Claire Amos

Warning - this is long! This is an essay I wrote about Authentic Leadership for my Ed Perspectives Paper at Waikato University. Introduction The Oxford Dictionary defines authentic as “of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine” and leadership as “the action of leading a group of people or an organization, or the ability to do this”. Therefore we may surmise that ‘authentic leadership’ is simply the ability to lead a group of people whilst being genuine. In this paper I consider a range of perspectives and definitions for the concept of authentic leadership: authentic leadership as self awareness, authentic leadership as exemplified by authentic behaviours driven by a moral purpose and authentic leadership as a broader metaphor for effective leadership . I also consider the strengths and limitations of authentic leadership and consider how authentic leadership is manifest in my practice and consider how the concept of authentic leadership may also influence future actions. Li...