself .

From this place of genuine understanding about your own values, limitations, and strengths, you’ll be in a better position to hear and integrate the perspectives of those you lead. You’ll also be better able to weigh up decisions and take action in ways that align with your values and those of the collective you represent.

We hope this article has given you a better understanding of the authentic leadership style and inspired you to strengthen your own leadership capabilities. And be sure to let us know in the comments if you’ve tried any of the exercises listed or explored the further reading.

And don’t forget to download our three Positive Leadership Exercises for free .

• Brown. B. (2018).  Dare to lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts.  Random House.
• Černe, M., Sumanth, J., & Škerlavaj, M. (2016). Everything in moderation: Authentic leadership, leader-member exchange and idea implementation. In M. Škerlavaj, M. Černe, A. Dysvik, & A. Carlsen (Eds.), Capitalizing on creativity at work (pp. 126–138). Edward Elgar.
• Fotohabadi, M., & Kelly, L. (2018). Making conflict work: Authentic leadership and reactive and reflective management styles. Journal of General Management , 43 (2), 70–78.
• Fusco, T., O’Riordan, S., & Palmer, S. (2016). Assessing the efficacy of authentic leadership group-coaching. International Coaching Psychology Review , 11 (2), 118–128.
• Gardner, W. L., Avolio, B. J., Luthans, F., May, D. R., & Walumbwa, F. (2005). “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly , 16 (3), 343–372.
• George, B., & Sims, P. (2007).  True north: Discover your authentic leadership.  Jossey-Bass.
• Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ . Bantam Books.
• Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2013). Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence . Harvard Business Press.
• Hassan, A., & Ahmed, F. (2011). Authentic leadership, trust and work engagement. International Journal of Human and Social Sciences , 6 (3), 164–170.
• Kernis, M. H. (2003). Toward a conceptualization of optimal self-esteem. Psychological Inquiry , 14 (1), 1–26.
• Klass, T. (2019, July 2). 7 Strategies to showcase your authentic leadership . Training Industry. Retrieved from https://trainingindustry.com/articles/leadership/7-strategies-to-showcase-your-authentic-leadership/
• Kotzé, M., & Nel, P. (2017). Personal factor effects on authentic leadership. Journal of Psychology in Africa , 27 (1), 47–53.
• Kulophas, D., & Hallinger, P. (2021). Leading when the mouth and heart are in unison: A case study of authentic school leadership in Thailand. International Journal of Leadership in Education , 24 (2), 145–156.
• Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. J. (2003). Authentic leadership development. In K. S. Cameron, J. E. Dutton, & R. E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive organizational scholarship (pp. 241–258). Berrett-Koehler.
• May, D. R., Chan, A. Y., Hodges, T. D., & Avolio, B. J. (2003). Developing the moral component of authentic leadership. Organizational Dynamics , 32 (3), 247–260.
• Miao, C., Humphrey, R. H., & Qian, S. (2018). Emotional intelligence and authentic leadership: A meta-analysis. Leadership & Organization Development Journal , 39 (5), 679–690.
• Neider, L. L., & Schriesheim, C. A. (2011). The authentic leadership inventory (ALI): Development and empirical tests. The Leadership Quarterly , 22 (6), 1146–1164.
• Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Sage.
• Nyberg, D., & Sveningsson, S. (2014). Paradoxes of authentic leadership: Leader identity struggles. Leadership , 10 (4), 437–455.
• Owolabi, D. (2020).  Authentic leadership: How to lead with nothing to hide, nothing to prove & nothing to lose.  Authentic Leadership.
• Penrod, A. K. (2017). Authentic leadership in US skilled nursing facilities: A multiple case study (Doctoral dissertation). Capella University, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• Pereira, B. (2015, May 18). Authentic leadership: Benefits and qualities . LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/authentic-leadership-benefits-qualities-dr-bruce-r-pereira/
• Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management , 34 (1), 89–126.

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Authentic Leadership and Improved Individual Performance: Affective Commitment and Individual Creativity’s Sequential Mediation

Ana patrícia duarte.

1 Business Research Unit, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

Neuza Ribeiro

2 Center for Applied Research in Management, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Leiria, Portugal

Ana Suzete Semedo

3 School of Management, Hospitality and Tourism, University of the Algarve, Portimão, Portugal

4 Center for Business and Economics Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

Daniel Roque Gomes

5 Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, Escola Superior de Educação de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

6 NOVA Institute of Communication, University NOVA, Lisbon, Portugal

Associated Data

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation, upon request.

Authentic leadership has become increasingly important in the literature, attracting the attention of many scholars in the last decade. This study adopted an employee-centered perspective to guide its examination of the relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance and investigation of the sequential mediation of employees’ affective commitment and individual creativity. An analysis was conducted of data collected from 214 employees working in different business sectors. The results reveal a statistically significant positive relationship between authentic leadership and employees’ workplace performance, which are both directly connected and indirectly linked through the two proposed psychosocial mechanisms. The findings thus indicate that authentic leadership reinforces workers’ emotional connection with their organizations, thereby increasing their individual creativity and, subsequently, promoting better on-the-job performance. This study presents new and significant results since, on the one hand, it relied on a sequential mediation analysis of variables and, on the other hand, integrated the four main constructs into a single model. The proposed model displays the chain of effects between authentic leadership, affective commitment, individual creativity, and employee workplace performance. Implications for organizational management are discussed.

Introduction

Authentic leadership has emerged as an important area of research in the field of organizational behavior in the past decade ( Farid et al., 2020 ). This leadership style has been defined as a process that draws from both “positive psychological capacities and a highly developed organizational context, which results in both greater self-awareness and self-regulated positive behaviors on the part of leaders and associates, [thereby] fostering positive self-development” ( Luthans and Avolio, 2003 , p. 243). Walumbwa et al. (2008) identify four underlying dimensions of authentic leadership: self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced information processing, and an internalized moral perspective. Authentic leaders thus say exactly what they mean, act on their stated beliefs, seek out opinions that challenge their personal views, and ask for feedback to improve interpersonal interactions ( Laschinger et al., 2012 ). As a result, these leaders reinforce employees’ positive attitudes and behaviors, generating benefits for specific workgroups and entire organizations.

More specifically, authentic leadership enhances employees’ individual performance ( Clapp-Smith et al., 2009 ; Wang et al., 2014 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018a ). Social exchange theory ( Blau, 1964 ) contributes to explaining why employees who perceive an authentic leadership style in their supervisors develop a feeling of obligation to reciprocate with improved performance. Previous research has also indicated that authentic leadership elevates workers’ performance by promoting employees’ affective commitment and individual creativity ( Ribeiro et al., 2018b ). Affective commitment refers to workers’ emotional attachment to their organization ( Meyer and Allen, 1991 ). The literature shows that, of the three components of organizational commitment (i.e., affective, normative, and instrumental), the affective dimension has more desirable implications for individuals’ behavior within organizations. Leaders’ authenticity can influence employees’ emotional attachment to their organization, so authentic leaders may also inspire feelings of affective commitment in employees ( Zhou et al., 2014 ; Alshammari et al., 2015 ; Milić et al., 2017 ; Semedo et al., 2017 , 2018 , 2019 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018a , b , 2020 .

Authentic leadership can further positively influence followers’ workplace creativity ( Müceldili et al., 2013 ; Xu et al., 2017 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018a ), which can be understood as the production of new useful ideas and solutions ( Amabile, 1988 ; Binnewies et al., 2008 ). Although creativity can be considered both an outcome and a process ( Shalley and Zhou, 2008 ), the present study treated individual creativity as an outcome, that is, the extent to which employees produce fresh ideas and valuable solutions. Leaders with personal moral standards who are transparent in their actions and interactions with others are perceived by workers as authentic leaders who create a positive, appealing, and supportive organizational environment ( Madjar et al., 2002 ), which makes followers more prone to creative behaviors. Authentic leaders also increase employees’ positive emotions, thereby reinforcing individual creativity ( Leroy et al., 2012 ; Černe et al., 2013 ; Banks et al., 2016 ). Positive emotions specifically increase workers’ desire to explore and assimilate new ideas, discover fresh information, and develop their individual potential, which induces employees to be more creative ( Wright and Cropanzano, 2004 ).

The current research’s results support the assertion that leadership strongly influences employee performance. Previous studies have also highlighted the authentic leadership style as a significant determinant of individual performance ( Wang et al., 2014 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018a ). Researchers have further thoroughly documented authentic leadership’s close connection with affective commitment ( Milić et al., 2017 ; Semedo et al., 2017 , 2018 , 2019 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018a , b , 2020 ) and individual creativity ( Müceldili et al., 2013 ; Xu et al., 2017 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018a ). However, the existing literature provides no clear evidence of studies that have examined affective commitment and individual creativity’s sequential mediation in the relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance. This research is, therefore, the first to propose that authentic leadership influences employees’ individual performance both directly and indirectly through two sequential mediators: affective commitment and individual creativity.

Research Background and Hypotheses Development

Authentic leadership and individual performance.

Authentic leaders’ behavior is strongly rooted in beliefs, values, and moral principles that stimulate workers’ performance ( Alshammari et al., 2015 ). According to Levy (2020) , the relationship between authentic leaders’ ethical behavior and employees’ improved performance can be understood as that the latter feel authorized to act more freely within the parameters of their jobs and that this self-sufficiency influences performance.

Researchers have previously found authentic leadership to be positively related to employee performance ( Clapp-Smith et al., 2009 ; Wang et al., 2014 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018a ). The social support and social learning theories ( Bandura, 1977 ) both suggest that, when employees sense their leaders’ respect, consideration, concern, and support and perceive them as authentic, workers can more easily excel ( Hinojosa et al., 2014 ). Social exchange theory ( Blau, 1964 ) can also be used to explain why individuals who perceive authentic leadership develop a feeling of obligation to reciprocate with improved performance. The latter theory proposes that each person’s behavior is contingent on other individuals’ behavior. Subordinates working under an authentic leader’s guidance may feel, in accordance with the norm of reciprocity ( Gouldner, 1960 ), the need to improve their performance to repay the leader’s positive behaviors and thus balance the exchange relationship ( Cropanzano and Mitchell, 2005 ). Prior studies have confirmed that followers respond to their leaders’ authenticity by performing better as individuals (e.g., Wang et al., 2014 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018a ).

In addition, the broaden-and-build theory ( Fredrickson, 2004 ) posits that, when staff members are exposed to positive emotions, these feelings will have long-term effects on workers that are essential for successful individual performance. Hao et al. (2020) found that individuals experiencing upbeat emotions and deep trust repay their leaders with higher performance. Thus, the present study developed the following research hypothesis:

H1: Authentic leadership is positively related to individual performance.

Authentic Leadership, Affective Commitment, and Individual Performance

Authentic leadership has been shown to be an important antecedent of affective commitment ( Avolio et al., 2004 ; Leroy et al., 2012 ; Rego et al., 2013 ; Gatling et al., 2016 ; Semedo et al., 2016 , 2019 ; Delić et al., 2017 ; Milić et al., 2017 ; Ribeiro et al., 2020 ). According to Braun et al. (2013) , employees’ identification with and emotional attachment to their leaders increase these followers’ affective commitment to their organization. For example, by providing relational transparency, behaving honestly, and adopting a balanced information processing system, authentic leaders create better quality relationships with their followers, and the latter reciprocate with stronger affective commitment ( Paillé, 2009 ).

Affective commitment is one of the forms organizational commitment can take. Organizational commitment has been given a solid theoretical foundation by Meyer and Allen (1991 , 1997) work. This concept can be defined as a psychological force that binds individuals to their organization and shapes their behavior ( Meyer and Herscovitch, 2001 ).

Meyer and Allen (1991 , 1997) also developed a well-accepted model that distinguishes between three distinctive forms of commitment: affective, continuance, and normative. These distinct forms of commitment are similar to organizational commitment in that they are a psychological state that explains and characterizes employees’ relationship with their organization and that can have strong implications for workers’ decisions about membership in the organization in question ( Meyer and Allen, 1991 ). Meyer and Allen (1991) further propose that the types of psychological states foreseen for each form of commitment are quite different. Employees with a strong sense of affective commitment will likely remain in their organization because they want to, while workers with more intense continuance commitment will likely stay because they need to avoid the costs of abandonment. Finally, employees with strong normative commitment will likely remain in their organization because they feel they ought to do so out of a sense of obligation. According to Meyer and Allen (1991 , 1997) , the model predicts that workers can experience all three forms of commitment to various degrees simultaneously—with only one form being dominant—as each type of commitment can appear as a result of different job-related experiences and have contrasting behavioral implications. Thus, individuals may have quite different commitment profiles that can shape their workplace behavior.

While discussing the consequents of all the forms of commitment, Meyer and Allen (1991) quite clearly expect affective commitment—and, to a lesser extent, normative commitment—to be related positively to job performance factors. In contrast, continuance commitment might be unrelated with these factors. As the three types of commitment are expected to have a different relationship with behaviors and performance factors, a separate analysis of each form of commitment can contribute to more accurate behavioral predictions.

Building on Meyer and Allen (1991) model, Herscovitch and Meyer (2002) proposed an extension of the three-component model to adapt it to fit organizational change scenarios (i.e., affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuance commitment to change). Herscovitch and Meyer (2002) approach facilitates the gathering of evidence for how the three forms of commitment to change are connected with different reactions to organizational change. The adapted model reinforces the basic three-component model’s original premises that different but not mutually exclusive types of commitment have separate motivational roots and that each form of commitment is linked to different behaviors and performance factors.

Despite the multidimensional nature of organizational commitment, the present study focused specifically on affective commitment because the literature suggests it has the strongest effect on job performance factors. For instance, committed employees tend to be better at their jobs and more productive ( Meyer et al., 2002 ; Riketta, 2002 ; Leroy et al., 2012 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018b ). Employees with higher levels of affective organizational commitment are more willing and motivated to contribute significantly to their organization ( Rego and Souto, 2004 ), increasing in- and extra-role performance ( Allen and Meyer, 1996 ; Meyer et al., 2002 ; Riketta, 2002 ; Jaramillo et al., 2005 ; Vandenabeele, 2009 ). In addition, the current research model proposed that authentic leadership promotes affective commitment, which in turn increases individual performance, as previous research has shown (e.g., Ribeiro et al., 2018b ). To take the above findings into account, the following hypothesis was included in the present study:

H2: The relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance is mediated by affective commitment.

Authentic Leadership, Individual Creativity, and Individual Performance

Empirical research has linked authentic leadership with individual creativity (e.g., Ilies et al., 2005 ; Walumbwa et al., 2008 ; Li et al., 2014 ; Rego et al., 2014 ; Zhou et al., 2014 ; Zubair and Kamal, 2015 ; Semedo et al., 2017 , 2018 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018a ; Khan et al., 2019 ; Zeb et al., 2019 ). Authentic leaders’ actions are congruent with their words, values, and beliefs, thereby contributing to open, truthful relationships with their followers and promoting work environments in which employees can exchange ideas and share knowledge with each other ( Khan et al., 2019 ). In this positive environment, creativity is fostered and encouraged ( Ilies et al., 2005 ; Rego et al., 2013 ; Khan et al., 2019 ). Authentic leadership also stimulates employees’ positive emotions, thereby increasing their creativity ( Gavin and Mason, 2004 ). More specifically, the constructive feedback that characterizes authentic leaders has been shown to enhance creative behavior ( Christensen-Salem et al., 2018 ).

In addition, employee creativity is an important way to improve job-related outcomes ( De Stobbeleir et al., 2011 ). Researchers have documented that creativity enhances workers’ job performance ( Amabile, 1996 ; Madjar et al., 2002 ; Im and Workman, 2004 ; Gilson, 2008 ; Suh et al., 2010 ; Zhang and Bartol, 2010 ). Creativity further promotes novelty, usefulness ( Oldham and Cummings, 1996 ; Shalley et al., 2004 ; George and Zhou, 2007 ), independence, confidence, and willingness to take risks ( Sternberg and Lubart, 1999 ), making individuals more adaptable and open to new experiences and thus better able to achieve better individual performance. Based on the above results, a third hypothesis was developed for the present research:

H3: The relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance is mediated by individual creativity.

Authentic Leadership, Affective Commitment, Individual Creativity, and Individual Performance

This study proposed that authentic leadership raises employees’ level of performance by promoting their affective commitment and thus increasing their creativity. Authentic leaders can enhance respect, dignity, integrity, and trust among followers ( Bamford et al., 2013 ), and workers reciprocate by showing more desired behaviors and emotional attachment. When employees’ emotional relationship to their organization is strengthened ( Meyer and Allen, 1991 ), these individuals are more likely to be motivated to make significant contributions to their organization, including presenting new and creative ideas to solve organizational problems ( Semedo et al., 2018 ). Therefore, employees’ affective commitment positively influences their creativity. Workers with higher levels of creativity also have better individual performance due to increased cognition and motivation and more positive behaviors ( Luthans et al., 2007 ).

The current research was based on the assumption that authentic leadership improves employees’ affective commitment, which promotes creativity, which, in turn, enhances individual performance. The relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance can be established through affective commitment and individual creativity, which have been identified as intermediary elements in this psychosocial process. The present study proposed that authentic leadership’s positive impacts foster employees’ affective bonds, which help these workers be creative, so they are continually looking for challenges and striving to meet targets, thereby producing better performance levels. Taking the above findings into account, the final hypothesis was written as follows:

H4: Affective commitment and individual creativity are sequential mediators in the relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance.

Methodology

Participants and procedures.

This study has focused on a single hierarchical level and concentrated on the individual unit of measurement and analysis. A cross sectional-survey design was used to collect quantitative data from a sample of employees. The data were drawn from a sampling frame of employees from different sectors to understand more fully how authentic leadership affects individual performance. The survey started with an informed consent section in which the research goals were explained and the collected data’s anonymity and confidentiality were guaranteed. The respondents were asked to answer questions as honestly as possible, and the instructions explicitly stated that items had no right or wrong answers. Instructions were also provided for how to complete the survey to reduce the occurrence of errors. According to Podsakoff et al. (2003) , protecting participant anonymity and diminishing evaluation apprehension contributes to reducing response bias, including avoiding lenient, acquiescent, and socially desirable answers. After reading the informed consent section and agreeing voluntarily to participate in the study, the respondents reported their perceptions of authentic leadership, affective commitment, individual performance, and creativity. The last section contained items regarding socio-professional characteristics (e.g., respondents’ age, gender, education, tenure in their organization, and business sector).

The survey was pretested with a sample of 11 employees of a higher education institution to ensure the questionnaire’s contents were clear to respondents. Subsequently, the survey was made available on the same institution’s website and various social media platforms to collect as many completed questionnaires as possible. A minimum of a 6-month tenure in the respondents’ current organization was established as the inclusion criterion.

A non-probabilistic convenience sample of 214 respondents was obtained after the elimination of incomplete surveys and responses from respondents who did not meet the inclusion criteria. G ∗ Power software was used to calculate the sample size based on statistical power ( Faul et al., 2009 ) and to certify the collected sample’s adequacy. A sample size of 148 was recommended to achieve a statistical power of 0.95 in the model testing phase. Since the present study’s sample size exceeded this number, it was deemed sufficiently large enough to test the model.

The respondents had a mean age of 41.48 years (standard deviation [SD] = 10.56; minimum = 21 years; maximum = 65 years), and 71.0% were females. Most respondents have a higher education degree (81.8%), but 14.0% had between 10 and 12 years of education and 4.2% had completed 9 years of education or less. Concerning tenure, the respondents had a mean tenure of 13.05 years in their current organization (SD = 10.39 years; maximum = 38 years). The respondents worked in different sectors, including education (30.8%), commercial services (20.1%), management and economics services (13.1%), human resource management (9.8%), health (8.4%), and other sectors (17.8%). Slightly more than half of the participants worked for a public organization (51.9%).

The respondents indicated their level of agreement with each item on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = “Totally disagree” to 5 = “Totally agree”), except for the authentic leadership measure.

Predictor Variable: Authentic Leadership

Respondents’ perceptions of their leaders’ behavior were measured using Walumbwa et al. (2008) scale, which comprises 16 items that assess the construct’s four dimensions. The first two dimensions are self-awareness (e.g., “…seeks feedback to improve interactions with others”) and relational transparency (e.g., “…is willing to admit mistakes when they are made”). The third and fourth dimensions are internalized moral perspective (e.g., “…makes decisions based on his/her core beliefs”) and balanced processing (e.g., “…listens carefully to different points of view before coming to conclusions”).

The respondents reported how often their direct supervisors adopted each behavior on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = “Never” to 5 = “Often or always”). To obtain a composite authentic leadership score, the procedure suggested by Luthans et al. (2008) was followed. Thus, the values of the items assessing the four dimensions were first calculated to produce a composite average for each dimension. Then, the averages for the four dimensions were combined to arrive at a composite authentic leadership score for each participant (alpha [α] = 0.94). Higher scores represent stronger perceived authentic leadership.

Mediator 1: Affective Commitment

Participants’ affective bonds to their organizations were measured using three items adapted from Rego et al. (2010) (e.g., “I have a strong connection to this organization”). Each respondent’s composite score was calculated by averaging the pertinent items (α = 0.83). Higher scores denote stronger affective commitment.

Mediator 2: Individual Creativity

Respondents’ workplace creativity was self-assessed using Zhou and George (2001) scale. The items include descriptions of 13 behaviors (e.g., “I am not afraid to take risks”). Each respondent’s composite score was calculated by averaging all the items (α = 0.92). Higher scores represent stronger perceived individual creativity.

Criterion Variable: Individual Performance

Participants’ individual workplace performance was measured using four items developed by Staples et al. (1999) (e.g., “I’m an efficient worker”). Each participant’s composite score was calculated by averaging the items (α = 0.76). Higher scores denote stronger individual performance.

Covariate Variables

In line with the existing literature, the present study controlled for some demographic variables. The latter included respondents’ gender, age, and education (e.g., Shalley et al., 2004 ; Kwan et al., 2018 ).

Confirmatory Factor Analyses Testing Discriminant and Convergent Validity

Given that the current research collected data from a single source for all constructs, at a single moment in time, common method variance (CMV) could weaken the results’ validity. CMV refers to spurious covariance between variables resulting from the use of a single data source or method ( Podsakoff et al., 2003 ). To examine whether the four variables’ items capture distinct constructs as opposed to creating common-source bias, confirmatory factor analyses were performed. The four-factor model fit the data well (i.e., root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.06; Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = 0.91; comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.91), while the single-factor model presented unacceptable fit statistics (i.e., RMSEA = 0.14; TLI = 0.47; CFI = 0.50) ( Hu and Bentler, 1999 ; Marsh et al., 2004 ). In addition, Harman’s single factor technique was also applied. An exploratory factor analysis without rotation was performed, revealing that the first factor accounts for only 29.61% of the total variance (65.04%). These results indicate that the four constructs show discriminant validity and that no serious common-method bias was present in the present study.

Next, all the variables’ composite reliability (CR) and average variance extracted (AVE) were estimated (see Table 1 ). The CR values (i.e., from 0.77 to 0.99) are well above the recommended cut-off point of 0.70 ( Hair et al., 2010 ). The AVE values estimated for individual creativity (0.49) and individual performance (0.47) are slightly below the widely-accepted threshold of 0.50 proposed by Fornell and Larcker (1981) . This suggests that the variance captured by the underlying latent constructs is lower than the variance due to measurement error. As noted by Fornell and Larcker (1981) , the AVE is a more conservative estimate of convergent validity than CR and, on the basis of CR alone, the researcher “may conclude that the convergent validity of the construct is adequate, even though more than 50% of the variance is due to error” (p. 46). As the CR values of the constructs are above the recommended level, their convergent validity was considered acceptable to continue with data analysis (for similar decisions see; Lam, 2012 ; Hardesty et al., 2012 ; De Nisco et al., 2016 ; Dijkhuizen et al., 2018 ). The AVE values were then compared to the squared correlations between all pairs of variables as suggested by Fornell and Larcker (1981) to assess discriminant validity (see Table 1 ). The comparison revealed that the AVE values are greater than the shared variance between variables—as recommended by Fornell and Larcker (1981) and Hair et al. (2010) —thereby providing some assurance of the indicators’ discriminant validity. According to Valentini and Damásio (2016) , fixed cut-off points should be used with caution to avoid limiting the interpretation of empirical research’s results since CR and AVE values can change according to the number of items and factor loadings’ homogeneity. Despite the above-mentioned reservations, overall, the measures were deemed to possess acceptable reliability and validity properties.

Means, SDs, correlations, Cronbach’s α, CRs, and AVEs.

Table 1 presents the means, SDs, and Spearman correlation coefficients. The main variables are all positively and significantly correlated with each other, producing low to moderate correlation coefficients. Gender, age, and education are significantly correlated with individual creativity. However, their correlation coefficients with the remaining variables are statistically non-significant.

PROCESS macro for IBM SPSS version 26 software ( Hayes, 2013 ) was used to evaluate mediation effects. The respondents’ gender, age, and education were set as covariates. Table 2 presents the results for Model 6 obtained through sequential mediation analysis.

Regression coefficients, standard errors, model summary information, and indirect effects for the serial mediator model.

The first hypothesis proposed that a positive relationship exists between authentic leadership and individual performance. As shown in Table 2 , authentic leadership’s total effect on individual performance is statistically significant (non-standardized coefficient [ B ] = 0.22; p < 0.001), indicating that direct supervisors’ adoption of a stronger authentic leadership style increases employees’ workplace performance. Hypothesis H1 thus received empirical support.

The second hypothesis stated that affective commitment mediates the link between authentic leadership and employees’ performance. The results confirm that authentic leadership significantly predicts employees’ affective bond to their organization ( B = 0.39; p < 0.001) and the latter also significantly predicts reported levels of individual performance ( B = 0.34; p < 0.001). In addition, authentic leadership’s indirect effect is statistically significant, which provides evidence of a mediation effect ( B = 0.13; lower level of confidence interval [LLCI] = 0.08; upper level of confidence interval [ULCI] = 0.20). Hypothesis H2 was, therefore, confirmed.

The third hypothesis posited that individual creativity also has a mediation effect on the relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance. Although the findings indicate that individual creativity helps explain employees’ performance ( B = 0.27; p < 0.001), the level of perceived authentic leadership does not have a significant impact on the respondents’ capacity for providing new useful ideas and solutions in the workplace ( B = 0.00; non-significant). The indirect effect is not statistically significant ( B = 0.00; LLCI = –0.02; ULCI = 0.03), thereby verifying that no noteworthy mediation effect exists. Hence, hypothesis H3 did not receive empirical support.

Finally, hypothesis H4 stated that affective commitment and individual creativity serially mediate the relationship between authentic leadership and employees’ performance. The indirect effect of authentic leadership on performance through affective commitment and individual creativity’s mediation is statistically significant ( B = 0.02; LLCI = 0.00; ULCI = 0.03). Thus, the results show that supervisors’ adoption of authentic leadership behavior is associated with workers’ stronger affective commitment ( B = 0.39; p < 0.001), which then fosters higher levels of individual creativity ( B = 0.16; p < 0.001), which further subsequently contributes to better individual performance ( B = 0.27; p < 0.001). These findings provide support for hypothesis H4, which meant that all the hypotheses could be accepted except for hypothesis H3. The model explains 38% of the unique variance of individual performance ( F [6, 209] = 21.44; p < 0.001). Figure 1 presents the main results.

Authentic leadership’s influence on individual performance through affective commitment and individual creativity. ∗∗∗ p < 0.001; n = 214; participants’ gender, age, and education function as covariates.

This study sought to investigate authentic leadership theory—a topic that has already attracted many scholars’ attention. The present research focused on authentic leadership’s impact on employees’ job-related attitudes and behaviors, namely, affective commitment (i.e., attitude), individual creativity, and individual performance (i.e., behavior), as these have important consequences for organizational performance. This study was a response to researchers’ calls for more studies of authentic leadership’s effects ( Gardner et al., 2011 ; Avolio and Walumbwa, 2014 ; Alilyyani et al., 2018 ). More specifically, the current investigation analyzed affective commitment and individual creativity’s sequential mediation to understand more fully the psychosocial mechanisms that link authentic leadership to improved employee performance.

The present findings indicate a positive association exists between authentic leadership and workers’ better performance, thereby supporting hypothesis H1. Similar results have been reported by other authors ( Clapp-Smith et al., 2009 ; Wang et al., 2014 ; Ribeiro et al., 2018a ), so the current findings reinforce the existing evidence for a positive relationship between the two constructs. As expected, the relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance is also mediated by affective commitment, which confirms hypothesis H2. The results thus confirm that this significant mediating variable helps explain how authentic leadership promotes higher employee performance ( Ribeiro et al., 2018b ; Semedo et al., 2016 , 2019 ). According to social learning ( Bandura, 1977 ) and social exchange theories, workers’ behavior is contingent on their leader’s behavior ( Cropanzano and Mitchell, 2005 ). From this perspective, employees engage in positive behaviors when they perceive that their organization is treating them well because they want to reciprocate with better performance. Authentic leadership can be indicative of a tendency toward positive organizational treatment, so this leadership style inspires workers to respond with affective commitment and, consequently, improved performance.

The findings regarding individual creativity’s mediating role in the relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance unexpectedly have no statistically significant mediation effect, leading to the rejection of hypothesis H3. Although one of the conditions for mediation exists (i.e., creativity explains individual performance), authentic leadership apparently does not affect the respondents’ creativity, which prevents the mediation effect from occurring. This result might be explained by the rather weak statistically significant correlation between authentic leadership and creativity in the present sample ( r = 0.17; p < 0.05), which is much lower than that reported in other studies. For example, Ribeiro et al. (2020) correlation values were r = 0.64 and p < 0.001, while Rego et al. (2012) reported r = 0.65 and p < 0.001 and Semedo et al. (2016) r = 0.46 and p < 0.01. Concurrently, the low variability in the present study’s results regarding reported levels of individual creativity (SD = 0.58) may have conditioned the correlations between the variables. From a theoretical standpoint, applying some of social exchange theory’s propositions ( Blau, 1964 ) can be more challenging in the case of creative behavior. For instance, the success proposition states that behavior that generates positive results is likely to be repeated, while the stimulus proposition asserts that behavior rewarded in the past is likely to be repeated in the future. However, workers could regard creative behavior as either stimulated or successful behavior in their workplace. Previous research has found that individual creativity has a significant mediation effect on the relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance ( Semedo et al., 2017 , 2018 ), so future studies need to devote further attention to clarify this issue.

In contrast, the last hypothesis received support. The current results offer evidence of the role of employees’ affective commitment and individual creativity as psychosocial sequential mediation mechanisms that explain the relationship between workers’ perceptions of their supervisors’ authentic leadership behavior and these employees’ workplace performance. This finding is innovative, adding to the existing knowledge about the four variables’ interrelationships. The conclusion can be drawn that significant indirect relationships exist between the research model’s main variables via the proposed mediating variables.

As previously mentioned as part of the research background, the above results may be due to how employees’ identification with and attachment to leaders increase these workers’ emotional connection to their organization ( Gatling et al., 2016 ; Delić et al., 2017 ). This strong link, in turn, stimulates their ability to come up with creative ideas and solutions ( Semedo et al., 2018 ). When employees develop high levels of creativity, as a rule, these workers ultimately produce better results than those who do not have this behavior. That is, creative employees’ better individual performance is due to increased cognition and motivation and more positive behavior ( Luthans et al., 2007 ). Previous research has confirmed each mediating variable’s role individually, but the present study adds to the literature by elucidating their combined and sequential mediation effects.

One especially intriguing result is that the mediation mechanism between authentic leadership, affective commitment, and individual performance is stronger than the sequential mediation effect. This finding could be explained by the aforementioned weak relationship between authentic leadership and creativity in the present sample’s data. Regardless, the results indicate that individuals’ affective bonds to their organization are important as a mechanism by which leaders’ behavior can influence their followers’ outcomes.

Limitations and Future Research

Despite this research’s valuable contributions, several limitations should be considered when interpreting and generalizing the findings. One limitation is that the study’s design limits the confirmation of any causal nexus amongst the variables. The choice of which direction to take was theoretical driven, but the results’ correlational nature meant causality between variables could not be firmly identified. Future research could focus on longitudinal research design to reach more valid conclusions about causality.

Another limitation is due to the collection of cross-sectional data from a single source, which can lead to spurious covariance among variables. To diminish the possibility of common method bias, the respondents were assured of both their data’s confidentiality and anonymity and the lack of right or wrong answers in order to reduce apprehension about their responses ( Podsakoff et al., 2003 ). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses further helped to establish the measures’ discriminant and convergent validity. However, future studies could adopt a two-source method (i.e., surveying both leaders and employees) or a time-lagged data collection strategy to reduce more effectively the potential occurrence of CMV. Regarding convergent validity, individual performance and individual creativity’s measures revealed AVE values a little below the cut-off point of 0.50. Their convergent validity was deemed acceptable to proceed with data analysis based on CR values alone ( Fornell and Larcker, 1981 ). Future research might devote further attention to these measures and introduce potential improvements on the psychometric front. Finally, the data were collected from a non-probabilistic sample, which limits the generalization of results to other organizations.

Despite these limitations, the findings contribute significantly to the literature, especially regarding authentic leadership and individual performance, and open new paths for further research. The present study confirmed that affective commitment is an important mechanism through which leaders can improve their followers’ performance. Future research could adopt a profile approach to investigating organizational commitment ( Meyer and Allen, 1991 , 1997 ) and examine whether and how employees’ simultaneous levels of the three forms of organizational commitment affect the leader-worker relationship. Further studies may gain benefits from examining other variables (e.g., value congruence, trust, leader-member exchange, perceived organizational justice, satisfaction with management, job resourcefulness, and happiness at work) that might also explain the link between authentic leadership and individual performance. Value congruence, for example, has been highlighted as a key mechanism through which leaders exert their influence on followers’ attitudes and behaviors because interpersonal and social similarities are conducive to trust ( Edwards and Cable, 2009 ).

Another suggestion would be to analyze moderating variables’ intervention in previously established relationships (e.g., organizational virtuousness, ethical infrastructure, and corporate social performance) since individuals’ behavior is also determined by the context in which it occurs. For instance, the level of organizational ambidexterity and simultaneous use of exploration and exploitation strategies ( O’Reilly and Tushman, 2013 ) might affect the value employees expect from engaging in creativity behaviors as a response to their leader’s behavior. Along the same lines, the present research could also be replicated in other contexts to facilitate data comparisons. The adoption of a qualitative or mixed method approach to examining the relationships under study could further help to deepen the existing understanding of how authentic leadership promotes improved performance. More information on individual creativity’s role in this process might be obtain using these approaches. Another interesting avenue of research to address is using a generational approach to the issues addressed in the present study, more specifically, to assess to what extent authentic leadership can facilitate the attraction and retention of members of more recent generations and stimulate these workers to excel in their jobs.

Theoretical and Practical Contributions

The results strengthen the existing literature on authentic leadership, affective commitment, individual creativity, and individual performance. The findings reinforce evidence of authentic leadership’s important role in encouraging positive employee behaviors through workers’ stronger affective bonds, as well as stimulating employees’ creativity. This study investigated the sequential process through which both affective commitment and individual creativity transmit authentic leadership’s impact on workers’ performance, thereby extending the literature on authentic leadership in an important novel direction.

The results have managerial implications as they suggest that organizations and administrators need to recognize the importance of betting on a more genuine, transparent, and authentic leadership style. Organizations should commit to selecting authentic leaders. Leaders further need to be open to critical feedback and consider all relevant information before making decisions, as well as being open about their own ideas, feelings, and emotions and being guided by moral values and standards even when under pressure. Training or mentoring programs can also be developed to achieve this end, helping leaders to recognize the benefits of assuming a more authentic leadership style and develop more effectively their competencies in this area. In other words, organizations must invest in developing increasingly authentic leaders and stimulating employees’ deeper emotional connection to their organization and greater workplace creativity, which will ultimately improve workers’ job performance. Leaders’ ability to foster individuals’ deep affective bonds to their organization appears to be especially important to promoting improved performance directly. The above findings provide organizations with guidelines for how leaders can stimulate employees’ unique results and improve their performance, including two sequential mechanisms through which these psychosocial benefits can be enhanced.

Data Availability Statement

Ethics statement.

Ethical review and approval was not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Written informed consent for participation was not required for this study in accordance with the national legislation and the institutional requirements.

Author Contributions

AD and NR formulated the research design. AD, NR, AS, and DG collected the data. AD conducted the data analyses. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank to the participants, without whom this study would not have been possible.

Funding. This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal, under the auspices of the Business Research Unit (Grant No. UIDB\00315\2020) and the Centro de Investigação Aplicada em Gestão e Economia (Grant UIDB/04928/2020).

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Authentic Leadership: Leading with Purpose, Meaning and Core Values

• First Online: 12 March 2020

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• Omowumi Ogunyemi 3 &
• Kemi Ogunyemi 4  

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Authentic leadership is a commonly used term; however, its significance and merits may not be fully grasped without paused reflection. Authentic leaders are true to the self and true to the values that they hold dear. They transmit those values to their followers. Those values are not arbitrary inventions or personal interests, but they are the core values that enable both leaders and followers to find meaning in their activities and to reach their goals. This chapter explores the concept of authentic leadership, highlighting its characteristics and the role it plays in the development of organisations. Authentic leadership fosters the growth of firms by giving meaning, core values and purpose to all who work there, thus empowering them to exercise their creativity in attaining their own fulfilment in a way that is compatible with the firm’s development. Authentic leadership thus differs from self-satisfaction and self-affirmation. It involves a sincere concern for the integral well-being and development of followers.

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Ogunyemi, O., Ogunyemi, K. (2020). Authentic Leadership: Leading with Purpose, Meaning and Core Values. In: Dhiman, S., Marques, J. (eds) New Horizons in Positive Leadership and Change. Management for Professionals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38129-5_20

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What is Authentic Leadership?

Warren Buffett lives in the same house he bought in the 1950s for $31,000, drives a $45,000 car, has a $100,000 salary, refuses pay raises, picks his friends up from the airport instead of giving them extravagant gifts, eats McDonald’s for breakfast every day, and plays bridge as a hobby. In other words, despite having a net worth of $115 billion, Buffett hasn’t changed his lifestyle. Although he became a billionaire in 1990 and has consistently ranked on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people since, you’d never know it if you didn’t recognize him. This is because he practices authentic leadership, meaning no matter what, he remains true to who he is. As such, generations of leaders respect, admire, and look up to him as a role model. 

Authentic leadership is about showing up as your authentic self so you can grow trusting relationships with team members, customers, and clients. However, a  Harvard Business Review  survey found  58 percent of employees trust a stranger on the street more than they do their own boss.  This statistic shows both authenticity and leadership are lacking in most companies. 

What is Authentic Leadership?

The top traits of an authentic leader, how to become a more authentic leader, 1. don’t try to be someone you’re not.

“Be yourself, but always your better self.” Karl G. Maeser

I greatly admire many of the qualities of my former president, Evan Tardy, at Ancient Nutrition. However, if I showed up to work acting identical to Evan, flipped on some party music, and tried to fill the room with his fun-loving energy, it would read as weird and inauthentic.  Why?  Because that’s not who I am—that’s who Evan is. I am more stoic, strategic, and direct.

To avoid an  identity crisis  and step more into who you are:

2. recognize strengths.

“If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything.” Tom rath

One of the key components of knowing yourself and practicing authentic leadership is realizing your strengths. This works in conjunction with the first tip because it helps you avoid becoming something you’re not. When you know your talents and gifts, you can grow and develop into the best version of  yourself . 

To get everyone on the team in alignment with their strengths:

3. emulate what great leaders do well.

“Don’t just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style. You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.” Austin Kleon

To think more like an authentic leader:

4. grow a trusting work environment.

“Trust doesn’t mean that you trust that someone won’t screw up—it means you trust them when they do screw up.” Ed Catmull

Trust is a two-way street, though.  You can’t expect people to trust you if you don’t trust them.  If you always act suspicious of others and refuse to stop looking over their shoulder, it creates an environment of distrust. This means you must trust team members to do their job, avoid micromanaging, and believe team members put their best effort into their work. If someone betrays this trust, handle the situation appropriately as outlined in the employee handbook. However, distrusting people without reason is not how authentic leaders guide their teams. 

Develop more trust by:

5. lean into vulnerability .

“Even when we feel weak and vulnerable, we have to remember that pure vulnerability eventually manifests into authenticity.” Dr. Jacinta Mpalyenkana

To create a more vulnerable work environment:

Authencity works like a magnet.

In today’s modern world, authentic leadership is rare. People are so quick to “do what’s right” or follow the crowd without researching who is dictating that “truth.” Political affiliations aside, the select few who run the media typically influence what we believe, think, and ultimately do. 

Know you have the choice to do the same. 

Stepping into authentic leadership is the best place to start. 

Want to avoid social conformity?  Check out this article next:

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Discovering Your Authentic Leadership

• Bill George,
• Peter Sims,
• Andrew N. McLean,
• Diana Mayer

We all have the capacity to inspire and empower others. But we must first be willing to devote ourselves to our personal growth and development as leaders.

The ongoing problems in business leadership over the past five years have underscored the need for a new kind of leader in the twenty-first century: the authentic leader. Author Bill George, a Harvard Business School professor and the former chairman and CEO of Medtronic, and his colleagues, conducted the largest leadership development study ever undertaken. They interviewed 125 business leaders from different racial, religious, national, and socioeconomic backgrounds to understand how leaders become and remain authentic. Their interviews showed that you do not have to be born with any particular characteristics or traits to lead. You also do not have to be at the top of your organization. Anyone can learn to be an authentic leader.

The journey begins with leaders understanding their life stories. Authentic leaders frame their stories in ways that allow them to see themselves not as passive observers but as individuals who learn from their experiences. These leaders make time to examine their experiences and to reflect on them, and in doing so they grow as individuals and as leaders. Authentic leaders also work hard at developing self-awareness through persistent and often courageous self-exploration. Denial can be the greatest hurdle that leaders face in becoming self-aware, but authentic leaders ask for, and listen to, honest feedback. They also use formal and informal support networks to help them stay grounded and lead integrated lives.

The authors argue that achieving business results over a sustained period of time is the ultimate mark of authentic leadership. It may be possible to drive short-term outcomes without being authentic, but authentic leadership is the only way to create long-term results.

During the past 50 years, leadership scholars have conducted more than 1,000 studies in an attempt to determine the definitive styles, characteristics, or personality traits of great leaders. None of these studies has produced a clear profile of the ideal leader. Thank goodness. If scholars had produced a cookie-cutter leadership style, individuals would be forever trying to imitate it. They would make themselves into personae, not people, and others would see through them immediately.

• BG Bill George is a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of  True North: Emerging Leader Edition .  He was the CEO of Medtronic from 1991 to 2001 and has served on the boards of Goldman Sachs, Novartis, Target, ExxonMobil, and Mayo Clinic.
• PS Peter Sims is a management writer and entrepreneur. He is the author of Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries . He is also the founder of the BLKSHP .
• AM Andrew N. McLean is a research associate at Harvard Business School.
• DM Diana Mayer is a former Citigroup executive in New York.

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Authentic Leadership: Theory, Benefits, and Examples

January 18, 2021 - 7 min read

According to the Harvard Business Review , authenticity has become the gold standard in leadership. And the good news is that virtually anyone can successfully fake it ‘til they make it. If you’re wondering how authentic leadership theory works, and how it stacks up against other methods, here are your answers. Keep reading to discover the key components of authenticity, the benefits of this style, and whether or not it’s right for your unique team. 

What is authentic leadership theory?

Authentic leadership theory is a set of qualities, values, and skills someone should possess if they want to be an effective project manager, business director, or team leader. If someone is an authentic leader, they’re known for being down to earth, genuine, and an all-around “good” person. Although being “good” is subjective, in terms of being in charge of a group or a project, there are a certain set of behaviors outlined in the authentic leadership theory that makes it tangible. 

Long story short : Authentic leadership theory defines the top most desirable qualities a successful leader can have and breaks these down into actionable behaviors anyone can develop over time. 

The four key components of authentic leadership theory include: 

1. Self-awareness

A leader should be familiar with both how they view themselves and how others see them. And perhaps most importantly, how their actions affect those around them for better or worse. 

2. Transparency

Having clear motives for every action is very important for authentic leadership. Strong communication skills are essential, along with tact. 

Being able to navigate the dynamics of teams, tasks, and project needs are essential in authentic leadership so that each area is served to the fullest without sacrificing another. 

4. Strong sense of morality

An inner compass that guides decision-making helps keep workplace discussions fair and equitable. 

What are the authentic leadership characteristics?

Created by Bill George, the authentic leadership theory is often depicted as a circle with the title in the middle and an outer layer broken up into five categories of linked ideas. They are:

• Purpose tied to passion
• Behavior based on values
• Connectedness in relationships
• Consistency built on self-discipline
• Compassion from the heart

Each element describes an observable characteristic the leader should have in order to come off as honest and morally good. Being honest and morally good is desirable in leadership because it translates to a leader who can make decisions transparently, with a solid amount of empathy and altruism. 

What is not a characteristic of authentic leadership?

Having a bad attitude is not a characteristic of authentic leadership because being a great leader is similar to being a great role model. In fact, mindset plays a significant role in authentic leadership theory. Positive thinking, realistic optimism, and hope for an ideal outcome are learnable traits all authentic leaders should possess. 

Also, reversing the hierarchy of relationships like servant leadership is not part of this theory. Servant leadership is all about prioritizing customer-facing or entry-level roles. Rather than the group supporting the leader, the leader supports the group. 

Are there different authentic leadership styles?

Authentic leadership style looks different on everyone. Even though two leaders who practice the authentic leadership theory have the same values, when faced with the same scenario they may come to two different conclusions. Personality, culture, and experience also play a large role in who we are as people so it makes sense why there are so many different authentic leadership styles. 

What are the benefits of authentic leadership?

The main benefits of authentic leadership are: 

• Increased job satisfaction among employees When leaders make each employee feel seen and heard, they’re likely to stick around longer.
• Better workplace conditions Who wouldn’t want to work under someone who sets clear expectations, makes fair decisions, and creates opportunities for growth?
• An emphasis on collaboration rather than individualism It’s often overlooked but connecting the work an individual does to the positive outcomes the entire group experiences helps people feel more fulfilled.
• Increased levels of inspiration, creativity, and productivity When employees are given a positive working environment, they have more mental space to solve project challenges.
• Higher performance ratings overall A strong, authentic leader will be the backbone of their team. This key foundational element makes it easier for all team members to succeed which means more progress in less time. 

How to know if authentic leadership will work for you

The best way to know if authentic leadership will work for you is if you’ve ever found yourself wondering how you can make yourself, your work, or your team better. Although there are other tactics that are similar to authentic leadership theory, this methodology is a great starting point for any team in any industry. Case in point: Martin Luther King Jr. 

Martin Luther King Jr. is often referred to as a shining example of authentic leadership . His grace, ethics, and inspiring rhetoric led to one of the most powerful civil rights movements in American history. His actions displayed all of the qualities that make up an authentic leader and, in the end, brought millions of people from a variety of backgrounds together to create lasting change.

It’s well known that Martin Luther King Jr. is often compared to Malcolm X . Their goals were similar but their respective styles were vastly different. The oversimplified version: One man wanted change through peaceful politics within an established system, another through direct action using the lens of his tragic personal experiences. 

But they had one key characteristic in common: Both are known for their naturally authentic leadership styles. It’s as if being a leader is who they were born to be. And it shows in their words, and in their actions to build relationships with others. 

Not everyone is born with these essential qualities like MLK Jr. and Malcolm X at the forefront of their personality. However, an aspiring leader can cultivate and become known for them over time within their own organizations. Even if you’re not leading a civil rights movement, you can have a powerful influence on the success of your project and team through the actionable tactics outlined in authentic leadership theory. 

What are the alternatives to the authentic leadership theory?

There are six main alternatives to the authentic leadership theory. Here are their definitions:

• The great man theory : Leaders are born, not made. Those in charge choose leaders or they are voted on by groups. 
• The trait theory : True leadership is a series of innate or learned traits. 
• The behavioral theory : If someone behaves like a leader, they are one. 
• The transactional theory : Performance is rewarded with power so the best of every team becomes the leader. 
• The transformational theory : Being well-liked by those you lead equals success. 
• The situational theory : Leaders improvise strategies to fit every new situation. 

Here are the similarities and differences these alternatives each have with authentic leadership theory: 

• Some authentic leaders have natural abilities and strengths such as high emotional intelligence while others earn them over time, but both are valid. 
• Authentic leadership prescribes to the same philosophy as trait theory but extends beyond checking a few boxes. 
• The idea of how a leader should behave is ambiguous and hard to measure. Being an authentic leader can sometimes involve counterintuitive or unpopular decisions. 
• Some people are great at doing the most important tasks but not so great at managing those who do them. Authentic leaders often take a holistic view of their team and plan accordingly.
• Authentic leaders make decisions for the good of the group even if it makes them unpopular among the majority of members. 
• Although authentic leaders must be flexible, this theory posits a set of points of view that guide decision-making but don’t dictate it. 

Build better, more honest relationships

Authentic leaders prove their worth through their dedication to others and the honesty they show in their relationships. As you build these leadership skills over time , remember to implement tools such as project management software to build trust through transparency in every aspect of your work together. 

Explore Wrike’s two-week free trial and discover tools that help you communicate more efficiently, keep leadership involved without slowing progress , and commit to authenticity through action.

Maria Waida

Maria is a freelance content writer who specializes in blogging and other marketing materials for enterprise software businesses.

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• Authentic Leadership Guide: Definitions, Qualities, Pros & Cons, Examples

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“ Authentic leadership is leading adaptively from your core, choosing who you’re most inspired to be to serve the greatest good in this moment.” – Henna Inam

The modern corporate world is not without its examples of wrongdoing and creed-based behavior. Not all leaders are good and acknowledgement of this can often be the first step towards better leadership. In order to lead better, leaders and academics have turned to the idea of authentic leadership. A leadership model, which believes that genuine leadership that basis its decisions on values can guide people towards the greater good.

© Shutterstock | racorn

This guide will examine authentic leadership : the past and the present context. We’ll explore the core elements of the model and the characteristics that define authentic leaders. We’ll explain the benefits and the shortcomings of the theory, before providing you examples of leaders who’ve showcased authentic leadership.

UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT CONTEXTS OF AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP

Authentic leadership is a rather new theory, yet the core ideas of the leadership model can be traced back to Ancient Greece. In this section, we’ll explore the historical ideas behind the theory, before examining the modern theoretical approach to the leadership style and the implications of it being a young theory.

The historical context

Authentic leadership is another concept with roots in Ancient Greek philosophy. Ancient Greek philosophers concurred authenticity to be an important state of being, as it emphasized being in control of your own destiny and who you truly are as a person. The word authentic comes from the Greek word, authentikos , which means principal or genuine. Authentic persons were true themselves and their surroundings.

Furthermore, authenticity was closely linked to the Ancient Greek model of cardinal virtues . To the Greeks, there were four key virtues to follow: prudence, temperance , justice and fortitude . The virtues called the person to:

• Consider all the possible courses of action and acting in a fair-minded manner (prudence)
• Stay emotionally balanced and in control at all times (temperance)
• Deal with other people in a fair manner (justice)
• Have enough courage to do the right thing (fortitude)

By developing these virtues, people were thought to improve their inner self and the relationships they had with other people. An authentic leader, therefore, needed the four virtues in order to lead in a just and good manner. To the Ancient Greeks, authentic leadership was moral and selfless to a degree .

Ancient Greek philosophers weren’t the last to explore the concept of authenticity. Throughout the human history, philosophers, musicians and artists have explored this concept. In the Western world, some of the most famous minds have talked about authenticity and authentic behavior. Descartes suggested authenticity is the following of your inner voice, which calls for responsible behavior. Identity was the thing that shaped Descartes’ individual morality and this identity came from external sources and social status. Authentic behavior was therefore often a natural existence, which was available for us all.

Yet, authentic leadership wasn’t part of the conversation of leadership theories until much later. In the 1960s, authentic leadership entered the discussion and its inclusion was mostly driven by the need to reflect on certain negative elements the rising corporate culture had brought about.

In the early stages of the theorizing, authenticity became attached as a reflection of organizations as well as individuals. An organization could start highlighting its authenticity by acting in a responsible manner, reacting to uncertainty and being creative. Authentic behavior moved away from the idea it’s only the individual leaders, who define authenticity within an organization.

The modern context

Although the conversation around authenticity within the corporate culture began in the 1960s, it took a while before the concept was fully explored as a leadership model. Warren Bennis’ On Becoming a Leader explored certain elements of the authentic leadership model in 1989. The book has been re-printed several times since and in his latest introduction to the newest version in 2009, Bennis wrote, “ Authentic leaders embrace those who speak valuable truths, however hard they are to hear ”. He saw the problems of organizations often stemming from doing the opposite of that – hiding the truth, in order to avoid having to deal with problems. To Bennis, leaders were made and not born, suggesting that authentic leadership is at the grasp of everyone.

While Bennis’ original book did touch on the ideas of modern authentic leadership theory, the father of the idea is often considered Bill George, Harvard professor and CEO of Medtronic .

George published a book called Authentic Leadership in 2003 and later refined his ideas further in True North . George’s inspiration for writing the book had been the increasing negative corporate examples, such as Enron and Tyco. He wanted to restore people’s faith in corporations and show young leaders another way to lead. Peter Northouse’s 2007 book Leadership: Theory and Practice wrote about the scandals and their influence on leadership theories. According to Northouse,

“ People feel apprehensive and insecure about what is going on around them, and as a result, they long for bona fide leadership they can trust and for leaders who are honest and good ”.

In Authentic Leadership , George described authentic leaders as:

“ People of the highest integrity, committed to building organizations…who have a deep sense of purpose and are true to their core values who have the courage to build their companies to meet the needs of all their stakeholders, and who recognize the importance of their service to society. ”

A year after Authentic Leadership was published, the conversation got busier and the Gallup Leadership Institute of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln held its inaugural summit on Authentic Leadership Development. In 2007, George’s True North went further to explain who’s an authentic leader and what leaders can do to be more authentic, creating a concept that could be further refined, but also tested.

The book restated the idea that leadership is not something you are born with, but that authentic leadership, especially, requires constant development and growth . George developed an idea of leadership as a journey, with three distinct phases:

• Phase 1: In the first part of your journey, you prepare yourself for the leadership.
• Phase 2: In the second phase, you start leading by taking on new challenges until you reach the ‘peak’ of leadership.
• Phase 3: In the final part of the leadership journey, you start seeking opportunities to spread your leadership wisdom to others and give back to the community, even though the learning process continues.

You can see what the journey looks like in the below chart:

Source: Bill George’s website

A theory in its infancy

Authentic leadership is in its infancy, which means the concept still lacks certain universal answers or theories to specific questions. As we will explore in the section about the advantages and disadvantages of the theory, the lack of proper theory or model is sometimes criticized as the biggest flaw of the idea.

But the core ideas of authentic leadership have evolved and academics are continuously researching the theory and its validity further. The emphasis of the theory is on the leader’s legitimacy and how this can be strengthened through an honest relationship with subordinates. The theory values opinions and the theory has a strong ethical foundation, just as the concept of authenticity has had throughout history.

Before we start examining the core elements of authentic relationship, it’s auspicious to point out the current three theoretical foundations. Authentic leadership can be viewed through three different ideas:

• Intrapersonal definition – In this model, the leader and the leader’s characteristics are about nurturing the inner qualities of yourself.
• Developmental definition – The model, which is the most prevalent, notes that the leader might not have set inner traits, but that these characteristics are developed and trained.
• Interpersonal definition – In the third model, the authentic style is not dependent on the leader’s actions, but also the group’s response.

Interestingly, authentic leadership is not always seen inconclusive of other leadership theories. Bruce J. Avolio and Fred Luthans explored the idea of authentic leadership as the root construct of other leadership theories in The High Impact Leader . According to Avolio and Luthans, authentic leadership can manifest as directive, participative or even transformational leadership.

THE CORE ELEMENTS OF AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP

Let’s turn our attention to the core elements of the leadership style. First, we’ll briefly explore the concept of authenticity, before outlining the four core components of authentic leadership. Later in this section, we’ll also explain some of the different ways authenticity can be measured.

What is authenticity?

To understand authentic leadership, you must naturally define authenticity. The word authentic can be rather difficult, as it has become a fad. Self-proclamations of authenticity tend to take place in the world of politics, entertainment and business. In her New York Times article , Stephanie Rosenbloom gave examples of celebrities claiming their authenticity. For instance, Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, had told another newspaper, “ If you fear what people think about you, then you are not being authentic ”.

But authentic leadership isn’t about self-proclamation, but rather showing authenticity through one’s actions and behaviors. Instead of stating “ I’m always true to myself ”, authentic leadership questions at every step what behavior they are presenting – not by trying to be authentic, but being self-aware . In order for you to become an authentic leader, you need to first achieve clarity about your inner self and then start showcasing the actual self through your actions.

Furthermore, as you’ll see later in this section, self-assessment of your authenticity isn’t often at the core of authentic leadership, but instead subordinates get to voice how they perceive the leader’s authenticity levels.

There are essentially three cornerstones of authenticity in terms of authentic leadership. These are:

• Being true to yourself and your values.
• Being open with other people.
• Doing the right thing, in operational and moral terms, not in terms of what is good for you as a leader.

The important point to remember about authenticity and authentic leadership is how it’s not a free pass to behave however you want or even make the leadership about you. Brooke Vuckovic, adjunct lecturer of leadership coaching at the Kellogg School, said in an interview , “ Authenticity is not a license to be excessively focused on the self. It’s about being aligned with your character and values in order to lead effectively. ”

The four components

There are four core components of authentic leadership: self-awareness , internalized moral perspective , balanced processing and relational transparency . F.O. Walumba et al discussed these four elements in their research paper Authentic Leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure in 2008.

Their paper was based on limited empirical data, which suggested authentic leadership relies on the four elements and these components are ultimately the aspects, which strengthen this model for operational use.

Component #1: Self-awareness

Self-awareness relates closely to the Ancient Greek’s idea of “knowing thyself”. It’s about understanding your own inner and outer qualities and how these relate to your being a leader. Furthermore, the component is crucial if you want to develop the other three areas of authentic leadership.

Self-awareness in authentic leadership can be manifested in a number of ways such as:

• Knowing your strengths and weaknesses
• Understanding the self is a multi-layered concept
• Learning about your impact on other people and vice versa
• Developing a continuous self-exposure and development process

Authentic leadership is not about creating a façade, but it asks for the leader, as well as the follower, to be genuine. In an authentic leadership environment, mistakes are not hidden or shrugged away. Weaknesses are life lessons to be learned and the self-actualization is a constant struggle, which will manifest in mistakes and successes.

Bruce J. Avolio and Tara S. Wernsing highlighted in the 2008 essay Practicing Authentic Leadership three ways authentic leaders practice self-awareness:

• Actively seeking feedback from the environment
• Using self-reflection as a way to understand their behavior
• Engaging in self-observation to stay aware of feelings at all times

[slideshare id=17471993&doc=emotionalentrepreneurmarch2013-130321175048-phpapp01&w=640&h=330]

Component #2: Internalized moral perspective

The second core component of authentic leadership relates to doing the right thing. As mentioned earlier, authentic leadership is closely related to ethics and especially the concern of fairness. The theory has always had a strong psychological and moral component.

Furthermore, the moral perspective on leadership and the different behaviors it brings about is not based on external factors. The moral perspective is not something the authentic leader finds imposed upon him or her by the organization or even society. Instead, the self-regulatory behavior is self-imposed and comes from the leaders internalized moral values.

Component #3: Balanced processing

The authentic leadership doesn’t just seek to make morally correct decisions, but to be fair-minded during the process. The leadership is based on openness and fairness; on an environment where opinions are not just welcomed but also encouraged. The idea is to ensure opposing viewpoints will be voiced before the leader, sometimes together with subordinates, considers the actions.

According to Kevin Kruse, self-claimed serial entrepreneur, the ability to listen and consider different viewpoints does not make authentic leadership “soft”. In his Forbes article , Kruse said authentic leaders “ are able to put the mission and the goals of the organization ahead of their own self-interest ”. Therefore, authentic leadership focuses on the collective objectives and understands common knowledge and diversity in opinion can help achieve these more clearly.

The key to balanced processing is the understanding of bias. To authentic leaders, people’s opinions are based on biased processing of information. This doesn’t mean anything negative per se, but just reinforces the leaders need to understand two things. First, that his or her own ideas are responses to certain triggers, and second, that seeking multiple opinions can provide better understanding of an issue in question. Competing perspectives can yield better results than focusing on cohesion of opinions.

Component #4: Relational transparency

Finally, authentic leadership rests on the concept of genuineness. When authentic leaders communicate and act, they do it honestly. There is no room for hidden agendas or mind-games in authentic leadership. It seeks to create an environment where everyone knows where he or she stands in terms of his or her relations with the leader.

Transparency won’t mean the leader should necessarily let his or her emotions take control. As a leader, you can’t always say the first things that come to your mind. Nonetheless, you need to share your thought processes with your subordinates and the decisions that are made, must not be shrouded in mystery.

But what is enough transparency? According to Avolio and Luthans,

“ The more certain you are about your values and beliefs, the more clear you will become about how transparent to act with others. Being transparent may cause feelings of vulnerability at times but should not make you so vulnerable as to invoke anxiety or invite exploitation from others. ”

Different ways to measure authenticity

Since authentic leadership is closely tied to behaviors and positive psychology, it’s drawn attention for qualitative research and measurement. Academics and proponents of the theory have sought to measure the levels of authenticity leaders highlight. Four distinct measurements and scales have appeared out of these experiments.

Way 1: Leader Authenticity Scale (LAS)

The first attempt at measuring authenticity came in the form of the Leader Authenticity Scale (LAS). The 32-item questionnaire measures tendencies such as:

• Genuine behavior in the face of job titles
• Acknowledgement of accountability when mistakes are made
• Ability to avoid manipulation of subordinates

The scale has mainly been used in educational environment, measuring how schools are organized. The scale’s validity has later been criticized for generalization.

Way 2: Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ)

The Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) surveys the subordinates in order to find the authenticity levels of the leader. The measure is specifically designed with the authentic leadership theory in mind and therefore it focuses on the major four core elements of the theory: self-awareness , relational transparency , internalized moral perspective and balanced processing .

In terms of academic research of the theory, ALQ is the most commonly used and preferred scale. The survey can be bought and used either as a self-assessment tool or for measuring multiple leaders or supervisors at once. You can find it online at Mind Garden , for example.

Way 3: Authentic Leadership Inventory (ALI)

A relatively recent scale, the Authentic Leadership Inventory, came out in 2011. Like ALQ, ALI surveys subordinates in order to measure the authentic leadership behaviours of the leader. The measure builds on the research done with ALQ and the findings it has made in terms of authenticity.

Nonetheless, research has shown problems with the technique and the reliability of the results. As the measurement is free for everyone, the scale has received plenty of attention, despite this criticism.

Way 4: Authenticity Inventory (AI:3)

The final way to measure is not entirely a leadership measure, but more of a survey to test individual authenticity. It can therefore be a helpful addition to testing your authenticity levels.

Different to the above measures, the AI:3 tends to also emphasize the link between well-being and authenticity. It pays more attention to the philosophical aspect of authenticity and self-awareness, rather than just measuring your approach to tasks and leadership.

THE QUALITIES OF AN AUTHENTIC LEADER

The above section highlighted the core components of authentic leadership and explained the different ways authenticity can be measured. But what makes a leader authentic? What are the qualities you should aim to strengthen if you want to be more authentic?

In this section, we’ll explore the core characteristics of authentic leader and the principles that should guide your leadership as an authentic leader.

The core characteristics

Authenticity manifests in different ways, but there are a few essential characteristics and qualities authentic leaders should focus on. While the following five characteristics are often essential for authentic leadership, the key to being a leader with authenticity is proper understanding of yourself. You must also recognize that personal development, just like authentic leadership, is an on-going journey.

As mentioned above, self-awareness is the ultimate key to authentic leadership. If you want to become an authentic leader then you must know your personal traits and values inside out. You can’t be true to yourself if you don’t know who you are.

Self-awareness sounds easier than it is. Studies have highlighted how the human mind is capable of self-deception. Denial and narcissistic qualities are not just odd phenomena; they occur in most of us. But for authentic leader, the objective is to limit the behavior and to be aware of the moments when you might be ‘cheating yourself’.

Self-awareness can be enhanced by understanding your strengths and weaknesses and by studying your behavioral patterns. In most cases, this means looking at your individual circumstances and the past events that might have led to you to develop certain negative or positive patterns of behavior. As George stated in his blog post, “ people are not born as jerks ”.

Authentic leaders are able to understand the negative behaviors and reframe the experiences into a positive format. For instance, being defensive doesn’t have to be a negative characteristic, but you can turn it into a positive by understanding why you are defensive, noticing the situations that make you defensive, and examining the impact of your defensiveness.

Brenda Booth, a clinical professor of management at the Kellogg School, put it well, when she said,

“ [authentic leadership] is about being comfortable in your own skin so you can lead the organization in a way where you do not feel ethically compromised or like a charlatan ”.

Self-awareness also requires a level of honesty from the leader. As a leader, you shouldn’t be trying to change your behavior or hiding your true self. People can pick up quite quickly when someone is being honest and when they are not. As a leader, you must ensure your subordinates trust you and if you aren’t genuine, then building this trust might be harder.

In True North , George points out an important distinction between being genuine and being perfect. Authentic leadership isn’t about perfection or “ letting the expectations of other people guide them ”, but the genuine approach to trusting one’s inner capabilities and vision in guiding the group. A genuine leader will acknowledge mistakes and shortcomings. But it is precisely this connection, which helps them empower others.

Result-oriented and task-driven

Authentic leaders are result-oriented and task-driven. They understand the objectives of organizations, but they don’t push towards profitability and productivity by any means necessary. They understand the importance of teamwork in order to achieve those objectives.

The authentic leader understands that flexibility can get things done faster, because different tasks and different people require different things. In order to achieve certain tasks, a leader might use a mentoring approach , while at other times a more directing approach is needed. Therefore, authentic leaders need to implement a level of situational leadership .

Result-orientation requires a great deal of knowledge. An authentic leader must therefore also be well aware of the operational goals and things such as industry trends. You must be willing to learn and listen to different opinions regarding the objectives in order to pick up the best ways forward.

Furthermore, Bennis wrote in the introduction of the revised edition of his On Becoming a Leader that today’s leaders must have ‘adaptive capacity’. To Bennis, this means the ability to make decisions and later measure the effectiveness, instead of waiting to analyze the situation before acting. For this to yield the best results, an authentic leader must be on top of tasks and the desired outcomes continuously.

Authentic leaders must be focused. As George’s three-step pathway to leadership highlights, authentic leadership takes years of experience and personal growth. You therefore must be able to see the end-goal and outline this vision for your subordinates. According to George, “ Without a real sense of purpose, leaders are at the mercy of their egos and narcissistic vulnerabilities ”.

Staying focused on the face of different challenges can be difficult. But the more self-aware you are about your values and the objectives you need to accomplish, the better you become at draining out the unnecessary aspects around you. Therefore, to become more focused, you need to continually re-evaluate and re-assess your own goals, behavior and those of people around you.

Finally, an authentic leader has to showcase high-levels of empathy towards other people . George writes in True North that leaders can grow as authentic leaders when they “are more concerned about serving others than they are about their own success or recognition ”. Authentic leader wants to empower others, instead of focusing on their own needs.

Betsy Myers, founding director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University, writes in her book Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You that “ leadership is about how you make people feel ”. In order to do so, you must treat them genuinely and honestly.

Being more empathetic is ultimately about understanding other people’s needs and stepping into their shoes. This can be enhanced through better communication and analysis of your own feelings. Furthermore, you should aim to improve your emotional intelligence , which you can learn more about from the below video.

Five principles for authentic leaders

In order to enhance the above characteristics and to start leading in authentic manner, you need to implement core principles to guide your way. Kevin Cashman, CEO of LeaderSource and executive of Leader Insitute, recommends in his 1998 book Leadership from the Inside Out five principles authentic leaders should follow.

Principle #1: Know yourself authentically

The first principle is about self-awareness and integrity. It builds on the idea that instead of paying attention to what others are doing, a leader should focus on his or her own behavior. In essence, be the kind of leader and employee, you want others to be.

As George wrote in 2007, “ the harder person you will ever have to lead is yourself ”. If you know yourself and your behaviors, you can set an example and inspire others with your example.

Principle #2: Listen authentically

According to Cashman, the second principle relies on the principle of psychological reciprocity: if you want to influence others, you must open yourself up to their influence.

When you listen to others authentically , you are open the ideas and objectives of the other person, and you allow them to perhaps teach you something.

Principle #3: Express authentically

Expressing authentically means talking with a genuine voice. To Cashman, it’s about avoiding the need to refine your style or trying to hold on to our sense of integrity at all times. Authentic expression allows subordinates to see the leader is talking from the heart and from experience, even if the presentation isn’t perfectly worded.

Authentic expression is closely linked with the idea of creating value. While writers, like George, acknowledge that authentic leaders don’t just say whatever comes to mind, but use emotional intelligence to decide how to say something, it still doesn’t mean you don’t go straight to the point.

The difference of saying whatever and expressing your opinion authentically is in the creation of value. Authentic leader says things in a way that lead to a positive outcome. For example, instead of telling someone they have been lazy in getting the report done, authentic leader would share tips on how the report can be finished quicker and point out to the negative impact of not achieving objectives.

Principle #4: Appreciate authentically

Appreciating authentically can, according to Cashman, be part of authentic expression. It focuses on creating value because appreciation tends to make people feel better about themselves and motivate them to work harder.

By appreciating someone, you can boost his or her sense of self-worth and development. It results in long-term positive value, instead of short-term value provided by criticism.

[slideshare id=58864774&doc=10freshideasforemployeeappreciationday-160229171931&w=640&h=330]

Principle #5: Serve authentically

Finally, Cashman recommends authentic leaders to serve authentically. The idea is ultimately to serve instead of control, whether it is the subordinates, the customers or society as whole. It’s about understanding the interdependence of people in organizations and larger communities.

An authentic leader must use the below building blocks in order tosucceed.

© Shutterstock | raevas

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP

Authentic leadership, although still a new theory, has been closely reviewed and analyzed. Many of its proponents focus on the positive advantages the leadership style can provide to an organization, while critics point out to some obvious failings in the approach. Let’s turn our attention to both arguments.

Advantages of authentic leadership

One of the first benefits of authentic leadership is the enhanced relational engagement it brings about. Since the focus is on objectives and a person’s inner behaviors and values, the leader is more able to maintain trust and cohesion among the group . The focus is on empowering the employees and guiding them through the tasks in an empathetic and honest manner.

George points out to this importance of trust in True North . He points to the examples of Enron, WorldCom and Tyco and the CEOs who “ put their companies at risk by focusing on the trappings and spoils of leadership ”. George went on to write how trust is not built by trying to appear authentic or caring, but highlighting one’s inner values.

The relational engagement is closely related to the second positive of authentic leadership: it’s ability to build positive and rewarding relationships . The focus on employee-leader relations is on the development and on listening to people’s ideas and thoughts. The open relationship, which doesn’t mean everything is always happiness and agreement, creates an authentic environment, where people know their place in the organization and the direction the team is working towards. Although authentic leadership means the leader is the ultimate decider, the style invites and relishes the opportunities of listening to other people’s opinions. The collaborative environment can improve employee satisfaction and make them feel like equal members of the group.

In addition, proponents of authentic leadership highlight the consistency authentic leadership style can provide for an organization . It is the leader’s inner values, combined with the operational objectives of the organization, which are at the heart of the way the team operates. This means that subordinates know what to expect in times of trouble and sunshine. If the leader is passionate about sustainability, then it will always provide a backdrop to everything the organization does. The values provide stability and consistency to an organization. More importantly, as Northouse wrote in his book, “ Authentic leaders do not compromise their values, but rather use those situations to strengthen their values ”.

Finally, authentic leadership tends to guarantee the ethical and moral standards are high . Since the style emphasizes the use of morality as the guidance for leadership, the organization can have a stronger ethical footing. According to George’s surveys of leaders, the common problems of morality don’t arise among ethical leaders. As he writes in the book, authentic leaders don’t seek self-gain, but want the organization to succeed and prosper, along with the subordinates.

A good example of this is Howard Schultz and Starbucks. Because of Schultz’ own experience with the problems of employee healthcare, he built his company around the area that all employees, even those working part-time, should have access to healthcare options. He used his personal values and life experiences as guidance and created a company, which reflected these values.

Disadvantages of authentic leadership

Undoubtedly, the leadership theory’s biggest disadvantage is its infancy . The authentic leadership theory doesn’t have a coherent or unified theory, with different authors adding their own flavor to what it means to be an authentic leader . Therefore, proper analysis of the benefits and the measuring of authenticity can be difficult.

Furthermore, authors such as Northouse question the ambiguity around specific context , such as authentic leadership’s moral compass. In Leadership: Theory and Practice , Northouse pointed out, “ Whereas authentic leadership implies that leaders are motivated by higher-order end values such as justice and community, the way that these values function to influence authentic leadership is not clear ”.

In addition to this dilemma, the moral component can cause contradicting objectives within an organization . The leader’s values might not always align with what is right for the organization or its shareholders. In fact, the needs of the subordinates and other stakeholders might not always meet. Therefore, a leader might find him- or herself in a situation where they have to either sacrifice their inner value of providing employee bonuses or provide these bonuses in order to grow the company’s sale potential.

But could authentic leadership also reveal the ‘inner jerk’ of a leader? Although George has said that authenticity shouldn’t allow you to be a jerk, the focus on honesty might not be suitable for all situations. In his blog post , Peter Stark, President of Peter Barron Stark Companies, writes about examples where the team has failed to meet its targets and when authentic leadership might not provide the right answers. He goes on to say,

“ We don’t all have a 100% positive outlook and attitude every single day, but it is still our job as leaders to role-model and create a positive workplace environment. You may be genuinely honest and decide to share your anger over a team member’s mistake or shortcoming. Honesty is great, but in this situation, the employee needs a leader who can give feedback in a way that is helpful and well-received. ”

Finally, there is a danger authentic leadership might hinder an organization’s ability to make quick decisions . As the leader wants to gather feedback and listen to other opinions before using his or her judgment, the speed at which these decisions are taken can be jeopardized.

Overall, the leadership style can take years to develop . As George’s three-step pathway to authentic leadership shows, you will need to gain experience and self-develop your style and understanding of your values long before you can start considering yourself as a leader or an authentic leader. But leadership doesn’t always allow the luxury of time. You might find yourself surrounded by a situation that requires leadership and you simply need to step up and take the necessary measures. Without proper self-knowledge, you might not be able to implement a true authentic leadership style in this situation.

EXAMPLES OF FAMOUS AUTHENTIC LEADERS

To gain an insight into what authentic leadership looks like in action, you must examine examples of famous authentic leaders. In this section, we’ll examine four examples of authentic leaders and how they have shaped their respective organizations as well.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. is often considered to have been an authentic leader. The prominent civil rights activist is most known for his “ I have a dream ” speech, which reads out as an authentic vision of the future he hoped to achieve.

Avolio and Wernsig point out to another example of King’s authentic approach to leadership in their 2008 essay Practicing Authentic Leadership . During an interview on the Mike Douglas Show , King explained his views on the Vietnam War. He said:

“ A man of conscience can never be a consensus leader…he doesn’t take a stand in order to search for consensus. He is ultimately a molder of consensus. I’ve always said a measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and moments of convenience, but where he stands in moments of challenge and moments of controversy…I’m much more concerned about keeping favour with these principles than keeping favor with a person who may misunderstand a position I take. ”

The above quote perfectly highlights the essence of authentic leadership. The focus is on understanding what your inner values are and using them to guide your decisions. The leadership style understands that tough decisions must be made and not everyone might benefit from the decisions.

Eleanor Roosevelt

The US First Lady is another historical example of an authentic leader. Roosevelt spent her time fighting for the equal treatment of humans, with her big achievement being the creation of the United Nations’ international code for human rights.

Roosevelt didn’t just preach about treating people with dignity and compassion. She showcased this in her personal life, during a difficult time. When her husband, President Roosevelt, died, she returned to Washington D.C. from her holiday only to be advised Franklin had been continuing his long-time affair.

Furthermore, Eleanor’s daughter had been aiding his father in the affair. A few months later, Roosevelt found a portrait of her husband, which was to be for his girlfriend. Instead of throwing it out or ripping it to pieces, she wrote a note to his lover and sent her the portrait, explaining that she knew he must have meant a lot for her.

Roosevelt lived by her own values, even when the situation was deeply hurtful for her. She showcased great empathy, not just in her professional career, but in her private life as well.

Warrant Buffett / Berkshire Hathaway

The world’s most renowned businessman is an example of an authentic leader; especially in terms of the way , he has run Berkshire Hathaway. He has shown strong moral compass in how he treats his position in the company and his personal wealth.

For starters, Buffett doesn’t draw a huge salary from the company, relying on around $100,000 annual salary. Furthermore, he’s showcased relational transparency by investing in companies and allowing the leaders of these organisations to get on with the job. He places trust on other people.

Buffett has given away from a large chunk of his fortune, around $50 billion for the Gates Foundation, as a way to give back to the larger community. To Buffet, wealth is a tool for creating good rather than the end objective he wants to read.

The investor was once interviewed by a class of students who wanted to know about who Buffet turns to for advice. His answer perfectly highlights his authentic leadership qualities:

“ Well, usually I look in the mirror, to be totally honest. The nature of what I do means I have to think pretty much independently because if I take a poll, in effect, I’m gonna do whatever everybody else is doing and I don’t think much of that usually in investments; and so I have to have an environment and I have to have the temperament personally that lets me think for myself. ”

Ed Whitacre / GM

GM faced its biggest financial troubles in 2008, as the global economy sank. While the company declared bankruptcy in early 2009, the US President Barack Obama appointed Ed Whitacre to the CEO position. Whitacre had previously saved ATT from its problems, and he was now embarking on a new challenge.

Within a year, Whitacre had turned around the automobile company, with much of it down to his authentic style. The style wasn’t just present in the way he led his subordinates, he also sought to build trust with the customers by appearing in ads and offering a cash back option for customers.

Whitacre’s authentic style is even evident from his decision to step down after the short leadership period. He had told this to be his intention from the start. “ It was my plan – to help return this company to greatness – and not to stay a day beyond that, ” he stated .

FINAL THOUGHTS

Authentic leadership is a theory born out of the frustrations of the failings of the corporate world. Its focus and emphasis demonstrates the moral and ethical problems corporations have found themselves in, with leaders often showcasing more care for their own wellbeing rather than the common good.

Considering the levels of frustration, it’s no wonder the idea of an authentic and genuine leader has become so popular. An authentic leader would use his or her internal values as a guide to making decisions that consider the corporate objectives, but also the wellbeing of his or her subordinates. Rather than focusing on short-term goals and gains, authentic leadership wants to empower people with a long-term vision. As the examples of authentic leaders have shown us, authentic leadership sets out a vision and works towards it, even when it might take years to accomplish.

But the relative youth of the movement has caused problems for the movement. Because it relies heavily on concepts such as morality and authenticity , there will be people who have different opinions on what it truly means to be an authentic leader. How do you define your moral values? What if you truly believe in things others don’t view ethical or good? These are the issues the theory must solve in order to move forward.

Nonetheless, authentic leadership provides one idealistic view on what leadership can offer at its best. Its focus on building genuine relationship and creating an environment based on trust is useful for most organizations.

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Authentic Leadership Review Essay (Critical Writing)

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Our century is an era of globalization and constant changes that touch on all spheres of human activity. Changes have occurred, in particular, in the field of leadership philosophy. The bureaucratic approach characteristic of the 20th century has been replaced by the concept of authenticity.

If earlier leaders were perceived as a group of managers whose will must be fulfilled impeccably, now the concept of “authentic leadership” is used, which has much in common with sincerity and trust. The leader of the new generation should not only be a competent manager but also be able to gain the trust of subordinates. An authentic leader puts the quality of life in the first place, creating conditions for employees to develop fully.

The problem of authentic leadership began to be actively discussed in literature at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. Interest in it is associated with a crisis of leadership in various fields ‑ political, state, business, education, and religion. Confidence in leaders is constantly declining; this is especially true for political and business executives. According to a Gallup Institute survey, only 22 percent of Americans trust business leaders, and the level of trust in political leaders is even lower (Bishop, 2013).

Loss of trust poses a risk to the entire political and socioeconomic system and is a challenge for researchers of leadership in psychology and organizational sciences. Restoring a positive attitude towards leaders, according to scientists and practitioners, is possible through the formation of authentic leadership (Bishop, 2013). Turning to the concept of authentic leadership requires clarifying the concepts of authenticity, authentic leader, authentic leadership, and its development.

Authentic leadership is seen as a reaction to criticism of the theory of transformational leadership, namely such a component as the so-called idealized influence. The idealized influence (Charisma-based leadership) suggests that a leader becomes so attractive to followers that they seek to imitate him. Encouraging imitation can form a dependence on the leader, and unethical leaders can use it to manipulate employees (Datta, 2015). In the 21st century, charismatic leadership can no longer be effective.

People change, and very often they are more qualified than their leaders; members of the organization are interested in meaningful and conceptualized work, and they are no longer satisfied with leaders who see employees as a tool for generating profit. Members of the organization expect recognition of their value, trust, and respect, and authentic leadership is intended to provide it.

Authenticity is interpreted as the degree of conformity to one’s values, one’s character, and spirit, despite the pressure of external circumstances compelling one to act contrary to oneself. An authentic person is characterized by a coordinated, holistic, interconnected manifestation of basic psychological processes and mechanisms, the ability to abandon social roles in communication; he demonstrates his true emotions and behavior (Datta, 2015).

About leadership, the concept of authenticity was first applied in sociology and education, and the researchers focused on the negative aspects of the lack of authenticity. The sociologist Simon considered the lack of authenticity as exceptional plasticity of the leader, adjusting to the requirements of social roles (Simon as cited in Hollis, 2018).

Henderson and Hoy have been described as unauthentic leaders in education those who were demonstrating an excessive commitment to stereotypes and leadership role requirements (Henderson and Hoy as cited in Hollis, 2018). Currently, researchers are guided by a more positive approach to understanding leadership authenticity.

George describes authentic leaders as having a clear picture of themselves, recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, values, and principles (George, 2007). They are consistent in the implementation of their principles, despite the pressure of external circumstances, and such a sequence makes authentic leaders attractive to other people.

George identifies six dimensions in leadership authenticity: the growth of self-awareness; following own values; balance of extrinsic and intrusive motivation; creating a support team; maintaining the integrity of the person; understanding of own aspirations and leadership goals (George, 2007).

Thus, the authenticity of a leader is a multi-parameter construct and a multi-level phenomenon that can be considered at an individual, group, and organizational level. Authentic leadership assumes the existence of a special relationship of the leader with subordinates ‑ open, honest, trusting.

Caza and Jackson summarized the conditions that influence the development of authentic leadership. These include organizational and personality factors (Caza and Jackson as cited in Hollis, 2018). For example, organizational variables include a supportive and positive organizational context. In turn, personality factors include role models, learning, personal history, interpretation of past events, a high level of moral development, well-developed psychological abilities, trust in others, emotional intelligence, positive self-perception, honesty (Covelli & Mason, 2017).

Gardner believes that authentic leadership creates a more favorable organizational climate that fosters the development of authentic leaders and followers (Gardner as cited in Abraham & Duraisamy, 2015). An authentic leader must have a high level of emotional intelligence: the ability to understand own strengths and weaknesses, values and motives, the ability to understand the emotional state of other people, the ability to establish and manage relationships, etc.

One of the clearest examples of authentic leadership is Elon Musk ‑ one of the most unusual and progressively minded entrepreneurs of our time. His openness and willingness to constantly reject beaten paths for the sake of new opportunities made him who he is. He positively accepts constructive criticism, speaks openly with employees about any problems in the company.

Musk created an open and trusting atmosphere in his companies, which is very important for the existence of his projects. He inspires and motivates, at the same time understanding the emotions of his employees and trying to find an appropriate approach in difficult situations.

Unfortunately, my authentic leadership skills are far from the skills of Elon Musk. Although I strictly adhere to ethical principles in business, I am not always ready for an honest and open discussion of problems. Moreover, I often lack an understanding of other people’s emotions, which indicates the need to develop my emotional intelligence in terms of understanding emotions. I have an internal understanding that if a person builds relations on an equal footing, which is characteristic of an emotionally competent person, then the communication partner is more willing to cooperate; the position of “equal” allows resolving conflicts more effectively.

However, sometimes, in the event of an emergency, I resort to my authority about other people, which, although it ensures the execution of work on a specific project within the framework of the requirements, nevertheless harms relations and future cooperation. Accordingly, I need to develop empathy and social skills and strive to achieve a reasonable balance between flexibility and openness.

In general, characterizing authentic leadership, it can be said that this concept reflects the essence of leadership itself rather than a new idea in its interpretation. This is a necessary leadership style in the era of dominance of the concept of sustainable development of society and business.

It should be noted that authentic leadership is not the prerogative of the CEO alone ‑ the head of the department or team should also adhere to the principles of authentic leadership mentioned above. Briefly formulated, the task of such leaders is as follows: Authentic leaders work on the well-being of their own, organizations, and society.

Abraham, V. C & Duraisamy, S. (2015). Authentic leadership style. Intercontinental Journal of Marketing Research Review, 3 (10), 24-30.

Bishop, W. H. (2013). Defining the authenticity in authentic leadership. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 6 (1), Article 7.

Covelli, B. J. & Mason, I. (2017). Linking theory to practice: Authentic leadership. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 16 (3), 1-10.

Datta, B. (2015). Assessing the effectiveness of authentic leadership. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 9 (1), 62-75.

George, B. (2007). Authentic leadership: rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hollis, N. T. (2018). Blueprint for engagement: Authentic leadership . Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

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IvyPanda. (2021, July 27). Authentic Leadership Review. https://ivypanda.com/essays/authentic-leadership-review/

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Self-Awareness as a Path to Authentic Leadership

Key Takeaway:

This article will explore how self-awareness allows us to bring our authentic self to leadership, the challenge leaders of color face, and internal and external practices to deepen self-awareness.

Many leaders today are striving to be authentic in their approach.  A key component of authentic leadership is self-awareness.

I once heard a speaker who asked everyone in the crowd if they were self-aware. People sheepishly looked around and some hands quietly went up.  She then went on to say that if you think you are self-aware, then you probably are not.

How do we really know if we are self-aware? 

That’s an elusive trait driven through work done by an individual to learn themselves and become aware of the unexamined aspects of their character. I have found that practices that support self-awareness have allowed me to further my personal growth and development by being intentional about what legacy I want to bring to my work and my service.

What makes up authentic leadership?

In the article “The Truth About Authentic Leaders,” author Bill George defines five key characteristics of authentic leaders. 

According to George, authentic leaders demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Authentic leaders explore their life stories and their crucible moments.  As leaders make meaning of their life experiences, they obtain the confidence to lean into challenges.
• Authentic leaders engage in reflection and introspective practices. This is dedicated time for reflection, where one is focused on what is important to their lives and relationships instead of what may be urgent.
• Authentic leaders seek honest feedback. Creating an environment of candor and seeking 360-degree feedback can allow leaders to truly understand how they are seen by others.
• Authentic leaders understand their leadership purpose. This allows the leader to rally people around a common goal or task.  By aligning others to this purpose, they can make the most positive lasting impact.
• Authentic leaders become skilled at tailoring their style. Being able to flex your style to the situation or audience is sometimes perceived as being inauthentic. The more a leader builds self-awareness, the more they can adapt their style without comprising their character.

All of these characteristics have threads of leaders taking time to engage in a deeper understanding of what motivates them, how they impact others and who they are at their core.

For leaders of color, this is an even more delicate process as knowing oneself does not always translate to the cultural norms of leadership. In the HBR article “Cracking the Code That Stalls People of Color,” author Sylvia Hewitt states, “Executive presence presents unique challenges for professionals of color because standards of appropriate behavior, speech, and attire demand they suppress or sacrifice aspects of their cultural identity in order to conform.   As a leader of color this can be challenging because you may be calculating the risk and reward of bringing your full self to the table.”

For leaders of color, the work of self-awareness becomes even more important as that self-knowledge will allow for confidence and ground in your worth. This allows a leader of color to assess the risk and safety when determining if they can bring their full self to an environment.

Practices to Deepen Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is critical to being an authentic leader.  How can one lead authentically if they don’t know who they are or what motivates them?  Practices that deepen self-awareness can be either internally or externally focused.

Internal learning practices include journaling, meditation, prayer and other mindfulness practices.  Getting in touch with your thoughts can allow you to slow down and learn more about what is motivating you in the moment and what your lived experience is telling you.

External practices may include working with a coach. A coach can provide accountability and direction while helping one explore their motivations. They can also be a partner in understating both internal and external feedback and translate that to actionable change.  This feedback may include a 360-degree review or stakeholder interviews for additional external feedback.

All of these practices focus on learning more about yourself and creating the space in your daily life to explore who you are and how that is demonstrated in your leadership.

George, B. (2016, July 06). The truth about authentic leaders.  

Hewitt, S. A. (2018, March 12). Cracking the code that stalls people of color. 

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12 Authentic Leadership Examples

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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Authentic leadership refers to a type of leader who is of high integrity, transparency, and honesty. The term is often credited as being introduced by Henderson and Hoy (1983), but was significantly popularized by Bill George in his 2003 book “Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value.”

George emphasized the importance of leaders being true to themselves, transparent, and ethical, and he argued that authentic leadership is essential for creating long-term value in organizations.

Authentic leadership Definition

Of all the leadership models we’ve looked at on this website, authentic leadership has been the hardest to define. It appears slippery, and personally, I’m not really a fan of the term “authentic” in academic contexts (this applies to my critique of the concept of authentic assessment as well).

Caza and Jackson (2011) point out that a longstanding definition of authenticity is “knowing one’s true self and acting in accord with that true self.” From my perspective, the term points toward integrity .

Henderson and Hoy (1983) defined authentic leadership by comparing it to inauthentic leaders:

“Leadership inauthenticity is defined as the extent to which subordinates perceive their leader to be ‘passing the buck’ and blaming others and circumstances for errors and outcomes; to be manipulative of subordinates; and to be demonstrating a salience of role over self.”

However, when I look to their definition of authentic leaders, it rings of jargon:

“…subordinates perceive their [authentic] leader to demonstrate the acceptance of organizational and personal responsibility for actions, outcomes, and mistakes; to be non-manipulating of subordinates; and to exhibit salience of self over role.”

If you think the concept “salience of self” is in any way clear language, do let me know in the comments. Personally, the phrase feels very ‘ivory tower’.

Another definition comes from Gardner et al.’s (2011) literature review on the topic. They list out a range of definitions of the topic, and in their conclusion, present something of a definition of their own:

“…truly authentic leaders must lead, but they must do so in a way that honors their core values, beliefs, strengths — and weaknesses […] people in organizations can effectively lead, and follow, in a way that enables them to express their own unique identity and style.”

Authentic leadership Examples

1. staying true to your core values.

Most of the literature on authentic leadership makes reference to the idea of knowing your core values (for example, see: Oh et al., 2018). The idea here is that authenticity means knowing yourself. What do you stand for? What are your morals and ethics?

Such a stance can serve you well in leadership. Decision-making needs to be made through an ethical lens, after all, in order for the organization and team to remain on stable footing into the future. Unethical decisions, on the other hand, will often lead you down a path where quality is compromised, values are undermined, and eventually, your mistakes may come back to bite you in the form of PR nightmares.

2. Unique Identity and Style

Authenticity also points us down the path of trying to embody what we see as our true selves (Shaw, 2010). In other words leaders be who they feel is the best version of themselves, not the version they think ‘looks the part’.

The early silicon valley tech CEOs, perhaps, took this idea to heart. From Steve Jobs and his turtle-necks to Mark Zuckerberg and his white no-collar tees, their dress was about being themselves, not the suit-and-tie version of the CEO that was standard up until the early 2000s. (Nevertheless, this countercultural dress code may have come full circle, being the ‘it’ thing rather than people embracing their authentic selves).

Of course, unique identity isn’t just a reflection of style. It’s also a reflection of practice – embracing your true identity in your leadership style, interactions, and decision-making, as well (Novicevic et al., 2006).

3. Takes Personal Responsibility

Most of the literature I read on authentic leadership while researching for this article highlighted the importance of personal responsibility as a key aspect of authenticity.

Hoy and Henderson (1983), early and influential theorists on the topic, regularly pointed out the importance of personal responsibility for the authentic leader. This leader doesn’t “pass the buck” or blame the system. They take ownership over tasks, processes, and take responsibility for the things they take ownership over.

4. Takes Responsibility for the Team

Similarly, responsibility needs to be taken for the team that the leader is organizing and supporting (Novicevic et al., 2006). The leader is made responsible for the team, their processes, and their outputs. As such, if KPIs are not met or failures occur, the leader owns them as the person who is the head of the team.

Imagine, for example, a team where the leader is constantly taking praise for successes and blaming their team members for failures. Such a leader is seen to lack authenticity because they’re fake – they are taking ownership for successes they may not fully have been part of, and passing-on blame for failures they, too, were a part of (Gardner et al., 2011).

There’s a need, in other words, for the leader to be able to facilitate team successes, and take ownership over that role as facilitator.

5. Takes Responsibility for the Organization

The third responsibility of leaders, especially high-up in an organizational hierarchy, is to the organization itself (Novicevic et al., 2006). This, as much of the literature indicates, is perhaps the most difficult. Oftentimes, the organization’s values can clash with the leader’s values. Inauthenticity occurs, then, when the leader is acting on behalf of an organization in ways that clash with their own value set.

Novicevic (2006) highlight the importance of resolving this potential conflict and, ultimately, feeling morally comfortable with their and their company’s shared values: “leaders are responsible when they manage to resolve successfully the moral tensions within and the moral conflict between personal and organizational codes of conduct.”

6. Understanding your Purpose

Understanding your own purpose is a key aspect of authentic leadership (Craig, George & Snook, 2015). These leaders do not lead for the sake of leading or power, but because they have a deep sense of why they’re heading the ship and where it needs to go.

This can be seen in the contrast between the leader who’s there to ‘climb the ladder’ and the one who has a true interest in their role as a leader.

An authentic leader has a firm grasp of their vision and mission and they can articulate this clearly to their team and inspire them towards the common goal (Craig, George & Snook, 2015).

Their purpose isn’t self-serving; instead, it’s tied to the progress of their team, the betterment of their organization, and often transcends into the larger societal good.

7. Ethical Decision-Making

An authentic leader is committed to ethical decision-making. They are determined to do what is right, even when it might be the harder choice or not bode well short-term (Hannah, Avolio & Walumbwa, 2011).

This involves careful evaluation of decisions, anticipating their implications, and considering how they align with personal, organizational, and shareholder values (Hannah, Avolio & Walumbwa, 2011; May et al., 2003). These leaders utilize transparency, honesty, and fairness as guiding principles when faced with difficult decisions, ensuring decisions are taken not just for the well-being of the business, but also considering the impact on people and the environment.

Ethical decision-making instills trust, respect, and a strong ethical culture in the organization, as others follow by example.

8. Reflective and Self-Awareness

Self-awareness and the capacity to reflect on one’s actions and decisions are fundamental traits outlined in the authentic leadership literature (Avolio & Wernsing, 2008).

These leaders continuously engage in self-examination, admitting mistakes, learning from them, and looking for ways to improve. They value feedback and use it constructively to cultivate their leadership style and enhance their effectiveness (Brewer & Devnew, L2022).

They are able to recognize their emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and how their actions impact those around them. This prevalence for reflection and self-awareness not only facilitates personal growth but fosters a learning culture within the team and the organization.

9. Non-Pretentious

Authentic leaders are comfortable in their own skin and refuse to wear masks or play roles just to fit into preconceived notions of what a leader should be.

Their strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, and values are all transparent. They don’t feel the pressure to be ‘perfect’ and are not afraid to show vulnerability (Oh et al., 2018).

Their genuine, approachable, and non-pretentious manner often creates an atmosphere of openness and mutual trust among team members, thus fostering a safe place where ideas, opinions, and constructive criticism are freely expressed.

10. Acknowledges Limitations

Acknowledging limitations is central to authenticity. These leaders acknowledge that they don’t have all the answers and are not averse to seeking help when needed (Novicevic et al., 2006).

They appreciate the skills and expertise of their team and lean on them for advice and solutions in areas that may not be their forte.

This acceptance of limitations breeds humility, fosters team cohesion and input, and further solidifies trust within the team. It also encourages others to be comfortable with their limitations while continuously striving for personal and professional development.

11. Secure Self-Esteem

Authentic leaders possess a secure sense of self-esteem. While open to feedback and even criticism, they do not hinge their worth or competence on external validation (Arda, Aslan & Alpkan, 2016).

They are confident in their skills and abilities, and this confidence is reflected in their leadership style. Their secure self-esteem acts as a buffer: they maintain their equilibrium when faced with pressure or negativity, and their response is measured, controlled, and respectful.

This security in self-esteem creates an atmosphere of stability and dependable leadership (Novicevic et al., 2006).

12. Open-Minded

Authentic leaders are open to other perspectives, innovative ideas, and novel ways of doing things. They appreciate diversity in thought and are always on a quest for learning and growing.

These types of leaders have the capability to listen actively, validate others’ viewpoints, and incorporate useful feedback without any bias. This open-minded approach fosters a culture of creativity, innovation, and inclusivity in the team, driving the team and organization forward.

Benefits of Authentic Leadership

Three of the more compelling benefits of authentic leadership that I’ve identified are:

• Positive culture: A wide range of studies have demonstrated that authentic leadership can foster a better workplace culture (Mazutis & Slawinski, 2008; Woolley, Caza, Levy, & Jackson, 2007).
• Greater productivity: According to Caza and Jackson (2011), “the most dramatic benefits” of authentic leadership are that authentic leaders themselves “exert greater effort” and “enjoy better work performance.” Similarly, Ilies et al. (2005) note that authentic leaders have higher motivation to work.
• Greater work satisfaction: Work satisfaction is believed to increase among people who practice authentic leadership (Avolio et al., 2004; Ilies et al., 2005).

For a more detailed outline of these and other benefits, I recommend: Caza and Jackson (2011) – see the section: ‘consequences of authentic leadership’.

Before you Go

Authentic leadership is just one of many different types of leadership to learn about all of them, visit my article: Types of Leadership Styles

Arda, O. A., Aslan, T., & Alpkan, L. (2016). Review of practical implications in authentic leadership studies.  Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences ,  229 , 246-252. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.07.135

Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Walumbwa, F. O., Luthans, F., & May, D. R. (2004). Unlocking the mask: a look at the process by which authentic leaders impact follower attitudes and behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly, 15 (6), 801–823. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2004.09.003

Avolio, B. J., & Wernsing, T. S. (2008). Practicing authentic leadership.  Positive psychology: Exploring the best in people ,  4 , 147-165.

Brewer, K. L., & Devnew, L. E. (2022). Developing responsible, self-aware management: An authentic leadership development program case study.  The International Journal of Management Education ,  20 (3), 100697. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2022.100697

Caza, A. & Jackson, B. (2011). Authentic leadership. In A. Bryman, D. Collinson, K. Grint, B. Jackson, & M. Uhl-Bien (Eds.) Sage Handbook of Leadership (pp.350-362). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Craig, N., George, B., & Snook, S. (2015).  The discover your true north fieldbook: A personal guide to finding your authentic leadership . John Wiley & Sons.

Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda.  The leadership quarterly ,  22 (6), 1120-1145. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.09.007

George, W. (2003). Authentic leadership: Rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hannah, S. T., Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2011). Relationships between authentic leadership, moral courage, and ethical and pro-social behaviors.  Business Ethics Quarterly ,  21 (4), 555-578.

Hoy, W. K., & Henderson, J. E. (1983). Principal authenticity, school climate, and pupil-control orientation. The Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 29 , 123–130

Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16 , 373–394.

May, D. R., Chan, A. Y., Hodges, T. D., & Avolio, B. J. (2003). Developing the moral component of authentic leadership.  Organizational dynamics .

Mazutis, D. & Slawinski, N. (2008). Leading organizational learning through authentic dialogue. Management Learning, 39 (4), 437–456.

Novicevic, M. M., Harvey, M. G., Ronald, M., & Brown-Radford, J. A. (2006). Authentic leadership: A historical perspective.  Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies ,  13 (1), 64-76.

Oh, J., Cho, D., & Lim, D. H. (2018). Authentic leadership and work engagement: the mediating effect of practicing core values.  Leadership & Organization Development Journal ,  39 (2), 276-290.

Shaw, J. (2010). Papering the cracks with discourse: The narrative identity of the authentic leader. Leadership, 6(1), 89–108.

Woolley, L., Caza, A., Levy, L., & Jackson, B. (2007). Three steps forward and one step back: exploring relationships between authentic leadership, psychological capital, and leadership impact. Proceedings of the Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management.

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Essay on Authentic Leadership

Students are often asked to write an essay on Authentic Leadership in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Authentic Leadership

What is authentic leadership.

Authentic Leadership is a style where leaders are true to themselves. They don’t pretend to be someone else. They are honest, open, and transparent. They show their real selves to their followers. They don’t hide their mistakes or weaknesses. Instead, they learn from them.

Features of Authentic Leadership

Importance of authentic leadership.

Authentic Leadership is important in today’s world. People want leaders they can trust. They want leaders who are real, not fake. Authentic leaders build trust, inspire followers, and create a better work environment. They lead by example, showing the right way to behave.

Impact of Authentic Leadership

Authentic Leadership has a positive impact on organizations. It boosts morale, increases trust, and improves performance. It also encourages followers to be authentic. This leads to a more positive and productive work environment. It’s a win-win for everyone.

250 Words Essay on Authentic Leadership

Authentic leadership is a style of leadership where the person in charge is true to themselves. They don’t pretend to be someone else. They show their real personality, values, and beliefs. They are genuine and honest. These leaders are not afraid to show their true selves to their team.

There are four main features of authentic leadership. First, they are self-aware. They understand their strengths and weaknesses. Second, they are transparent. They don’t hide the truth from their team. Third, they have high ethical standards. They always do what’s right, even when it’s hard. Lastly, they are open to feedback. They listen to their team’s ideas and suggestions.

Benefits of Authentic Leadership

Authentic leaders create a positive work environment. They make their team feel valued and respected. This can lead to increased job satisfaction and better performance. Also, they inspire trust. When a leader is genuine, their team is more likely to trust them.

The Importance of Authentic Leadership

Authentic leadership is important because it builds strong teams. When a leader is true to themselves, it encourages others to do the same. This can lead to a more open and honest work environment. Also, it can help to attract and retain talented employees. People want to work for leaders who are real and genuine.

In conclusion, authentic leadership is about being true to oneself. It involves being self-aware, transparent, ethical, and open to feedback. This type of leadership can lead to a positive work environment, increased trust, and a strong team.

500 Words Essay on Authentic Leadership

Characteristics of authentic leaders.

Authentic leaders have certain qualities that set them apart. They are self-aware, meaning they understand their strengths and weaknesses. They are not afraid to show their true self to their team. They also have a strong moral compass. They know what is right and wrong, and they stick to their principles. Authentic leaders are also fair and just. They treat everyone equally and make decisions that are best for the team.

Authentic leadership has many benefits. Firstly, it builds trust. When leaders are open and honest, team members feel safe and valued. This leads to a positive work environment. Secondly, authentic leadership encourages open communication. Team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns. This can lead to better problem-solving and innovation. Lastly, authentic leadership can inspire others. When leaders are true to themselves, they show others that it’s okay to be themselves too.

Developing Authentic Leadership

Examples of authentic leadership.

In conclusion, authentic leadership is about being true to oneself and leading with honesty, integrity, and transparency. It has many benefits, including building trust, encouraging open communication, and inspiring others. With self-reflection and personal growth, anyone can develop authentic leadership.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

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Authentic Leadership Essays

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Home > Business > JVBL > Vol. 11 > Iss. 2 (2018)

Authentic Leadership and Leadership Ethics: Proposing A New Perspective

Don Bosco Onyalla , Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya Follow

Authentic leadership is considered a new field of leadership research. Its formative status makes it possible to attract unique commentary and re-examination. Based on a comparison between authentic leadership and leadership ethics and focusing on the theoretical perspective of authentic leadership, this essay argues for a new perspective of authentic leadership. Consistencies resulting from the comparison serve to reinforce this essay’s central argument, namely, that just as ethics is central to all forms leadership, the main perspectives and components of authentic leadership as well as factors that influence it are also central to the various leadership approaches. In other words, the centrality of ethics to leadership seems consistent with the centrality of authenticity to leadership. Therefore, rather than continue research in authentic leadership as a unique leadership approach, this essay recommends research in concepts such as authentic transformational leadership, authentic servant leadership, authentic team leadership, authentic transactional leadership, among other forms of leadership. The essay concludes with a study recommendation, sampling some research questions and a hypothesis.

Recommended Citation

Onyalla, Don Bosco (2018) "Authentic Leadership and Leadership Ethics: Proposing A New Perspective," The Journal of Values-Based Leadership : Vol. 11 : Iss. 2 , Article 7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22543/0733.62.1226 Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol11/iss2/7

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07-31-2024 FAST COMPANY EXECUTIVE BOARD

Practicing what you preach: The impact of authentic leadership on organizational success

The alignment of a leader’s beliefs, words, and actions is essential for maintaining credibility and trust within an organization.

[Images: Nola Viglietti/peopleimages.com / Adobe Stock]

The Fast Company Executive Board is a private, fee-based network of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience.

BY  Britton Bloch 4 minute read

Leadership credibility hinges on aligning what leaders believe, say, and do. Any disconnect can lead to a loss of trust and credibility.

When leaders do not practice what they preach, they suffer significant penalties in terms of internal and external credibility, reputation, and business impact. Employee trust in leadership has declined significantly since the start of the pandemic. About 1 in 4 employees don’t trust their employer—and trust is a major component of employee engagement.

Authentic leadership is critical and builds trust when actions align with stated beliefs and values. A disconnect between a public-facing persona and actions significantly impacts employees’ trust and engagement. Leaders who are self-aware, transparent, ethical, and genuine in their interactions foster higher levels of trust.

When employees trust their leaders, they are more likely to experience positive outcomes, such as job satisfaction, well-being, and engagement. One untrustworthy act can significantly damage credibility. Leaders should only say things they genuinely believe in and their actions consistently reflect their beliefs.

Trustworthy leaders communicate and act consistently, embody the organization’s vision and values, consult with and listen to stakeholders, and protect the organization and its employees. They make decisions that align with both explicit and implicit promises made to stakeholders.

Trust is further eroded by unethical behavior, dishonest communication, and self-serving actions​​.

Leaders are always being watched. 

Leaders must be mindful of their actions and behaviors, as they send strong signals about acceptable behaviors. Even minor ill-perceived actions or remarks can significantly impact team morale and create a toxic environment.

Employees under toxic leaders report impacts on their job satisfaction and motivation . Toxic leaders often have power issues and prioritize their agendas over the organization’s long-term success. Establishing a culture that promotes ethical behavior and encourages collective decision-making, safe feedback loops, and open communication can help mitigate the impacts of toxic leadership. 

Leaders must fully engage in the issues they support to be perceived as genuinely making a difference. It is not enough to express support; leaders must be actively involved in addressing key challenges. Successful leaders engage in thoughtful public dialogue about their organizations’ issues and challenges.

Successful cultures do not categorize people. They see people with skill sets and know how to utilize them. Creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and able to contribute is crucial for building a solid culture. They must be aware of the importance of each employee and create an environment that empowers people. Inclusion is a fundamental aspect of trustworthy leadership. Trustworthy leaders commit to being leaders for everyone and spend time with people at all levels of the organization, not just those in high positions or the C-suite. The phrase “people are our most important asset” is commonly heard but needs to be backed up by actions. Leaders must consistently promote and practice inclusion to create a truly inclusive company culture.

Organizations should champion empathy as a core value, setting high professional and personal interaction standards to inspire others and foster a positive, innovative culture—the critical role of empathy impacts engagement, trust, and innovation. Empathy and humility are necessary to build this trust, creating a psychologically safe environment for employees to express their needs and thrive. Leaders must rethink their approach to employee experience, acknowledge diverse perspectives, and leverage technology to align with modern expectations. Shift from Human Capital Management (HCM) to Human Experience Management (HXM) to emphasize putting employees at the center. Leaders must balance performance demands with the need to align, connect, and empower team members.

Ethical leaders act with integrity and authenticity and enable equitable opportunities, considering all viewpoints. This fosters a positive, ethical culture within organizations and enhances overall trust and cooperation. The link between integrity, ethics, and trust is crucial in leader-employee relationships. Leaders are judged on character and competence, with integrity associated with kindness and good intentions rather than selfishness. In one survey, 87% of employees “ indicated that their workplace does not have a strong ethical culture .” This highlights a significant gap in effective leadership.

Building trust involves listening to employees and having two-way conversations. Employees are more likely to trust leaders who provide opportunities for honest feedback. Trust is essential for engagement, performance, and retention, and it begins with practical and supportive communication. There has been a significant shift in the leadership skills required, with a growing emphasis on social skills over traditional technical and administrative capabilities. Social skills now include self-awareness, effective communication, working with diverse groups, and understanding others’ perspectives. Social skills are crucial in large, complex, and technology-intensive organizations where effective communication and coordination are essential.

Leaders must spend significant time interacting with others, building teams, and solving problems. As routine tasks are automated, the need for leaders with judgment, creativity, and perception increases, highlighting the importance of social skills. Navigating diversity and inclusion issues requires strong social skills, particularly theory of mind, to effectively navigate and represent various employee groups. Companies must systematically build and evaluate social skills in their executive development programs. Traditional criteria for evaluating leadership candidates, such as work history and technical qualifications, must be revised to assess social skills. Promoting and nurturing social skills should be a criterion for advancement. 

The alignment of a leader’s beliefs, words, and actions is essential for maintaining credibility and trust within an organization. Authentic leadership, characterized by self-awareness, transparency, ethical behavior, and genuine interactions, significantly impacts employee trust and overall organizational success. A strong organizational culture driven by ethical leadership, inclusivity, empathy, and effective communication is crucial for long-term success. Leaders must balance performance demands with the need to connect and empower team members, fostering a culture of learning, trust, and ethical behavior. By doing so, they can navigate challenges, drive engagement, and secure the organization’s future in an increasingly complex and dynamic world.

Apply to the Most Innovative Companies Awards and be recognized as an organization driving the world forward through innovation. Early-rate deadline: Friday, August 23.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Britton Bloch is the Vice President of Talent Acquisition Strategy at  Navy Federal Credit Union . Read Britton's Executive Profile here .   More

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The Common App Opens Today—Here’s How To Answer Every Prompt

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Writing the Personal Statement for the Common Application

Today, the Common Application opens for the 2024–25 application cycle. As the platform opens, officially signaling the start of the college admissions season, many students are starting the daunting process of crafting their personal statements. The personal statement is a crucial opportunity to showcase individuality, character, and intellectual depth. In only 650 words, students should seek to encapsulate their authentic voice and perspective through a compelling and creative narrative. The process requires thorough brainstorming, strategy, and editing in order to produce an essay that is distinct from those of thousands of other applicants vying for seats at top colleges.

As students choose a prompt and begin brainstorming essays, here are the key points to consider in order to create a stellar essay for each prompt:

1. The Meaningful Background Prompt

Prompt: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

This prompt invites you to share an aspect of your identity or experience that is central to who you are. Start by thoughtfully considering aspects of your identity that are unique to you; then, try to think of a specific anecdote or experience that provides a portrait of those qualities. While detail and specificity are critical for all engaging essays, they are particularly important in this one, as you should show (rather than tell ) admissions committees the things that are quintessential to who you are.

Your essay should also have a takeaway—aside from just telling admissions officers what the background, identity, interest, or talent is, you should also focus on what you’ve learned from this piece of your identity, how it has developed over time, and how you will apply it in college and beyond.

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Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, 2. the overcoming obstacles prompt.

Prompt: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

This prompt is an opportunity to demonstrate resilience and the capacity to learn from adversity—qualities that elite universities value highly. Begin by choosing a specific incident where you faced a significant challenge or failure—this could be an academic setback, a personal loss, or a time when you were out of your comfort zone. Students often fall into one of two common mistakes when tackling this question. First, many students rely on cliches and overused tropes. Keep in mind that admissions officers will likely read hundreds of essays recounting stories of students missing the game-winning goal or flunking a test in sophomore English. Try to select a story that only you can tell, and if you choose a topic you worry might be popular among other students, consider how you might recount it in a unique and unexpected way. On the other hand, some students fall into the opposite problem, sharing about a particularly personal, traumatic, or triggering experience that impacted them. Though it should convey personal insights, the personal statement is still a professional document, and you should not make your reader uncomfortable or unsettled by the information you share.

Finally, note that admissions officers are not primarily interested in the challenge itself, but in how you responded to the challenge. Focus on the steps you took to overcome the obstacle, what you learned about yourself in the process, and how this experience has shaped your future actions and mindset. Highlight any new skills, perspectives, or motivations that emerged from this experience, demonstrating your ability to grow and adapt in the face of adversity.

3. The Changed Perspective Prompt

Prompt: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Top colleges seek to admit students who are willing to engage in critical thinking and who possess the intellectual courage to question norms or ideas. For this essay, consider beginning with an anecdote—starting the essay in media res can be an engaging way to catch the reader’s attention and quickly establish the stakes of your narrative. As you share your story, remember that the essay’s focus is to demonstrate your open-mindedness, your commitment to seeking the truth, and your willingness to engage deeply with complex issues. It also shows your ability to respect differing viewpoints while developing your own reasoned stance. As such, you should take the admissions committee through your process of growth and change step-by-step, clearly articulating how the experience impacted you and how your changed perspective will enhance their campus community should you enroll.

4. The Gratitude Prompt

Prompt: Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Like the two prior prompts, this prompt requires students to share a particular anecdote, and students should consider beginning with their narrative before zooming out to explore the broader theme of gratitude. Start by recounting a specific instance where someone did something for you that made you feel unexpectedly grateful. This could be a small act of kindness, a significant gesture, or a moment of support that made a lasting impression on you. Then, explore how this experience of gratitude has affected your actions or attitude. As you do so, be sure to avoid platitudes or vapid buzzwords—rather than expressing that the experience made you feel “good” or “appreciated” or the equivalent, share how it has affected your perspective or actions going forward. The best responses are those that illustrate actionable change rather than fuzzy feelings.

5. The Personal Growth Prompt

Prompt: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

A student’s college years are all about growth and transformation, and this prompt invites students to demonstrate their capacity for self-reflection and teachability. Thus, while this prompt might invite you to describe a major event or accomplishment, what you really want to show is a transformative period and the resulting reflection. Don’t feel as though the accomplishment, event, or realization needs to be especially earth-shattering or ground-breaking—sometimes the small things can make an impression in a big way. Finally, if you do choose to write about an accomplishment, be sure that you are not bragging. The prompt is an opportunity to show self-awareness, rather than to tout your achievements.

6. The Captivating Concept Prompt

Prompt: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Intellectual curiosity and authentic passion are distinguishing characteristics in the landscape of top college admissions. For this prompt, zoom in on a particular topic that genuinely fascinates you, whether it’s a specific academic subject, a philosophical idea, or a creative pursuit. Many students manufacture a response to this prompt based on what they assume will impress admissions officers—but if you aren’t truly interested in Kantian ethics, an admissions officer will be able to tell. However silly, mundane, quirky, or bizarre your “captivating concept” may be, if it’s true to you—write about it!

While your response should describe how a specific aspect of this topic captivates your interest and why it resonates with you on a deeper level, it should also demonstrate how you have taken the initiative to explore this topic in unique ways. Have you sought out books on the topic? Taken an online course to elevate your knowledge? Started a club to connect with others who share your interest? Developed a passion project that mobilized your interest in service of your community?

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

If none of the above prompts allow you to effectively express yourself, remember that the Common App includes an open prompt, wherein you can write on a topic of your choice! This is an excellent opportunity to share a story that doesn’t fit neatly into the other prompts but is crucial to understanding who you are. If you choose to pursue this prompt, make sure your essay is well-structured and cohesive, with a clear theme or message that ties everything together.

The Common App essay is more than just a component of your application; it’s a chance to speak directly to admissions officers and present your authentic self. Taking the time to brainstorm and edit will allow you to submit an essay that showcases your unique voice and original perspective to admissions officers at top colleges.

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Are Democrats Right to Unite Around Kamala Harris?

A middle path for democrats, and for harris.

The transcript of this audio essay has been edited.

Last week, the Republican Party held its quadrennial convention in Milwaukee. My colleague Elias Isquith described it as a megachurch service held in a Vegas casino under the ever-watchful gaze of its living god. All that week, I heard: America First, America First, America First. But it was clear who came first: Donald J. Trump. This was a party that had persuaded itself that one man’s ambition, his insatiable, unquenchable lust for power, was self-sacrifice. That Trump cared not for himself, that he only cared for you.

Throughout that convention, Trump was spoken of in religious terms. He was a man persecuted on behalf of all who put their faith in him. A leader on a divine mission, chosen and protected by an almighty God. If you did not believe in him, you did not believe in America.

On the final night, shortly before Trump spoke, Hulk Hogan took the stage wearing a shirt emblazoned with the American flag. He sent the crowd into a frenzy as he ripped that shirt, tearing the flag on it in half, to reveal a Donald Trump campaign shirt beneath. It was all so unbearably literal.

In 2020 and early 2021, Donald Trump tried to overturn an election he lost. He used the power of the presidency to pressure state election officials. He whipped up a mob that stormed the Capitol and endangered the lives of the men and women he served with, including his own vice president. People died on that day. How did the Republican Party react to that? Ultimately, by submitting to Trump’s fantasies and resentments. Where was Mike Pence, the vice president from Donald Trump’s first term? He was in exile, replaced by JD Vance. Pence certified the 2020 election. Vance has said he would have backed Trump’s challenge.

There was no price Trump would not have paid to cling to power, and the message of the 2024 Republican convention was that there was no price the Republican Party would not pay to give Trump that power. The message of the 2024 Republican convention was simple: Donald Trump first.

What President Biden did on Sunday — that is what it looks like to put country first. What the Democratic Party did over the past few weeks — that is what it looks like to put country first. The catastrophe of the debate, for Biden, was that he couldn’t draw the true contrast between him and Trump: Instead of highlighting Trump’s narcissism and illiberalism, Biden highlighted Trump’s relative energy and vigor. On Sunday, though, Biden upended that. In one decision, he drew a very different contrast between him and Trump: Trump would not peaceably step aside even after losing an election. Biden stepped aside before the election because he understood that the party and the country are bigger than he is. Putting your own ambitions second — that’s what it looks like to actually put America first.

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