The Indispensability of Authenticity in Leadership: Why It Is the Essence of Leadership Success

Abstract

This chapter provides personal – autoethnographic – reflections on an understanding of authenticity in line with Charmaz's concept of social constructivism. The author reflects on her thinking in pursuit of what is true, authentic and genuine, to develop a new concept of ‘authentic power channelling of the self’. ‘Authentic power channelling of the self’ explains how different identities can constitute a unified entity to achieve a consensus and balance. Schaefler calls for research to explore authenticity from the perspective of a leader rather than an external perspective based on employees' perceptions, conjecturing that understanding mechanisms of the self can help leaders to be authentic.

Citation

Schaefler, D. (2023), "The Indispensability of Authenticity in Leadership: Why It Is the Essence of Leadership Success", Turcan, R.V., Reilly, J.E., Jørgensen, K.M., Taran, Y. and Bujac, A.I. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Authentic Leadership, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 341-358. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-013-920231015