Leadership starts and ends with the authenticity though it is not indicated in most of the literature but they describe the leadership characteristics that one must emulate to be successful. Authenticity is the development of the persona of a leader.
The Authentic Leader
Leaders who are authentic desire to serve other genuinely through their leadership by empowering people to be different from power, prestige, or money for themselves. They are guided by compassion and passion plus their qualities of minds. All leaders including the natural develop to outstanding leaders by use of their natural abilities and recognition of the shortcomings and deciding how to overcome them.
Being Your Own Person
Leadership styles differ among the people and those prospective leaders who attempts to emulate other leaders are doomed. An authentic leader should be guided by his principals to avoid deviating from the goals by relying on the opinions of the others.
Developing Your Unique Leadership Style
One must develop a unique leadership style that is consistent with its character and personality in order to be authentic but also to be in line with the normative style of the organization. Leadership style does not matters as presumed by many literature.
Being Aware of Our Weaknesses
All leaders must accept the faults and the utilizing the strengths in possession in undertaking the organization activities. Leaders struggle to get comfortable with their weaknesses where other others intimidate others by challenging style, lack of tactics and impatience in trying to look good and gain respect and admiration among the outsiders and the employees.
Temptation of Leadership
The decisions of a leader in an organization are based on the external laws and ethics and the goals of the company (George et al., 2013). The preceding chief executive officers also play a role in affecting the decision due to the success realized in the organization before. Those corporate leaders who tend to push beyond the inner cycles tend to suffer losses or breach the law of the country.
Dimension of Authentic Leaders
Every authentic leader must demonstrate some essential qualities that must be seen in practice in the organization they lead.
They should:
Understanding Your Purpose : Every leader should have a purpose for to allow those who follow to have a reason of doing so.
Those that follow other purpose and drive n by the financial rewards and the prestige of being a leader of an organization cannot become authentic leaders. In finding the purpose, the leader should understand who he is, the underlying motivation and the passions and find the best environment to meet the goals of the organization and leaders goals.
Practicing Solid Values: they should have strict values that they value in making decision pertaining the performance of the organization.
Leading with Heart: the leader must not be driven by the financial rewards and the pride of being a leader of the organization but instead should be passionate in the leadership.
Establish a connected relationship: an authentic leader should create network with other leaders in different organization to ensure that they share experiences on the challenges and how to make decisions in the company. A leader should also demonstrate self-discipline to be authentic. Discipline will enable the leader make decisions that are within reach and observes the ethics of the business.
Summary
Authentic leaders should be bold in their decisions making and not rely on the predecessors in the leadership positions. The authentic leadership is natured by accepting the weaknesses and appreciating the strengths that ensures that sound decisions are made.
References
George, B., Sims, P., & Gergen, D. (2013). True north: Discover your authentic leadership. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.
If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the SuperbGrade website, please click below to request its removal: