Authentic Leadership

There are many leadership theories and styles, and they have evolved and changed over time with current research.  We used to live in a society that believed only certain people with certain traits could be leaders.  Thankfully, this is no longer the case. Many newer leadership models have an underlying assumption that all individuals can be leaders, should they want to be.  One of my personal favorites of these newer theories is Authentic Leadership.

Authentic Leadership came out of a societal frustration with unethical and untrustworthy leaders, therefore, making honesty and trustworthiness major values with this leadership model.  There are five things that Authentic Leaders do:

• “They understand their purpose
• They have strong values about the right thing to do
• They establish trusting relationships with others
• They demonstrate self-discipline and act on their values
• They are passionate about their mission” (Northouse, 2016, p. 197)

These five things make up the five dimensions of Authentic Leadership.  Each of these dimensions corresponds to five characteristics: passion, behavior, connectedness, consistency, and compassion.  Developing these characteristics within yourself will put you on the path towards being a trustworthy and authentic leader.

Finally, the great thing about this leadership model is that it allows individuals to share their learned and life experiences.  Many leadership theories treat your life experiences as irrelevant or unnecessary for leadership skill building.  Personally, I find this a little silly.  Each of us are shaped by our life experiences and life lessons.  We shouldn’t hide those just because we are in leadership roles or positions.  They should help inform out actions, our purpose, and what we are passion about.  

Source: Leadership: Theory and Practice by Peter G. Northouse, 2016, Sage Publishing

Sincerely,

Olivia Stankey