In this paper, we first develop the concepts of
authentic leaders, authentic
leadership, and authentic leader development. We suggest a definition of authentic leaders, which is based on the leader’s
self-
concept: his or her self-knowledge, self-concept clarity, self-concordance, and person-role merger, and on the extent to which the leader’s self-concept is expressed in his or her behaviour. Following, we offer a life-story approach to the development of authentic leaders. We argue that authentic leadership rests heavily on the self-relevant meanings the leader attaches to his or her life experiences, and these meanings are captured in the leader’s life-story. We suggest that self-knowledge, self-concept clarity, and person-role merger are derived from the life-story. Therefore, the construction of a life-story is a major element in the development of authentic leaders. We further argue that the life-story provides followers with a major source of information on which to base their judgments about the leader’s authenticity. We conclude by drawing some practical implications from this approach and presenting suggestions for further research. A review of the literature reveals that there is no single accepted definition of authentic leadership and different authors use the term in somewhat different ways. Certain elements, however, are shared by all writers on the topic. Authentic leaders are portrayed as possessing self-knowledge and a personal point of view, which reflects clarity about their values and convictions. They are also portrayed as identifying strongly with their leadership role, expressing themselves by enacting that role, and acting on the basis of their values and convictions. Any discussion of authentic leader development has to focus on how these characteristics are developed. Here, we suggest that leaders acquire these characteristics by constructing, developing and revising their life-
stories. Life-stories can provide
leaders with a "meaning system" from which they can act authentically, that is interpret reality and act in a way that gives their interpretations and actions a personal meaning. Therefore, leaders are authentic to the extent that they act and justify their actions on the basis of the meaning system provided by their life-stories. This suggestion implies a shift of focus from the current emphasis on the development of skills and behavioural styles to an emphasis on leaders’ self development and especially to the development of their self-concepts through to the construction of life-stories.
We develop these arguments in this article. However, in view of the lack of accepted definitions for the term authentic leadership, and in view of the possibility that it will be defined too broadly so that it simply replaces such terms as good leadership, moral leadership or effective leadership, it is necessary to start by clarifying our own terms.
More summaries about the A life-stories approach