Authentic Leadership

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Authentic Leadership

• MGT 4399

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Authentic Leadership

• Positive constructdescriptive words include
  genuine, reliable, trustworthy, real, and
  veritable
• Root concept underlying all positive approaches
  to leadership and its development

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Authentic Leadership

• Incorporates transformational and ethical
  leadership
• The development of an authentically moral leader
  is at the heart of authentic leadership

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Auth Leaders--Highly Aware

• Deeply aware of how they think and behave
• Important to them to be perceived by others of
  that self-awareness
• Aware of their own and others values/moral
  perspective, knowledge, and strengths
• Aware of the context in which they operate

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Auth. Leadership Characteristics

• Confident
• Hopeful
• Optimistic
• Resilient
• High on moral character

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Ethicality of Auth. Leaders

• Clearly frame moral dilemmas
• Transparently respond to moral dilemmas
• Ethical role models
• Possess positive organizational behavior, build
  confidence, create hope, and raise optimism.

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Transformational Leadership

• Process that changes and transforms individuals.
  
• Concerned with emotions, values, ethics,
  standards, and long-term goals
• Includes assessing followers motives, satisfying
  their needs, and treating them as full human
  beings
• Has been argued that it is the most effective and
  preferred leadership construct

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TF Leadership

• Has been attacked as being vague and easily
  abused
• Charismatic leaders can lead followers down
  unethical paths
• Can be mimicked
• To be truly transformational, leadership must be
  grounded in moral foundations
• As ethics (or the lack thereof) are a key
  determinant of transformational leadership, this
  distinction is important and has serious
  implications if immoral leaders are in positions
  of power

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Unethical Leaders

• Unethical, immoral and often illegal behavior by
  business leaders has dominated the news in recent
  years
• e.g. Kenneth Lay and Enron, Joseph Nacchio and
  Qwest Communication, Bernard Ebbers and WorldCom,
  Dennis Kozlowski and Tyco International, Joseph
  Berardino and Arthur Andersen, Gary Winnick and
  Global Crossing, Charles Keating and Lincoln
  Savings and Loan, Kim Tae Gou and Daewoo Motor

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Ideal Leadership?

• As a result, followers are not satisfied with
  leaders that only display appropriate behaviors
  or seem effective.
• They want their leaders to be moral, as well in
  effect, they want authentic transformational
  leaders.
• When considering an authentic transformational
  leader, an ideal type of leader is conceived.
  Leaders and followers alike prefer a leader that
  is moral as well as capable of transformational
  behaviors in an authentic manner.