modeling the way. employees operate under growing conditions of uncertainty and stress …as such it...
Post on 14-Dec-2015
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Modeling the Way
Employees operate under growing conditions of uncertainty and stress
…as such it is critical that leaders step in to ‘model the way’
Values are a critical aspect of leaders’ ability to model the way
As a first step, leaders need to determine what is important to them and what their own values are…the path that they wish to take
A critical aspect of this is discovering what they care about, finding their voice
Knowing your “inner territory,” what you value, makes you a stronger leader because it allows you to act with integrity as your values guide your actions
When a leader’s actions are guided by values s/he is able to achieve authenticity as a leader
When leaders have clarity on their personal values they experience and demonstrate a greater sense of commitment to value-aligned action and those with whom they work
An equally important step is to create a sense of shared values among employees
Values need to be forged, not forced
Effective leaders do not impose their values on employees, they find a way to integrate their personal values with those of their employees to forge a common value system
Leaders need to model the shared values….
Leaders illustrate what the values ‘look like’ in the organizational context
Leaders model values by:
How they spend their time
The language they use The types of questions they ask
The types of feedback they seek
Leaders teach values by:
Confronting critical incidentsTelling stories that exemplify valuesVisibly demonstrating value-
consistent behavior
Storytelling is one of the most effective tools at a leaders disposal…
Why?
Storytelling is one of the most effective tools at a leaders disposal…
Why?
Stories are easy to remember People relate to stories Stories demonstrate values in a way that is
meaningful People learn more effectively through stories
What questions should you be asking if you want people to focus on……
• Continuous Improvement
• Quality• Innovation• Integrity• Teamwork • Collaboration
• Personal Responsibility• Customer /Client
Satisfaction• Trust• Growth• Communication
Authentic Leadership
Authentic Leadership Description
• Authentic Leadership – focuses on whether leadership is genuine
• Interest in Authentic Leadership – Increasing in recent times due to social upheavals– People longing for trustworthy leaders– Identified earlier in transformational leadership
research but not studied separately– Needed evidence-based research of construct
Definition of Authentic Leadership
“A pattern that draws upon and promotes both positive psychological capacities and a positive ethical climate, to foster greater self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing of information, and relational transparency on the part of leaders working with followers, fostering positive self-development.”
Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing & Peterson, 2008
Basic Model of Authentic Leadership
• FOUR COMPONENTS:– Self-awareness
• Reflecting on one’s core values, identity, emotions, motives
• Being aware of and trusting your own feelings
– Internalized moral perspective• Self-regulatory process using internal moral standards to guide behavior
– Balanced processing• Ability to analyze informational objectively and explore other people’s
opinions before making a decision
- Relational transparency• Being open and honest in presenting one’s true self to others
Practical Approaches to Authentic Leadership
• Bill George (2003, 2007)– Leader characteristic model
– Leaders have genuine desire to serve others
– Five characteristics of Authentic Leaders• Understand their purpose
• Strong values
• Trusting relationships
• Self-discipline
• Act from the heart (mission)
Practical Approaches to Authentic Leadership
• Robert Terry (1993)– Action-centered model– Leaders should strive to do what is right– Two core leadership questions:
• What is really, really going on?• What are we going to do about it?
– Developed Authentic Action Wheel to help leaders frame problems
• Locate the problem on the diagnostic wheel• Strategically select an appropriate response to the problem
Strengths• Fulfills society’s expressed need for trustworthy
leadership. Fills a void in an uncertain world.• Provides broad guidelines for those who want to
become authentic leaders. Both practical and theoretical approaches provide a map.
• Like transformational and servant leadership, AL has an explicit moral dimension.
• Unlike traits that only some people exhibit, everyone can learn to be more authentic.
• Can be measured using an established instrument (ALQ).
Criticisms• The theory is still in the formative stages, so some concepts
in the practical approaches are not fully developed or substantiated.
• The moral component of AL is not fully explained. It’s unclear how higher values such as justice inform authentic leadership.
• The rationale for including positive psychological capacities as a part of AL has not been clearly explained by researchers.
• The link between authentic leadership and positive organizational outcomes is unclear. It is also not clear whether AL is sufficient to achieve organizational goals.
Application
• People have the capacity to become authentic leaders. It is a lifelong learning process.
• Human Resource departments may be able to foster authentic leadership behaviors in employees who move into leadership positions.
• Leaders are always trying to do the “right” thing, to be honest with themselves and others, and to work for the common good.
• Leaders are shaped by critical life events that lead to growth and greater authenticity.
Reflection Question
• What similarities do you see between Kouzes’ and Posner’s Exemplary Leadership Model and Authentic Leadership?
• What differences do you see between these two models?
• If you had to choose one as the basis for your leadership development, which would you choose? Why?
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