Discovering Your Authentic Leadership
Reviewer: Sunni Swarbrick
Course Title: Bus 212 Executive Leadership, Fall 2012
Article Title: Discovering Your Authentic Leadership
Author(s): Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer
Journal: Harvard Business Review
Publication Date: February 1, 2007
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Through Discovering Your Authentic Leadership, readers will learn that you do not have to be born with a specific characteristic or traits of what society views as a leader. Nor do you have to wait for a tap on the shoulder, or be at the top of your organization. You can discover your potential to be a leader at any time. Discovering your authentic leadership requires a strong commitment to developing yourself, and devoting yourself to a lifetime of realizing your individual potential. Through interviews and stories presented in this article, it is demonstrated that authentic leaders frame their life stories in ways that allow them to see themselves as individuals who can develop self-awareness from their experiences, rather than passive observers of their life stories. Furthermore, authentic leaders are aware that acting on this awareness through practicing their values and principles often serves as a risk to themselves. Individuals that demonstrate authentic leadership keep a good balance with their motivations between their values and desire for reward/recognition. Finally, the individuals and stories in this case demonstrate that authentic leaders have a strong support team around them, which ensures that they are living integrated, stable lives.
ABOUT THE ARTICLE The authors of this article took the time to interview various individuals who demonstrate authentic leadership. Through these interviews and the stories that were told, the article delivers the message that authentic leadership is demonstrated through the following attributes and behaviors:
Learning from your life story: An individual’s journey to authenticity starts here. One’s life story
Course Title: Bus 212 Executive Leadership, Fall 2012
Article Title: Discovering Your Authentic Leadership
Author(s): Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer
Journal: Harvard Business Review
Publication Date: February 1, 2007
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Through Discovering Your Authentic Leadership, readers will learn that you do not have to be born with a specific characteristic or traits of what society views as a leader. Nor do you have to wait for a tap on the shoulder, or be at the top of your organization. You can discover your potential to be a leader at any time. Discovering your authentic leadership requires a strong commitment to developing yourself, and devoting yourself to a lifetime of realizing your individual potential. Through interviews and stories presented in this article, it is demonstrated that authentic leaders frame their life stories in ways that allow them to see themselves as individuals who can develop self-awareness from their experiences, rather than passive observers of their life stories. Furthermore, authentic leaders are aware that acting on this awareness through practicing their values and principles often serves as a risk to themselves. Individuals that demonstrate authentic leadership keep a good balance with their motivations between their values and desire for reward/recognition. Finally, the individuals and stories in this case demonstrate that authentic leaders have a strong support team around them, which ensures that they are living integrated, stable lives.
ABOUT THE ARTICLE The authors of this article took the time to interview various individuals who demonstrate authentic leadership. Through these interviews and the stories that were told, the article delivers the message that authentic leadership is demonstrated through the following attributes and behaviors:
Learning from your life story: An individual’s journey to authenticity starts here. One’s life story