Authentic vs. Artificial Leadership Management Essay

Authentic vs. Artificial Leadership
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Authentic vs. Artificial Leadership
At the core of leadership is the art or ability to influence a group of people into working towards a common goal. Accordingly, this is the basis for the distinction between authentic and artificial leadership. While a genuine leader is capable of guiding those who look up to them in the right way, one who exhibits artificial leadership finds it difficult to offer any meaningful direction to their followers. Moreover, an authentic leader emphasizes on building their legitimacy based on an ethical foundation, developing honest relationships with those who follow them, and valuing their input (Avolio & Gardner, 2005). On the other hand, an artificial leader tends to have an inflated sense of egoism and expertise, thus undermining or alienating their followers. This paper presents a synthesis of knowledge of authentic leadership and encapsulates it into a personal leadership plan for the author. Correspondingly, the plan details the contrasting characteristics of authentic leadership over those exhibited by artificial leaders.
Leadership values that are most important to me as a leader include influence, honesty, vision, integrity, passion, and empathy. Influence is a defining leadership characteristic because it implies causing others to choose ceratin actions of beliefs for achieving set goals willingly rather than by being forced or micromanaged. Honesty, on the other hand, enables one to be a trustworthy leader. Accordingly, followers of an honest leader find them transparent; thus, they easily connect with such a leader, knowing that they can rely on whatever they are promised. Vision as one of the most important values of leadership means that a leader knows what their goals and objectives are and puts in place a clear plan for achieving them. It follows that a leader with a vision can communicate effectively with those he leads about their goals, as well as why they are essential.
Next, integrity has to with being genuine and doing the right things at all times. Therefore, a leader with integrity commands respect and trust from their followers. Further, passion refers to being fulfilled as a leader and thus motivated to achieve the set goals despite facing unexpected setbacks or challenges. Finally, empathy as a leadership value that I find pertinent has to do with the ability of a leader to understand their followers’ emotions and feelings while also exhibiting emotional intelligence on their part. Accordingly, an empathetic leader can build genuine connections with those they lead while getting the best out of them. Therefore, an empathetic leader can overcome challenges in personal and professional lives, thus being more efficient and productive; while also encouraging their followers to have the best attitude.
My leadership empowers others to find and cultivate their passions by creating an environment where they can build their skills and feel that their input is valued in the realization of organizational goals. Accordingly, I am keen on having the best influence to those I lead and exuding enthusiasm and energy that will enable my followers to be passionate abou...