BMA eBook - Manual / Resource - Page 43
To attract followers, a leader has to be many things to many people.
The trick is to pull that off while remaining true to yourself.
Managing Authenticity
The Paradox of Great Leadership
by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones
Leadership demands the expression of an authentic self. Try to lead like someone else—
say, Jack Welch, Richard Branson, or Michael
Dell—and you will fail. Employees will not follow a CEO who invests little of himself in his
leadership behaviors. People want to be led by
someone “real.” This is partly a reaction to the
turbulent times we live in. It is also a response
to the public’s widespread disenchantment
with politicians and businesspeople. We all
suspect that we’re being duped.
Our growing dissatisfaction with sleek, ersatz, airbrushed leadership is what makes authenticity such a desirable quality in today’s
corporations—a quality that, unfortunately, is
in short supply. Leaders and followers both associate authenticity with sincerity, honesty,
and integrity. It’s the real thing—the attribute
that uniquely defines great leaders.
But while the expression of an authentic self
is necessary for great leadership, the concept of
authenticity is often misunderstood, not least
by leaders themselves. They often assume that
authenticity is an innate quality—that a per-
harvard business review • december 2005
son is either authentic or not. In fact, authenticity is a quality that others must attribute to
you. No leader can look into a mirror and say,
“I am authentic.” A person cannot be authentic
on his or her own. Authenticity is largely defined by what other people see in you and, as
such, can to a great extent be controlled by
you. If authenticity were purely an innate quality, there would be little you could do to manage it and, therefore, little you could do to
make yourself more effective as a leader.
Indeed, managers who exercise no control
over the expression of their authentic selves
get into trouble very quickly when they move
into leadership roles. Consider Bill, a manager
in a large utility company in Pittsburgh. Bill
started out as a trainee electrician, but senior
management at the company swiftly spotted
his talent. The HR department persuaded Bill
to go to university, from which he graduated
with a good degree. Afterward, he was warmly
welcomed back to his job. His work at the utility company often involved managing projects,
and he became adept at assembling and lead-
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