Authenticity

Authenticity is the condition or quality of being authentic, trustworthy, and genuine, free from hypocrisy. An authentic person must actually possess the apparent attributes that others see, so that if you appear to be sincere, you would actually be sincere [Page 65]on the inside as well as in the persona you present to the outside world. Authenticity in leaders has important positive implications for others in the organization and in the organization's culture.

Today, authenticity is critical to leadership, yet there are so many examples in politics, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and in daily relationships where this quality is missing. The Enron scandal brought the authenticity of the corporation's leaders into question with its employees, shareholders, and the public. Political leaders who have said one thing but done the opposite cause people to be cynical or skeptical about their trustworthiness. In a time when few secrets can be kept for long, members of organizations look to people in positional leadership and evaluate their behavior based on whether they should be believed. and therefore whether they deserve their active cooperation and support.

A leader's behavior impacts those around them. Persons who hold a management position are metaphorically in the spotlight to their employees. Others watch them more closely and use their actions as justification for their own behaviors. The next section details examples of how a leader's behavior elicits responses in others and affects the organization's environment. When positional leaders choose to engage in their own journey toward greater authenticity, their modeling affects others and their organization.