This is because a leader’s effectiveness is closely linked to the stories they convey about who they are, where they came from and where they are going, all of which give followers insight into their authenticity (H. While there is currently little evidence that traditional leadership development approaches effectively do this, the construction and/or sharing of a leader’s life story is touted by authentic leadership scholars as a potentially beneficial approach for developing authentic leaders and followers (Shamir & Eilam, 2005) (George, Sims, McLean, & Mayer, 2007) (Sparrowe, 2005). However, developing a trait that allows a leader’s genuine self and core values to shine through in all that they do seems like a daunting and potentially fruitless task. Gardner, Cogliser, Davis, & Dickens, 2011). Gardner, Avolio, Luthans, May, & Walumbwa, 2005).īut how can authenticity be developed? Recent publications highlight the need to design strategies and interventions focused on the development of authentic leaders (W. Through the development of authentic leaders, as well as authentic followers, leaders and their organizations can benefit, achieving positive ethical climates and sustainable success (W. And with evidence that authentic leadership positively impacts follower commitment, engagement and job satisfaction (Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, & Peterson, 2008) (Avolio, Gardner, Walumbwa, Luthans, & May, 2004)(Peus, Wesche, Streicher, Braun, & Frey, 2012), a focus on authentic leadership development can be seen as both beneficial and important in today’s challenged world of work. Promoting cultures of trust, integrity and transparency, authentic leaders are not only true to themselves, but through leading by example allow others to be the same. Now, more than ever, people are calling for leaders to be real, genuine, and true to themselves – in a word, authentic. They want leaders who are aware of their strengths and shortcomings, are honest and transparent, make balanced and fair decisions, and have a strong moral compass. While these are admittedly critical elements of leadership, people also want to know that they can trust their leaders and be assured that what they see is what they get. It’s no longer enough to craft a vision, execute a strategy and/or mobilize, engage and develop a workforce to drive organizational performance. In the face of growing social, ethical and economic challenges, the world is looking for more from today’s business leaders. Stories of challenge are reported to be most revealing of a leader’s true self. An analysis of 162 survey responses reveals strong correlations between awareness of a leader’s life story and their perceived authenticity, as well as authentic leadership and follower job satisfaction. Through an online survey, this study explores how awareness of a leader’s life story impacts followers’ perception of their authenticity, as well as how authentic leadership impacts follower job satisfaction. One strategy for developing authenticity in leaders is the construction and/or sharing of their life story, providing followers with insight into their authenticity. The growing social, ethical and economic challenges facing today’s world have resulted in a calling for authentic leaders who foster trust, integrity and transparency. Courtney will graduate from the MSLOC program in 2013 and is a Manager, Talent Solutions Practice at BPI Group. This executive summary assignment is the culmination of a nine-month capstone research project.
Picture by: William Marlow Article and Author InformationĬourtney Calinog wrote this article in December 2012 for the Capstone 3 Research Analysis and Interpretation course.
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