Authentic Leadership Theory

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According to Dr. Karlene Kerfoot, “research tells us that the leadership traits of the person in charge work either as a magnet to attract, retain, and inspire or as a force that repels” (Kerfoot 2006, p. 25) and in support of this statement she makes reference to the fact that many persons go to work for a specific company with enthusiasm and eagerness and ultimately leave disappointed because of the management. “People are generally hungry for personalized leadership that speaks to their hearts”, says Dr.Kerfoot and this type of leadership motivates them to accomplish task and complete projects they deem difficult or impossible (Kerfoot 2006, p. 25) Authentic leadership is a management style that promotes excellence among staff and management …show more content…

They have profound convictions for for their leadership; Their behavior always reflect their core values and they view themselves as individuals that “lead with their hearts as well as their heads while also building enduring organizations” (George 2003). Leaders are encouraged to maintain the perception of authenticity but making sure that their words are consistent and reflect their action or intentions. They should not be so pompous and arrogant that they cannot relate to or find mutual and common ground with their staff. (Goffee & Jones 2005) Dr. Kerfoot (2006) suggests that there are leaders who are genuine and supportive with regard to frontline employees and can identify with their needs and then there are those that are self-motivated and self-loathing that they neglect the important needs of the staff and are pre-occupied with the managerial tasks at hand as they deem employee needs less important but Farber (2004) purports that leaders must prove their leadership by their actions of doing what is moral and ethical, “demonstrating progress and literally changing the

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