Authentic Leadership

It’s Carnival week In Trinidad and Tobago.  Celebrations will culminate next week as men and woman masquerade and parade their magnificent costumes on the streets. Like the costumed revellers, many managers masquerade and parade through the corridors of their workplaces wearing masks of leadership. Some managers oscillate between leadership styles depending on the situation and their mood, unable to find a style that is true to them.  

The inability to find a leadership style that is true to the individual, may very well affect team performance. Leadership is not just about the leader, it’s also about those whom we lead. Leaders who choose to lead with an autocratic style -the command and control approach with an iron fist- soon find themselves losing credibility in the eyes of their team. How employee experience their leader’s style can have a profound impact on the employee’s productivity and loyalty. This is particularly so when managers adopt an authentic leadership approach. Employee’s perception of authentic leadership can be the strongest single predictor of employee job satisfaction, organisational commitment and work happiness, according to researchers Jensen and Luthans.

Authentic Leadership

Authentic leadership is a type of management style in which people present their genuine self, acting in sincere manner that is true to who they are as individuals. Leading exponents of authentic leadership indicate that this style is best positioned to inspire trust, loyalty and outstanding performances. The roots of authentic leadership can be traced back to the Greeks; the word authentic comes from the Greek word, authentikos, which means principal or genuine. In modern times, the father of the concept of authentic leadership is often considered Bill George, Harvard professor and former Medtronic CEO and Chairman.

The Four Components

According to Bill George, authentic leadership it as composed of four distinct components. Firstly Self-Awareness- this is the foundation of an authentic leader. You must know your strengths, limitations, and values. When you know what you stand for, you can let your values guide your decision-making in times of crisis. Someone who stands for integrity will not accept a kick-back payment in exchange for their influence to have contract approved.

 The second component is what is termed “Relational Transparency”. This simply means being transparent in your relations; being honest and straightforward in your conversations with no hidden agenda. Leadership is built on trust. When your team see you are honest in your undertakings, they will find it easier to trust you. The third component, Balanced Processing, demands that authentic leaders be a leader who solicits opposing viewpoints and considers all options before making a decision and choosing a course of action. Authentic leaders also are emotionally intelligent and are sensitive to the needs of others. This is reflected in their daily conversations with their team members. They are respectful to everyone, regardless of the position the employee holds. The last component is Internalized Moral Perspective. An authentic leader has an ethical core. She or he knows the right thing to do and is driven by a concern for ethics and fairness.

 The Gender Factor

Some researchers have found that authentic leadership not does not take into account the gendered contexts in which women work. A few years ago, Margaret Hopkins of the University of Toledo and Deborah O’Neil, Bowling Green State University, USA, published a paper in the Psychology Journal where they posited that authentic leadership ignores the ingrained gender bias so prevalent in workplaces. Biases such as the double-bind dilemma for women in leadership. Since women are often evaluated against a yardstick that is “masculine”, a standard of leadership based on “masculine” qualities, they are caught between impossible choices. If women are highly assertive and confident, they are chastised for “acting like a man”. When women are highly communal and caring, they are criticised for being too soft and feminine. It seems that the requirements of having masculine traits for the leadership role and the female gender role are often inconsistent.

In 2014 a research was conducted on Authentic Leadership and Gender in the Caribbean by Dr Jennifer Jones-Morales, Authentic Leadership and Gender Specilaist, which surveyed 78 elite leaders from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados. Its findings indicated that more women experienced low points than men as they ascended to Authentic Leadership and more women than men experienced gender discrimination in the workplace. Given the emphasis on the true self in authentic leadership, how can women enact their true self when they are faced with this double-bind and discrimination? This is compounded when women are required to fit into male-dominated environments.

Becoming Authentic

How does one become an authentic leader? Achieving authenticity is a journey. Your first step should be to do some introspection and self-discovery with honest deep work to build your self-awareness.  Identify your personal values and beliefs. Once identified, you should ensure that your behaviours are consistent with those same values and beliefs. Alignment is key. Completing a personal SWOT analysis is also useful to increase your self-awareness. A frank assessment, though it may be emotionally difficult, will allow you to clearly outline your strengths as well as your weaknesses. You can play up your strengths and manage your weaknesses as you seek to improve.

Leadership is about relationships. You should intentionally build strong relationships with a diverse group of friends, colleagues and your team. Create genuine relationships by being authentic. All relationships, whether on the personal level or on the professional front, are built on trust. Authenticity builds trust and makes us more influential and compelling leaders.

Improving your emotional intelligence is critical for authentic leaders. Dr. Daniel Goleman described emotional intelligence as a person's ability to manage his feelings so that those feelings are expressed appropriately and effectively. Being emotionally intelligent helps us to be sensitive to others’ needs and thereby build strong relationships.

 Leaving a Legacy

As an authentic leader you have the opportunity to inspire others to be their best by being a role model. Bill George’s Authentic Leadership poses some life-giving questions for deep introspection. "What will be your legacy?..... No matter how large or small a difference you make, it will become the legacy that you leave the world."

This article was first published in the Trinidad Business Guardian on 28 February, 2019. If you or your team need to develop your authentic leadership skills, feel free to contact me at [email protected].