The concept of an authentic leader is rather new and still in the process of development, but it already demonstrated its effectiveness and relevance in the modern world. This type of leadership appeared as a reaction to the unpredictable events, scandals, and fear of the dishonest managers and heads of the companies (Northouse, 2022). Thus, the general definition of authentic leadership is transparent and clear management, excluding any manipulations, games, or personal benefits.
There are three examples of authentic leaders that demonstrate the characteristic attitude. Steve Jobs, for instance, always expressed his intentions in turning Apple into a company that would provide people with technological opportunities and makes their lives easier (Sayenda, 2022). Warren Buffet was well-aimed to guarantee the prosperity and financial well-being of the stakeholders and dedicatedly worked for it (Sayenda, 2022). In addition, famous television host Oprah Winfrey always makes sure for her guest to speak their truth and share their story and not only celebrities but the regular people as well. Obama as well managed to build warm and trusting relationships with his supporters and even consulted with them on some political matters. Finally, he studied the past president’s techniques and their approaches to leadership and, at the same time, considered modern issues and concerns trying to develop the most effective approaches. Therefore, all of it makes Barack Obama an outstanding representative of the authentic leader.
Corporate companies not only can practice servant leadership, but they should do it. Especially, when the organization is rather huge and the lives of hundreds or even thousands of people depend on the leader, and while making any sort of decision it is fair to think about the people first. Some owners of the corporations or CEOs, in the first place, care about the profit, financial turnover, and how to minimize the expenses. Simultaneously those intentions can hurt employees and workers because they might have to work more and get paid less which negatively influences the atmosphere at the workplace. Genuine care for the followers and their interest is one of the key elements of servant leadership.
For instance, Dr. Autumn Klein is a specialist in the health sphere, and she writes and publishes many articles and works in journals and periodicals. However, when she cooperates with someone, she always makes sure that the names of her partners come first before hers since it will help them in the future (Northouse, 2022). From my observation, I had an interaction with the owner of the café where my friend was working at the time. We had to meet after her shift, but on that day were too many customers and she had to stay late to calculate the revenue and deal with the register. However, the boss knew that my friend already stayed later than she should have and let her go and decided to close the café and finish all the work himself.
I received high regulated distress and low disciplined attention in the self-assessment regarding adaptive leadership. My highest points in the distress regulation signify my ability to handle difficult situations and remain calm and concentrated during the hard times. The followers and people around me can feel free to express what bothers them and share their problems with the group. As a result, members of the team can easily stay productive and show more initiative in discussing issues and finding solutions to them. To improve my leadership abilities in this sphere, I should also analyze and detect my emotional well-being so that I could have psychological resources to deal with others’ problems.
However, my disadvantage as a leader is that regularly I do not manage to maintain discipline in the group and keep the people focused on the current question. I believe it is because sometimes I fail to deliver the importance of the topic and do not make the right prioritization when it comes to urgent challenges. Therefore, to change this and become more productive in keeping the discipline inside of the group I should work on decreasing the amount of excessive conversation and pay more attention to the actions. In addition, would be helpful to identify and minimize any distractions and reflect if there is another major issue that does not allow to concentrate on the urgent issues.
Inclusive leadership initially means that the organization or the group focuses on cultural and ethnic diversity and aims to provide a safe workspace for the minority representatives. It is considered that such employees and team members can increase the efficiency of work and achieve higher results. There are also three aspects of the inclusive leadership model which include the outcomes, antecedent conditions, and behaviors. In the antecedent conditions, the leader emphasizes and promotes inclusivity (Northouse, 2022). The atmosphere in those groups or companies is usually relatively open and accepting so that everyone despite their differences could feel comfortable. The corporate culture often includes the rules and regulations connected with multiculturalism. One of the examples is the company hiring predominantly black, indigenous, or other racial minorities employee.
In addition, the leader demonstrates support, justice, and appreciation for the employees. The behavior inside of the group is characterized by integrating the ability of all the members to the work and value the different opinions and outlooks. For instance, in an organization with inclusive leadership, the management considers the view of the employees which may radically contradict the corporate, and listens to their suggestions (Northouse, 2022). As a result, people are more engaged in the process due to psychological safety and well-being and this is the representation of the outcomes of inclusive leadership. They are more creative and can implement innovative decisions to the regular and routine duties. For example, when someone makes a mistake instead of rough punishment the person receives help from the other, and all together they seek the solution to the problem and learn from it.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2022). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Sage Publications.
Sayenda, T. (2022). Why authentic leaders matter in the real world. The Human Capital Hub.