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E S TABL ISHING A L A S T ING L E G AC Y
How Do I Become an Authentic Leader?
As we take a closer look at each dimension, you will find that you may be in the very beginning stages of one dimension while at the same time in the latter stages of another. At the end of this chapter, we offer a reflective tool to help you assess your current authentic leadership proficiency. Develop Self-Awareness
Your day may start with three parent phone calls, settling a student bus conflict, wiping up a spill in the cafeteria, delivering announcements over the intercom, and participating in a meeting about an individualized education program (IEP), all before 8:30 a.m. While you may have good intentions, the reality is the demands of your school day often influence what you place your attention on in your school. These demands can cause you to lose focus on what matters most, pulling you away from the things you are really trying to accomplish as a school leader. This is no different for your authentic leadership. Before you know it, the business and busyness of the school day can cause you to lose sight of your authenticity as you move from task to task with little time to reflect on the impact of your leadership and how it aligns with who you are as a person. Authentic leadership requires deliberate practices of self-awareness before, during, and after the craziness of your days. Self-awareness “refers to the extent to which leaders are aware of their own strengths, weaknesses, and motivations and of others’ perceptions of their leadership” (Feng, 2016, p. 247). Your self-awareness illuminates the answer to the question “Who am I?” and will translate into the words you use and the actions you do or do not take in your school. A foundational element of self-awareness is recognizing your emotions and how others perceive them in a given situation (Miao, Humphrey, & Qian, 2018). For example, when was the last time an upset parent or teacher came to your office or classroom to discuss an issue that you disagreed with? Were you aware of how you were feeling and how you managed your emotions? Assessing yourself through a realistic lens can help you take note of your emotional state and respond appropriately.
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Perhaps you’ve taken one or more of the five leadership paths outlined in the previous section and realized a few of the consequences that come with that. Or, maybe you’ve witnessed another educational leader veer off course. Regardless, you need tangible ways to know and grow yourself as an authentic school leader. In their theoretical model of authentic leadership, Walumbwa and colleagues (2008) offer four dimensions leaders can focus on to become more authentic: (1) self-awareness, (2) internalized moral perspective, (3) balanced processing, and (4) relational transparency. The remainder of this chapter addresses each of these four dimensions through a discussion of developing self-awareness, embracing core values, practicing authentic decision making, and increasing transparency with staff.
