Who are Authentic Leaders?

Authentic leaders inspire, motivate their colleagues and foster a climate of mutual support and shared decision-making: 

Walumbwa et al. (2008: 94) define authentic leadership as ‘a pattern of leader behavior that draws upon and promotes both positive psychological capacities and a positive ethical climate, to foster greater self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing of information, and relational transparency on the part of leaders working with followers, fostering positive self-development.’ ¹

Authentic leaders’ professionalism springs from their commitment to their mission and educational platform. Authentic leaders are explicit about their educational platforms and genuinely interested in sharing their educational beliefs and vision.

Shamir and Eilam (2005) assert authentic leaders have the following characteristics: (1) they do not fake their leadership, rather stay true to themselves as opposed to conforming to the expectations of others; (2) they do not take on a leadership role for status, honor, or personal rewards, but rather to promote a value-based cause or mission; (3) while their values, convictions, causes, and missions may be similar to others, they hold them because they have internalized them from personal experiences not because they are imitating others; and (4) their actions are based on their values and convictions.²

Authentic leaders are transformational leaders par excellence: 

Transformational and authentic leadership share some conceptual overlap, with authentic leadership often being described as a subset of transformational leadership (Walumbwa et al., 2008). Specifically, transformational leadership suggests that these leaders serve as role models and display moral conduct. Authentic leaders are also believed to be role models by showing their true self to their followers and demonstrating moral behaviors in line with their values.³

References:

1. Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89-126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307308913

2. Shamir, B., & Eilam, G. (2005). What’s Your Story?: A Life-Stories Approach to Authentic Leadership Development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 395-417. DOI:10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.005

3. Malloy, E., & Kavussanu, M. (2021). A comparison of authentic and transformational leadership in sport. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 51(7), 636–646. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12769