Joe Real was a charismatic and visionary leader. He was a mid-level manager addressing top management. Joe was a great collaborator and problem solver. Joe often traded help for information about the organization. But those who knew Joe best knew he couldn’t be trusted. I would tell one manager one thing and another a different story. By doing such things, Joe hoped that managers would pit themselves against each other enough that he could harness their power of information to gain more influence in the organization. However, his back-stabbing came to the fore when one of the top managers caught Joe lying to another co-worker.
Today’s employees expect managers to shape corporate values. Unfortunately, some administrators do not take this invisible code seriously. Hypocrisy is the rule of the day. As I sat in my Sunday lecture, the instructor brought home what it meant to be a hypocrite when speaking of Jesus’ interaction with the leaders of his day, the Pharisees. Jesus openly criticized his actions to his followers in Matthew 23: 2: “Therefore, whatever [Pharisees] I tell you to watch, watch and do, but don’t do your works. Because they talk, but they don’t do anything. 4 They tie heavy loads that are difficult to carry and put them on the shoulders of men, but they themselves do not move them with their finger. “Inspire them to perform better This article examines the concept of authentic leadership in today’s society.
Competition is fierce around the world. Managers are often forced to act genuinely with their employees because financial circumstances force them to behave in a way that is in the best interest of shareholders and investors, not their employees. However, organizations need talented and inspired employees who go beyond the basic requirements towards excellence. However, employees are reluctant to provide this kind of performance to selfish leaders who don’t care about them.
Forbes contributing writer Victor Lipman, in his article “The Fundamental Importance of Management Trust,” notes alarming levels of mistrust among workers. According to a Gallup poll, 70% of workers are disengaged from the organization. Lipman found several factors that contributed to this problem, which were: false communication, lack of modeling behavior, and financial pressure. Lipman explains, “As a manager, I recognized that it was critical that my employees trust me if I expected them to be fully productive under my supervision.” Confident in the recession with numerous layoffs and higher unemployment, managers must be upfront and genuine with their workforce if they want a different kind of performance.
Organizations must foster authentic leadership in today’s environment. Leadership denotes the ability to influence others. When the adjective authentic is modified in the word, something special emerges. The authentic adjective conveys “something that is real or genuine and not false.” In the case of the Pharisees, they were influencers of their followers. However, the reality of the matter was that his leadership type was neither genuine nor sincere. Authentic leadership defines the leader’s ability to have honest relationships with his followers through transparent relationships. In this way, the leader can leave himself vulnerable to others.
Bill George, author of Authentic leadership, describes authentic leadership as “a leadership style that is consistent with a leader’s personality and core values, and that is honest, ethical, and practical.” Dr. Richard Daft, author of Management, further describes the following key characteristics of authentic leadership: (a) Authentic leaders pursue their purpose with passion; (b) Authentic leaders practice strong values; (c) Authentic leaders lead with both the heart and the head; (d) Authentic leaders build connected relationships; and authentic leaders demonstrate self-discipline. With these traits, authentic leadership would be synonymous with a selfless leadership approach.
To conclude, today’s workers want managers who can inspire them for higher performance. However, workers are not looking for managers who are not genuine in their relationships with them. This article examined the concept of authentic leadership in today’s society. The analysis showed that workers want authentic leaders who are honest with them. With the many disruptive forces surrounding the workplace, such as layoffs, employees want to believe that their management is looking out for the best interest of the worker. By applying authentic leadership, organizations will be better able to foster this value. By using authentic leadership in their organizations, managers will be better able to build these kinds of positive relationships with workers. Get started today!
© 2016 by Daryl D. Green
References:
Authentic leadership by Bill George
Management by Richard Daft
“The Fundamental Importance of Trust in Management” by Victor Lipman
