The United States faces a leadership crisis as the confidence and trust in leaders has fallen to an all-time low. Only 22 percent of Americans trust our business leaders because of ethical failings and a lack in consistency in words and deeds (Darvish & Rezaei, 2011). Authentic leadership has received a heightened level of research and attention in effort to increase follower satisfaction and commitment in the workplace. Berkovich (2014) recommends a framework of dialogical pedagogy within the organization to develop and support authentic leadership. The strengths of authentic leadership include the increased ability of organizations to obtain higher commitment and performance levels. The weakness of authentic leadership is the true natures
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When a leader is authentic by acting upon their true values, beliefs, and strengths, they are helping other to do the same. Authentic leadership promotes follower identification with in the organization and encourages their aligning of words and actions, thus making it easier to trust and identify with the leader as the organizational spokesperson (Leroy, Palanski & Simons, 2012).
Weaknesses
Leaders who are honest, transparent, and genuine are valued in relationships and organizations, unless their true selves are not positive. What comes naturally for some can be overly critical, rigid, non-communicative, judgmental, or harsh. When these traits are openly displayed, they can be met with resistance and be counter-productive. Placing value on being authentic has enable some bad behavior among executives (Gruenfeld &Zander, 2011).
Examples of Authentic …show more content…
Anne Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox is one of them. To save the company from bankruptcy, she bluntly told the shareholders the Xerox business model was unsustainable. She acknowledged her lack of financial expertise and relied upon treasurer’s office to tutor her on financial matters before meetings. She gained support from leadership teams by taking time with them, being honest, and asking for their commitment. She stayed true to her values and to the company’s. Mulcahy continued to invest in research and development because she believed in its worth. She had the courage to say no to the pressures of Wall Street and instead transformed the organization. Mulcahy provided ten leadership qualities she used during her success (Gaille, 2013): spend time listening, communicate face to face, make goals clear, provide a roadmap, be honest, lead and manage values, challenge the status quo, focus on things that matter, inspire your people, and invest upstream. Mulcahy had the reputation for building relationships and empowering people to lead. Her credibility as an authentic leader inspired and motivated employees to go the extra mile for her (George, Sims, McLean & Mayer, 2007). Authentic leadership has also been the key to success for Alan Mulally, the CEO of Ford. He believes leadership is about inspiring and empowering followers. He attended strategic meetings and strived
When a leader is authentic by acting upon their true values, beliefs, and strengths, they are helping other to do the same. Authentic leadership promotes follower identification with in the organization and encourages their aligning of words and actions, thus making it easier to trust and identify with the leader as the organizational spokesperson (Leroy, Palanski & Simons, 2012).
Weaknesses
Leaders who are honest, transparent, and genuine are valued in relationships and organizations, unless their true selves are not positive. What comes naturally for some can be overly critical, rigid, non-communicative, judgmental, or harsh. When these traits are openly displayed, they can be met with resistance and be counter-productive. Placing value on being authentic has enable some bad behavior among executives (Gruenfeld &Zander, 2011).
Examples of Authentic …show more content…
Anne Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox is one of them. To save the company from bankruptcy, she bluntly told the shareholders the Xerox business model was unsustainable. She acknowledged her lack of financial expertise and relied upon treasurer’s office to tutor her on financial matters before meetings. She gained support from leadership teams by taking time with them, being honest, and asking for their commitment. She stayed true to her values and to the company’s. Mulcahy continued to invest in research and development because she believed in its worth. She had the courage to say no to the pressures of Wall Street and instead transformed the organization. Mulcahy provided ten leadership qualities she used during her success (Gaille, 2013): spend time listening, communicate face to face, make goals clear, provide a roadmap, be honest, lead and manage values, challenge the status quo, focus on things that matter, inspire your people, and invest upstream. Mulcahy had the reputation for building relationships and empowering people to lead. Her credibility as an authentic leader inspired and motivated employees to go the extra mile for her (George, Sims, McLean & Mayer, 2007). Authentic leadership has also been the key to success for Alan Mulally, the CEO of Ford. He believes leadership is about inspiring and empowering followers. He attended strategic meetings and strived