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Authentic Leadership

crisis-management Graphics courtesy of Global Trade MagazineOpens in new window

In his 2003 book, Authentic Leadership, Bill GeorgeOpens in new window proposed a new kind of leader, whose character was the ingredient that mattered most—more than characteristics or style. George challenged older models of leadership, including the “great man theory” and competency-based leadership models.

Authentic leadership is a leadership style in which leaders are honest, self-aware, transparent, and have a reputation for dealing with employees in a straightforward and genuine way. They don’t make promises they can’t keep, ignore obvious problems, or pretend to be someone they’re not.

An authentic leader is able to inspire loyalty and trust in their employees by consistently displaying who they really are as a person, and how they feel about their employees’ performance.

Employees don’t expect leaders to be perfect, of course, but they want them to be genuine people they can have a relationship with.

They want to be able to trust their leaders to do the right thing and treat people fairly. When a leader comes across as inauthentic, they will find it more difficult to build trust and influence others.

Support for authentic leadership continues to grow as a reaction to the number of corporate and leader scandals and blunders in recent years. One study found that authentic leadership leads to trust in management and positively affects group performance measured by unit sales growth.

Another study found that authentic leadership promotes subordinates’ trustOpens in new window in the leader and contributes to work engagement. Other research found that employee’s perception of leaders’ authentic behavior served as the strongest single predictor of employee job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work happiness.

When authentic leaders find their “true north” or moral compass, they are more focused on empowering their direct reports, forming meaningful relationships, and fostering an ethical environment.

Authentic leadership has been associated with improved job performance, increased job satisfactionOpens in new window, greater trust in the leader/follower relationshipOpens in new window, and organizational commitmentOpens in new window. Finally, it has been suggested that authentic leadership is the single strongest predictor of an employee’s job satisfaction.

See also:
  1. George, B. (2003). Authentic leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  2. Clapp-Smith, R., Vogelgesang, G. R., & Avey, J. B. (2009). Authentic leadership and positive psychological capital: The mediating role of trust at the group level of analysis, Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 15 (3), 227 – 240.
  3. Hassan, A., & Ahmed, F. (2011). Authentic leadership, trust and work engagement. International Journal of Human and Social Sciences, 6(3), 164 – 170.
  4. Jensen, S. M., & Luthans, F. (2006). Entrepreneurs as authentic leaders: Impact on employee’s attitudes, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 27 (8), 646 – 666.
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