First a confession: I have not read the leadership literature on this subject. I will, but first I have to vent: authenticity is not the attribute I seek most in a leader.
In “The Concise Oxford Dictionary”, authentic is defined as reliable, trustworthy, genuine. Let’s start with the last word first. I have met many leaders—many of whom are not necessarily nice people (i.e., my genuine self would have trouble following their genuine self). Fortunately, we are all called to a higher order by governance. Is it critical that leaders be reliable? Sure. Top of my list? Well, not necessarily. Now trustworthy…this is interesting.
My own first reaction to the word authentic was this: I want to follow leaders who are committed to the organization’s best interests ahead of their own, i.e. I am not prepared to assume that these two things (organization’s best interests and the leader’s authentic interests) are necessarily aligned. Specifically, WIIFM must come second to WIIFO (what’s in it for the organization).
“Authentic leadership” presumes that the leader is a somewhat “perfect” person, that his or her passion and agenda is almost perfectly aligned with the organization’s strategy, and that, by radiating this combination, employers and other stakeholders will be inspired and engaged.
I would hope that all of us aspire to this. It is honorable. However, reality tends to be a messier place and I am a pragmatist. While we aspire to those noble goals, let’s not lose sight of the bar.
I realize that my own worldview is predicated on the larger assumption that when our organizations prosper, then our economies prosper, our communities prosper, and we all benefit. This comes down to the ability and willingness of those individuals who lead to commit to the higher bar of best interests of the organization. I would rather that leaders commit to WIIFO first. If they can rally their authentic self to that, all the better, but it is secondary.
Do you see it differently?
Reference:
“Discovering Your Authentic Leadership”, Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer, Harvard Business Review, Feb 2007.
