Introduction
The article, “Discovering your authentic leadership,” by Peter Sims, Diana Meyer, Andrew N. McLean, and Bill George delves into the subject of being a leader that one is capable of being, that is, an authentic leader. The authors describe the way one can develop as an authentic leader. In particular, the article exemplifies the way an individual who follows his/her internal compass can essentially turn out to be an authentic leader. According to the authors, discovering our authentic leadership calls for a commitment to developing ourselves. In other words, developing authentic leadership starts with an understanding of self. The purpose of the authors is to elucidate the need for a person to find his/her inner self and discover the true leader inside himself/herself. Ideally, this necessitates us to concentrate on understanding ourselves as well as our values. The authors center on some key areas of our lives in which we can learn from and develop our authentic leadership. These include understaffing our authentic self, defining our values as well as leadership principles, understanding our motivations, building our support team, and remaining grounded through integrating all aspects of our lives. Without a doubt, this article is a great read for any person who desires to improve his/her leadership skills.
I acquired a great deal of knowledge regarding how to develop myself into an authentic leader from this article. First of all, I learned that I must start with a good grasp of my life story for me to become an authentic leader. I now recognize that I can find my strength as an authentic leader through my transformative experiences. According to the authors, these experiences are what enable an authentic leader to comprehend a deeper purpose of his/her leadership. Additionally, from the article, I learned that I need to be courageous and honest so as to open up and scrutinize my life experiences. In essence, this is understanding authentic self. According to Avolio & Wernsing (2008), an authentic leader needs to invest considerable effort and time over numerous years into self-discovery so as to differentiate internal conscience from the external programming. Moreover, I learned what leadership principles entail. The authors describe them as the values, which are translated into action. As an authentic leader, I now recognize what I will do so as to develop the leadership principles I will employ in leading. Specifically, I will need to possess a robust base of leadership values and test them under fire as suggested by the authors. I also understand that I have to balance my extrinsic motivations with the intrinsic motivations so as to become an authentic leader. Moreover, I learned that building extraordinary support teams will help me stay on track as an authentic leader. What is more, the article taught me that I need to maintain my integrity by remaining the same individual in all life commitments so as to stay grounded with every pressure that is likely to come my way.
I will apply the knowledge I learned from the article to develop myself into an authentic leader. I will apply this knowledge by uniting other individuals around a collective set of values and purpose as well as empower them to lead. I will not try to imitate any other leader. Ideally, I will be true to myself. There are various authentic leaders in the business world. One of these leaders is Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive. Silverthorne (2009), describe Jobs as authentic in his ways of doing things and his beliefs. Steve Jobs has qualities of an authentic leader. In particular, he is a leader who is self-aware and leads with his heart. He leads his employees with empathy as well as courage.
References
Avolio, B. J., & Wernsing, T. S. (2008). Practicing authentic leadership. Positive psychology: Exploring the best in people, 4, 147-165.
George, B., Sims, P., McLean, A. N., & Mayer, D. (2007). Discovering your authentic leadership. Harvard business review, 85(2), 129.
Silverthorne, S. (2009, June 25). Should We CEO Like Steve Jobs? - CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/should-we-ceo-like-steve-jobs/
