Discovering Your Authentic Leadership Essay

The article discussed authentic, original, leadership. It explained the importance of discovering one’s own leadership. To do that, the article points that you should be yourself! Do not impersonate another leader. By doing so, people around you will know that you are trying to behave like someone else, which may lead to mistrust. Authentic leaders are usually passionate about their goals. They make sure to always practice their values, lead with both their emotions and their minds and they aim for long and meaningful relationships. Original leaders give meaning to their lives by overcoming difficult experiences. By giving meaning to their lives, leaders become more effective. Authentic leaders make it a point to develop themselves on their own. They dislike having a plan handed to them that limits them and forces them to follow a certain pattern or procedure set by someone else. They see that as a kind of copying someone else’s style. When making their own plan for development, they install their own values and morals into it. Thus making it easier for them to practice those values and developing them further. It is also essential for authentic leaders to balance their motivation sources. They should balance judgment, criticism and reprisal. Original leaders see their organization as a very important aspect of their lives. This enables them to clarify their beliefs, values and their understanding of important issues. They also give honest feedback to people around them when it is needed. The practical steps of being an authentic leader are to stay grounded , Empower people around to lead, learn from their life, knowing themselves, practicing their values, balancing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and finally build a support team.