Authentic Leadership

Authentic leadership is used to describe a leadership style that is moral, inclusive, transparent, and original. Authentic leadership is believed to translate to a healthy work environment by engaging employees and demonstrating genuineness. This genuineness is seen first in the leadership and transfers throughout the organization. This is true in healthcare, in the business setting, and in the academic environment. This chapter will explore what an authentic leader is, how their attributes affect the workplace environment and the employees in that environment. Further, the chapter will examine decision-making and problem-solving through the lens of authentic leadership, with considerable focus on the academic setting. The academic leader is responsible for not only subject matter education (the ‘hard' information), but also an emotional education for teachers (the ‘soft' lessons) that is further shared with the students.