Self-Awareness
We have been studying theories of ethical leadership
this week which is very broadly defined. It essentially means “influencing
employees through values, principles and beliefs that extensively border on the
accepted norms in the organizational behaviors” (Alshammari, Almutairi, &
Thuwaini, 2015, p. 108). Ethical leadership, in other words, is leading in a
manner than a reasonable person would consider to be acceptable. There are four
main theories of leadership that are considered ethical: transforming, servant,
spiritual, and authentic leadership (Yukl, 2013). For our purposes here, I want
to focus on authentic leadership. Though experts’ definitions of “authentic leadership”
vary, they all emphasize consistency in words, actions, and values. Authenticity
is derived from Greek philosophy and denotes a humanistic psychological stance,
which means “to thine own self be true” (Zielinska, 2012, p.1). Yukl (2013)
points out that authentic leaders – those that are true to themselves – “have a
high self-awareness about their values, beliefs, emotions, self-identities, and
abilities” (p. 351).
In their journal entry to the Human Resource
Management International Digest, Goffee and Jones (2006) discuss some of the
top business leaders that are self-aware. However, they approach it from a very
unique angle. Instead of just focusing on authentic leaders with a heightened sense
of self-awareness, they discuss an awareness of differences that these leaders
have on which they have capitalized. They note that these effective leaders “become
aware of what is different about them that makes them attractive to others” (p.
32). What they mean by this is that effective authentic leaders must be aware
of their own uniqueness but must present it in a way that is appealing to
others. If a leader’s unique attribute is abrasiveness, that most likely will
not appeal to others and draw them to become followers. However, with the right
level of confidence, even that can be leveraged to produce effective
leadership. One example of someone that fits that bill is Donald Trump. He is
well known for being very straight-forward and, often times, a jerk. However,
as of this week, he is still the front-runner for the GOP. It is, of course,
unknown if he will continue in his rise to political power but what is known is
that he has successfully built a multi-billion dollar empire around his
abrasive attitude. He found a way to capitalize on that difference and make it
somehow appealing to others.
When I examine my own life and consider my own
differences, I have to ask myself how I can use my own unique personality to be
the most effective leader possible. The character traits that I have that set
me apart are my ability to listen, my desire to make other people laugh (sense
of humor), and my logical approach to problem-solving. It is pretty easy to see
how my ability to listen is appealing to others. Often, people just need to
vocalize what they feel. But there is a difference between hearing and
listening. I am receptive to what others have to say. When it comes to my sense
of humor, the key is to know when enough is enough. There is an appropriate
time and place for humor. There are times when even the biggest jester must bow
to the king. My use of logic can often seem emotionless. However, I attempt to
tie in my ability to actively listen and a touch of humor to remind my subordinates
that I understand the situation at hand and that, in the end, we are still
going to get through it together.
My traits are unique to me, of course. We all have our
own strengths and we need to be aware of what they are and learn to capitalize
on them. The key, though, is authenticity.
There
is an almost endless list of differences that individuals might communicate.
But any attempt to create the
definitive list of leadership attributes is futile. This is because the differences must be authentic to you as a
leader. They must be significant, real and perceived.
(Goffee and Jones, 2006, p. 34)
You cannot fake your own traits. They must be
genuinely yours. Embrace what makes you different. Figure out how to use that
to make you a truly authentic leader.
References
Alshammari, A., N. Almutairi, N., & Fahad Thuwaini, S.
(2015). Ethical leadership: The effect on employees.
International Journal of Business and Management, 10(3), 108. doi:10.5539/ijbm.v10n3p108
Goffee, R., & Jones, G. (2006). Getting personal on the
topic of leadership. Human Resource Management
International Digest, 14(4), 32-34. doi:10.1108/09670730610666382
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations (8th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Zielinska, M. (2012). Developing authentic leadership.
Kenexa. Retrieved from http://www.kenexa.com/Portals/0/Downloads/Developing%20Authentic%20Leaders.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment