Introduction
Ethical issues have been widespread in leadership since the concept was introduced. Leaders’ morale is debated as these people guide others and rely on concrete guidelines to make work more effective. Multiple opinions regarding the key leader’s traits were proposed and are still debated. Even though most claim that a leader’s core quality is courage and cooperation, it should be authentic.
Definition of Authenticity in Psychology
The concept of authenticity is rooted in humanistic psychology and psychotherapy. It is understood as one’s level of conformity to one’s own values and ethical standards, despite the influence of outer circumstances forcing one to oppose oneself (Bredeson & Goree, 2012). A key feature of an authentic leader is involvement in the process. Leaders who focus only on management sooner or later lose touch with their teams and customers’ needs. This leads to the product not developing, and profit comes to the fore again.
The Role of Authenticity in Leadership
In terms of leadership, the authentic individual knows what ideas they stand for, what their moralities are, what is desirable and what is acceptable, and what they will never do. An authentic leader is always involved in the creation process, is the leading ambassador of their brand, and therefore must sincerely love the products they offer to consumers. (Novitasari et al., 2021). However, this quality is often confronted with courage and cooperation, which are also assumed to be vital for a person in charge.
Nonetheless, it can be argued that courageous leaders cannot build sincere connections within a team. The followers always view such an individual as an audacious man willing to conquer the world (Bredeson & Goree, 2012). It means that this leader has no right to show their weaknesses, which creates vulnerability. Meanwhile, the cooperative one can easily build trust and be ready to help anyone (Kuknor & Bhattacharya, 2022). Yet they are often seen as mates rather than as a person endowed with the authority to rule others.
Considering these facts, authenticity is a key trait that enables leaders to be sincere and, in their actions, are guided by ethical norms and values. They do not attempt to meet the expectations of others and are genuine about their motives. Their strong trait makes these humans decisive and creative when solving a problem.
Authentic leadership is considered a response to criticism of the theory of transformational leadership and is always opposed to the concept of an idealized influence. The latter suggests that the leader becomes increasingly influential, making people imitate them (Bredeson & Goree, 2012). Encouraging such behavior is destructive since it shapes a dependence on the leader and is used by immoral managers to manipulate employees. Therefore, only by having authenticity can one ensure a trustworthy relationship with others and achieve set goals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, authenticity helps leaders achieve immense success by ensuring their morale towards the decision-making process. Cooperative, courageous, or idealized leaders may be overrated since they attempt to meet people’s expectations. They forget about their authentic selves by putting too much effort into it. Therefore, authenticity is a quality to be praised as it enables individuals to act freely, depending on their morale. These people are more ethical, responsible, and responsive.
References
Bredeson, D., & Goree, K. (2012). Ethics in the workplace (3rd Ed.). South-Western Cengage Learning.
Kuknor, S.C., & Bhattacharya, S. (2022). Inclusive leadership: New age leadership to foster organizational inclusion. European Journal of Training and Development, 46(9), 771-797. Web.
Novitasari, D., Siswanto, E., Purwanto, A., & Fahmi, K. (2021). Authentic leadership and innovation: What is the role of psychological capital? International Journal of Social and Management Studies, 1(1), 1–21. Web.