Authentic Leadership Style and Models

Authentic leadership is a leadership style that emphasizes the development of honest relationships with followers, transparency, and a strong moral core that is congruent with a leader's values and ethics. This approach to leadership has attracted attention due to its positive influence on employees and organizational performance. Authentic leadership models are based on four key components: self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and an internalized moral perspective.

1. Authentic leaders are self-aware and have a strong set of moral values. They are transparent and honest with their subordinates, and they develop a strong moral core that is congruent with their values and ethics.

2. Relational transparency is a crucial aspect of authentic leadership, as it is based on authentic leaders having an internalized moral perspective. This internalized moral perspective results in ethical behavior and trust-based relationships with subordinates.

3. Balanced processing refers to the unbiased processing of available information, including manipulating or overstating available evidence. Authentic leaders make ethical decisions and apply balanced processing rather than reaching hasty decisions.

4. An internalized moral perspective points to behaving in accordance with one's true self rather than following a set of moral values that may be perceived as inauthentic.

Authentic leadership has a positive influence on employees' communal relationships and trust in the organization. Trust is essential for improving employee and organizational effectiveness, as it is the cement in the relationship that binds employees and their leaders within an organization. When authentic leaders behave with personal consideration and respect toward their subordinates, it likely enhance the level of trust.

Authentic leadership is positively correlated with employees' communal relationships. It promotes trust and high-quality social exchange relationships. The findings of a study suggest that authentic leadership promotes trust and high-quality social exchange relationships, and this is based on leader behaviors.

Authentic leadership is a powerful and positive source of leadership for organizations. It is associated with trust and the development of affective-based trust. Authentic leaders are open and honest in a genuine way and choose to share appropriate information, demonstrating high self-awareness. They build trust with their subordinates and generate enthusiasm for their work, which enables effective performance.

Authentic leadership is an original, ethical, and transparent leadership style known for its positive approach during times of uncertainty. It is associated with trust and the development of affective-based trust. Authentic leaders are deeply aware of how they think and operate, and they are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character.

Authentic leadership models are beneficial to organizations, as they are associated with a variety of positive end results, such as follower creativity, team member performance, consumer focus, personnel retention, and employee flourishing. In times of uncertainty, authentic leadership can be a powerful and positive source of leadership for organizations[4