20. Authentic Leadership: Leading with Purpose, Meaning and Core Values

Authentic leadership is a commonly used term; however, its significance and merits may not be fully grasped without paused reflection. Authentic leaders are true to the self and true to the values that they hold dear. They transmit those values to their followers. Those values are not arbitrary inventions or personal interests, but they are the core values that enable both leaders and followers to find meaning in their activities and to reach their goals. This chapter explores the concept of authentic leadership, highlighting its characteristics and the role it plays in the development of organisations. Authentic leadership fosters the growth of firms by giving meaning, core values and purpose to all who work there, thus empowering them to exercise their creativity in attaining their own fulfilment in a way that is compatible with the firm’s development. Authentic leadership thus differs from self-satisfaction and self-affirmation. It involves a sincere concern for the integral well-being and development of followers.