Instructions:
- Post a new discussion related to the topics covered in this module. Your post needs to provide specific lessons learned with examples from this module helping you enhance your leadership capacity at work.
- After posting your discussion, review posts provided by other students in the class and reply to at least one of them.
14 Comments
Being an authentic leader means leading in a way that is genuine, consistent, and grounded in your values. Thoughtful decision-making is a key part of this, as it requires considering the impact of your actions on both your team and the mission. Inner drive keeps an authentic leader focused and motivated, even when challenges arise, and inspires others to stay committed as well. Emotional intelligence is equally important because it allows a leader to understand and connect with their team, recognize their needs, and respond with empathy. By combining these principles, authentic leaders build trust, foster loyalty, and create a positive environment where people feel valued and motivated to do their best.
The authentic leader principles (thought process, inner drive, emotional intelligence, core values) stuck with me. People will recognize how you think, what drives you, how you react and what your values are. They will see the real you for who you are and decide if you are someone they will follow. When we are authentic it is easy to have a vision and purpose and have long term goals. It is also easier for others to what to follow someone and follow the same path. People are more open to communicate and be honest with someone authentic then not.
I enjoyed this module more than many others because it focused on a topic that goes beyond leadership theory; it speaks directly to real-world experience. For those of us in law enforcement, we’re often able to tell if someone is genuine within the first interaction. And over time, it becomes even clearer that a person’s actions speak far louder than their words.
Unfortunately, inauthentic individuals often find their way into leadership roles. Many seem to have climbed the ladder by stepping on others or by focusing solely on promotion, trying to be the “admin favorite” instead of prioritizing genuine relationships. In the context of this module, I believe it would be difficult for an inauthentic leader to truly meet all five of the Marks of Authentic Leadership.
A bad leader might fake charisma, but it’s nearly impossible to fake qualities like insight, influence, impact, or integrity without people eventually seeing through it. Their influence tends to be shallow at best; followers may comply because they have to, not because they are inspired. These leaders usually lack genuine insight and rarely seek clarity or self-awareness. And above all, what they often lack most is integrity.
The Five Marks of Authentic Leadership provided a strong framework to evaluate what real leadership should look like. It gave me a clear reminder to focus not just on position or promotion, but on how we show up—with honesty, awareness, and a real desire to positively impact others.
When I think of an authentic leader I think of someone who is genuine and real. The lecture discussed four authentic leadership principles: thought process, inner drive, emotional intelligence and core values. All of these values give the leader a sense of purpose and vision and enables them to achieve long term goals. All of these principles require discipline to stay on course and do the right thing, even when things get hard. When working for an authentic leader, employees tend to work harder, are more motivated and feel that they are understood and cared for. Authentic leaders will have better relationships with their subordinates and are more likely to gain their trust and create more positive working environments.
I agree with your take on the way employees work harder under a authentic leader, being authentic also means you tell employees the truth and if they are not doing something correctly or need coaching somehow an authentic leader isn’t afraid to let them know in an effort to make them a better employee. Creating trust among all employees is essential if you want to create a positive work environment.
An authentic leader embodies the core principles of Bearing, Courage, Decisiveness, Dependability, Initiative, Integrity, Judgment, Justice, Knowledge, Loyalty, Tact, and Unselfishness. Each of these qualities aligns closely with the foundation of Servant Leadership, and at the heart of that is selflessness.
If a leader is genuinely selfless, authenticity naturally follows. You can’t fake true concern for others. When a leader consistently demonstrates these traits, their subordinates will follow not because they have to, but because they trust and respect the person leading them. Authentic leadership shows up in how much you care about the well-being of those you lead. That kind of leadership earns loyalty, inspires commitment, and creates lasting impact.
People do work harder and have better relationship with an authentic leader. The feel like someone cares and they are understood. they can have open communication and trusted.
I agree with you, authentic leadership really comes down to being genuine and consistent in your actions and values. When a leader demonstrates emotional intelligence and stays true to their core values, it sets the tone for the entire team. Employees can see that their leader is trustworthy, which naturally increases motivation, engagement, and overall team cohesion. Being authentic is a key to longevity if you want to be a great leader.
As a leader, it is essential to possess authentic leadership qualities to gain the trust and respect of your team. Authentic leadership involves being true to oneself, clearly understanding one’s values, and leading by example.
Insight is a key component of authentic leadership. Leaders must have a deep understanding of their team and their organization in order to make sound decisions. They must also be able to anticipate potential issues and opportunities.
The initiative is another vital quality of authentic leadership. Leaders must proactively identify and address problems before they become more significant. They must also be willing to take risks and try new approaches to improve the organization.
Influence is a critical aspect of authentic leadership. A leader must be able to inspire and motivate their team to achieve their goals. This involves effective communication and listening skills and the ability to provide constructive feedback.
The impact is another vital quality of authentic leadership. Leaders must be able to make a positive impact on their team and the organization as a whole. This involves setting clear goals, measuring progress, and making necessary adjustments to ensure success.
Finally, integrity is a cornerstone of authentic leadership. Leaders must be honest, ethical, and transparent in their actions and decisions. They must also hold themselves and their team accountable for their actions.
Authentic leadership is essential for creating a positive and productive work environment. By embodying these qualities, leaders can build trust, inspire their team, and drive success.
Reference
Norman, A. (2017). Authentic leadership. 3.4, Week # 10. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses
/NAGVXPB5E6/AuthenticLeadership77539650-b58e-49e6-8954-0028aa3f70b4/3/index_lms.html
I thought the 4 authentic leadership principles (thought process, emotional intelligence, inner drive, and deep core values) were a fantastic summary. Thought process was more focused interpersonal reflection on things like self-knowledge, self-concept, self-efficacy, self-congruence, and self-regulation. Emotional intelligence we’ve already discussed a lot, but it vitally important to building positive relationship with followers as well as leaders. Inner drive is having the motivation, commitment, passion to reach for our mission and successfully accomplish our goals. And having deep core values is critical for all public safety employees. Embodying all of these principles in our journey as leaders will help us gain trust, respect, credibility, and ultimately success in our positions.
I completely agree with your thoughts on authentic leadership principles. The four principles you mentioned – the thought process, emotional intelligence, inner drive, and deep core values – are crucial for leaders to develop and embody. It’s impressive that you’ve highlighted self-reflection, self-knowledge, and self-regulation as essential components of the thought process. Also, as you said, emotional intelligence is vital for building positive relationships with followers. Inner drive and deep core values are equally important as they keep us motivated and committed to accomplishing our goals while staying true to our values. Overall, leaders who embody these principles can gain trust, respect, and credibility and ultimately succeed.
I also enjoyed reading about these principles and agree that all of these principles in practice can help achieve success in leadership. Of these four principles, recently we have been discussing strong values. To me someone who has strong values knows who they are and they aren’t willing to compromise on those values to get ahead. This takes a lot of self-discipline, but also creates consistency for the team. When people know what your values are they know what to expect from you and in turn what you expect from them.
It was interesting to learn about the three different viewpoints of authentic leadership. It shows that there is not just way to become an authentic leader. Intrapersonal covers what is within the leader and what they know about themselves. This is very important in leadership, for the individual to know their strengths and weakness. Developmental allows the leader to build on their traits. Which is essential as a leader grows in their position and within their department. Then there is interpersonal; this is imperative for an authentic leader. They have to have the ability to have a relationship with their members. This is how they build a productive team.
Reference
Norman, A. (2017). Authentic leadership. 3.4, Week # 10. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses
/NAGVXPB5E6/AuthenticLeadership77539650-b58e-49e6-8954-0028aa3f70b4/3/index_lms.html
While I think this can be viewed as 3 different approaches, but I’m of the belief that utilizing all three branches will yield the best results as a leader. I think we constantly need to be focused on self-reflection/awareness (interpersonal), our relationships with others and our influence on them (interpersonal), and staying up to date on current technology, law changes, and new tactics (developmental). To be fully effective, we need all three to be successful.