Consider George’s three points: inner
work involves having real-world experience, process that experience through
some type of reflection, and seek honest feedback from others. What kinds of
real-world experiences have been most instructional for you? How and where do
you take time to reflect? From whom can you receive honest feedback? How have
these practices (or lack of them) affected your leadership abilities?
Authentic Leadership
One may argue that authentic leadership the gold
standard for leadership. Authentic
leadership according to our readings in this weeks, module is about the authenticity
of the leader. Northouse (2016), asserts that people are apprehensive and
insecure about the world around them because they desire leadership they can
trust who are genuine and honest.
Defining authentic leadership has become very subjective as scholars and
researcher have their viewpoint on what it means. The intrapersonal perspective is more on the
intrinsic side that is centered around self-knowledge, self-regulation, and
self-concept. This perspective is noted
to come from a leader’s personal experience that is genuine and real. Another way authentic leadership is defined
is from the leader’s interpersonal perspective.
This way is more about the leader and follower relationship which merge
and develops out of a series of exchanges. Finally, authentic leadership may be identified
as a developmental perspective, which can be nurtured in the leaders, developed
over time, and or by life experiences. In
our readings Northouse stated, authentic leadership is a pattern of leader’s
behavior which is grounded in the positive psychological qualities and strong
ethics. Mahatma Gandhi is arguably one
of the most authentic leaders of our time.
It was ones stated, people followed him not for what he was but for who
he was, a transparent leader who experience racial discrimination, prejudice,
massacre, and violence that was imposed upon him and other Indians. This was the turning point which encouraged him
to work for the people to fight back the injustice, poverty, and famine of the
people.
Inner Work for Authentic Leadership
Know Thyself-Inscribed on the temple wall at the
Delphi in Greece during the sixth century B.C.
So, the advice to know yourself is thousands of years old. But how do you know yourself at the deepest
level? Part of knowing your inner self
is to experience life, adapt and evolve.
Obtaining self-awareness as a leader is central to becoming an authentic
leader which is the first element of emotional intelligence. Becoming a self-aware leader, you must first
accept who you are which can be challenging.
As you become more self-aware, then it becomes easier to accept your true
north, your authentic-self. The important
element to self-acceptance is to love your unconditional self which is your strengths
and weakness.
In the short interview with Bill George (2012) he
stated, to find your true north you have to understand self which is partly
gain through real world experiences. Next
you have go through the process of internalizing which can be done by
meditation, self-reflection, pray, or share those experiences with a trusted
source. According to Bill George (2007),
this is way to hold self-accountable and to learn from one’s mistakes and or
past. Finally, you open yourself up to
honest feedback from the trusted circle of friends. Knowing your inner-self is to understand the
culture you thrive in, what role on the team are you best in, and your natural
interest. I believe it is very difficult
to regulate your emotions, control your fears, and avoid speaking out of turn
when someone has crossed your sensitivity line.
This happened to me when a leader did not accept my answer to a question
so he turned and asked a collogue which brought on emotional stress as if my
answer was skewed or incorrect. A self-aware person can recognize his shift in
behavior and make the necessary adjustments to prevent embarrassment to
himself. I of course let it be known
that I felt he doubted the authenticity of my answer and I do not appreciate it. Later a trusted person provided feedback as
to how I could had handled the situation without feeling stress and embarrassing
my leader. I agree to proactive counting
backwards 3,2,1 before responding which gives me a few seconds to re-frame my
first emotional reaction. A person who
can listen to feedback, can let go of his or her ego, accept constructive criticism
will see their mistakes and own them are operating in their authentic self. By practicing these skills and techniques I have
built more effective relationships and create room for dialogue when something
cause internal stress.
Reference:
George, B. (2007). True North: Discover
your authentic leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership:
Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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