Leading Authentically: What It Really Means and Why It Matters

A discussion about Authentic Leadership and how you can practice AL in everyday organizational life.

Do you work with authentic leaders? Here’s how you can spot an authentic leader.

An authentic leader is consistent. How a person ‘shows up’ in a meeting is the same person you interact with in your 1:1 meetings, in the hallway or outside of work. They are approachable and genuinely interested in others. You can trust that what they say, what they mean and that their decisions reflect their values, not their ego.

You’d also notice how they handle tough moments. An authentic leader owns their mistakes, listens before reacting, and makes space for others’ ideas, even when they disagree. They’re transparent about challenges and don’t pretend to have all the answers.

Most importantly, you’d feel safe to speak up, to take risks, to be honest. That sense of psychological safety and mutual respect is one of the clearest signs that you’re working with an authentic leader.

Ultimately, authentic leadership isn’t about perfection, it’s an ongoing process and an aspirational goal, striving for consistency and integrity. When your team sees that you lead in this way, you inspire them to do the same.

Aspiring to be an authentic leader is worth the effort. There is a large body of research showing that authentic leaders build trust, engagement, and collaboration on their teams; people feel more valued, supported, and motivated, which boosts both individual and organizational performance (Banks et al., 2016; Gardner et al., 2011; Gill & Caza, 2018; Hoch et al., 2018).

In this video, I sit down to discuss the realities of striving to be an AL with my colleague Dr. Katrina Rodriguez, who has spent more than two decades in higher education as a faculty member, director, and vice president. Together, we explore how to navigate the tension between our roles and our true selves, and what it actually looks like to lead authentically day to day.

We are very much interested in your comments and feedback about authentic leadership, so please use the space below or email me at drrobbynr@gmail.com.

Thanks for watching.  And work to be your best leader today and every day!

References

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership.The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315–338.

Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner,W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27, 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006

Gardner, W. L., Karam, E. P., Alvesson, M., & Einola, K. (2021). Authentic leadership theory: The case for and against. The Leadership Quarterly, 32(6), 101495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101495 ​

Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145.

Gill, C., & Caza, A. (2018). An investigation of authentic leadership’s individual and group influences on follower responses. Journal of Management, 44, 530–554.

Hoch, J. E., Bommer,W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., &Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44, 501–529.

Leroy, H., Anseel, F., Gardner,W. L., & Sels, L. (2015). Authentic leadership, authentic followership, basic need satisfaction, and work role performance: A cross-level study. Journal of Management, 41, 1677–1697.

Lux, A. A., & Lowe, K. B. (2025). Authentic leadership: 20-Year review editorial. Journal of Management & Organization

Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner,W. L.,Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-basedmeasure. Journal of Management, 34, 89–126.