Authentic Leadership Explained

What is authenticity?

The term “authenticity” comes from the Greek authentikós, which means “genuine” and from the late Latin authenticus, which stands for “vouched for” and “reliable”. The term “authenticity” aims at genuineness in the sense of originality. 

Authenticity is characterized by a pronounced ability in self-awareness and self-reflection. Authentic people are aware not only of their strengths but also of their weaknesses and act very consciously according to their values and principles. In doing so, their interactions with their peers are sincere. As observers, we often say about authentic people that they simply seem “real”. 

What is Authentic Leadership?

Authentic Leadership refers to a leadership style in which the leader remains true to themself. It doesn’t matter whether that person leads as a servant leader, collaboratively, or something else. 

Staying true to yourself is central in Authentic Leadership. Authentic Leadership is about being yourself and being true to your values. It’s about leading with integrity, transparency, and honesty. Authentic Leaders have a strong sense of self-awareness and are able to be vulnerable with their team members. This builds trust and creates an environment of openness and respect.

What do Authentic Leaders do differently than other leaders? 

According to Bill George, Authentic Leaders frame their life stories in such a way that they are not observers but participants. This fosters self-awareness. Their behavior is based on their values and principles. 

Having their values and principles be the internal driver for their behavior is as important to them as external recognition and rewards. 

It’s not necessarily important what your story is but how you evaluate it. If you see yourself as a victim this will most likely lead you to be rather passive. But if you can learn lessons from your experiences, you can use those lessons to inspire others to action. 

The Authentic Leadership Model according to Bill George

Bill George has defined 5 dimensions that help shape Authentic Leadership. These are Purpose, Values, Heart, Relationships, Self-Discipline. 

Purpose: The first step to being an Authentic Leader is to know yourself, to have an awareness of yourself, your strengths, and weaknesses. Only in this way can you learn more about your personal needs and thus your purpose. 

Values: Every decision that you as an Authentic Leader make and every behavior that you display are predetermined by your values. Therefore, you are authentic when your own values are transparent. 

Heart: As an Authentic Leader, it is important to be empathetic with yourself and with your team members. In doing so, you should find the right balance between the needs of yourself, your team members, and those of the organization. To achieve this, you must have a clear understanding of the kind of relationship you have with yourself, and everyone else.

Self-Discipline: Always practice what you preach. Authentic Leadership can be learned. But the learning path itself can be a painful self-exploration. In order to stay on the path, you’ll need a lot of self-discipline. Once you have learned to know yourself and are able to lead authentically, the opportunities that come as a result will amaze you!

Why is Authentic Leadership important? Why is authenticity at work important?

Authentic Leadership is the key to a team member’s heart and mind. They will be more transparent with an Authentic Leader than with an inauthentic one. Because of an Authentic Leader’s empathy, they will be willing and empowered to display their  authentic self. Authenticity inspires dedication and engagement. When they can be themselves at work, your team will be dedicated and will enthusiastically follow your lead.

How to tell if someone’s Authentic Leadership is authentic?

My intention is to show how important and difficult this preliminary work is for Authentic Leadership. Because it is important to distinguish between Authentic Leaders and those leaders who decorate their unhealthy personality as authentic. To tell the authenticity of Authentic Leadership, you have to check the capacity for self-reflection or empathy.

Experience shows that we often struggle to distinguish between authenticity, arrogance, and narcissism. Our self-confidence strengthens our authenticity. As an authentic person, we are not afraid to be outrageous. Authentic Leadership should not be misused as an excuse to do whatever we want, unfiltered. Yes, it offers us a lot of freedom and the idea may be tempting. But the true art of Authentic Leadership also lies in the ability of self-awareness. If this ability is weak, we tend to overestimate ourselves and come across as arrogant to our fellow team members. This damages the system for Authentic Leadership, since an emotional distance from the employees is formed.