Thursday, December 5, 2019

Reflection on Authentic Leadership-.com

Question: Write a Reflection on Authentic Leadership Development. Answer: Leadership can be defined as the action of leading people in a group or an organization. It may also refer to leadership as being the art that motivates people to act in a particular manner in order to achieve a certain goal. . The authentic theory of leadership is based on the authenticity of the leader fostering the development of their followers. The follower in return will contribute to the attainment of performance that is veritable and sustainable. This discourse is a reflection on the development of authentic leadership. Definition of Authenticity The roots of authenticity are based on the concept of being true to self. As an authentic leader, this to me means being myself. I also believe that it extends to seeing myself accurately and being in tune with my basic nature. Within the perspectives of authentic leadership, it is developed by self-actualization that produces ethical convictions that are strong (Harter, 2002). Since it is not a fixed state, I believe it also extends to attaining and achieving levels of sincerity and commitment when relating to other people. Development Components Psychological capital that is positive- Authentic leadership is developed by possessing the psychological qualities of hope, confidence, resiliency and optimism. These qualities are heightened in the authentic leader against the background of positive organizational contexts. As a leader, positive development is manifested in self-awareness and behavior that is self-regulated (Avolio Gardner, 2005, p. 322). Since these psychological qualities are open to change and development, the authentic leader can help to develop people, teams and organizations to flourish. Positive morality- An authentic leader should possess moral values that draw upon reserves of courage and resiliency. This is important in addressing issues that are ethical in nature. I also believe that it extends to sustaining and achieving authentic actions which are moral. Positive perspectives of morality are also important for the authentic leader when making decisions that transparent. This calls for the development of moral capacity for the leader. Leader self-awareness- The authentic leader should be cognizant of their existence in the context of time and temporality. It incorporates understanding their strengths, beliefs and sense of purpose. As an authentic leader, I should be aware of my capabilities, knowledge and experiences (Luthans Avolio, 2003). Three important elements that the authentic leader should posses include: cognitions of identity, goals, values, and emotions. An effective authentic leader nurtures and develops these elements of self-awareness. Self-regulation by the leader- The authentic leader should be able to align their values with the intentions and actions that they take. This involves self-control that is three pronged: setting standards which are internal, identifying the chasm between the ideal standards and actual outcomes and reconciling the two. Self-regulation is developed through transparency, behavior that is authentic and balanced internal processing that is unbiased. Leadership behaviors- One way in which the authentic leader attracts followers is leading by example through actions that demonstrate confidence, hope, optimism and transparency in making decisions (Avolio Gardner, 2005, p. 325). I agree with the postulation that followers are developed by the behavior of the authentic leader that supports self-determination through modeling. Social exchanges that are positive and emotional contagion developed by the leader are also important influence processes in attracting followers. Self-awareness of followers- The development of the followers is achieved through heightening the self-regulatory and self-awareness of the followers. The follower develops authentic behavior that is in congruence with that of the leader. I see the connection between the actions of the leader that are important in moving the follower towards processes that are internal which move them to achieve goals that are congruent with the leader. Open and positive exchanges between the leader and follower are important in this context. Development of the follower- The natural consequence of authentic relationships nurtured over time is that both the leader and follower develop individually. The follower is able to perceive the possibilities of their true self over time as the result of the values espoused by the leader. When the follower realizes what their true identity is, they will become more transparent with the leader. The follower in the end becomes a leader through the role modeling by the authentic leader. Organizational context- For the follower to develop an authentic relationship in an organizational context, several things should be considered. The authentic leader should create the environment that provides equal opportunities for all the followers (Avolio Gardner, 2005, p. 327). There should also be resources that support the development of the follower. Such an environment will allow the leader and follower to grow and learn within the context of an organization. Differences with other styles of leadership. One difference of the authentic leader with the transformational leadership is that the former is not necessarily charismatic (George, 2003). The difference with charismatic leaders is that the self-regulation of the leader and follower is missing in the charismatic theory. The difference with the spiritual and servant leader is that the aspects of psychological capital that is positive, is missing in this approach. There is also no mediating role of self-regulation in the spiritual and servant leader. Limitations of authentic leadership. One shortcoming of the theory of the authentic leader is that it does not provide a proper analysis of metrics that can measure two considerations. The first is to what extent can the leader contribute to enhancing the selves of the follower and themselves? (Avolio Gardner, 2005). The second is to what extent do the leader and follower contribute to the veritable performance that is sustained? These are limitations that need further research on the development of the authentic leadership model. Conclusion The authentic leadership is based on several considerations. It is founded on authenticity and is relational in nature. The development of the leader is dynamic based, on psychological processes. It can operate in different levels of temporality such as within a group or organization. At the same time, it has distinct differences with other theories of leading such as the transformational leader. The limitation of the theory is that it does not clearly quantify the actual contribution of the leader in the development of self and the followers. References Avolio, B., J Gardner, W., L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16, pp. 315-338 George, W. (2003). Authentic leadership: Rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Harter. (2002). Authenticity. In C.R. Snyder S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of Positive Psychology, (pp. 382-394). Luthans, F Avolio, B., J. (2003). Authentic leadership: A positive development approach. In K.S . Cameron, J.E. Dutton R.E Quinns, (Eds.), Positive Organizational Scholarship, (pp. 241-261).

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