Actions are authentic, but are leaders? A reconceptualization of authenticity and leadership practice

Abstract

Since the Gallup Leadership Summit, authentic leadership has ascended as a central topic of inquiry owing to practitioners and academicians' desire for more positive types of leadership (Braun &

Is authenticity a “true self,” multiple selves, behavior, evaluation, or a hot mess? Response to Helmuth et al.

“…We agree with Helmuth et al's (2024) assertion that authentic leadership (AL) has had a meteoric rise in attention and continues to appeal to the hearts and minds of many scientists and practitioners. Helmuth et al (2024) further noted that AL is likely being applied in policyrelated decisions, and as such, a renewed scientific conversation on the topic is warranted.…”

Getting to the root of authentic leadership: Where does the field go from here?

“…Specifically, we concur that the conceptualization of "authenticity of actions" can contribute to how we understand the authenticity construct as well as the practice of evaluating authenticity by focusing on specific behaviors. We also agree that the inclusion of a moral perspective is problematic for a host of reasons, including those listed in Helmuth et al (2024).…”

“…As noted above, Helmuth et al's (2024) critique brings several important conversations to the authentic leadership space. While we agree with many of the assertions made in this critique, we contend that there are two main areas where caution is warranted in regard to blanket acceptance of their ideas.…”

“…First, while their exploratory analysis was well executed, it is exploratory and more empirical testing is needed to ascertain whether "authenticity of actions" (Helmuth et al, 2024) truly explains unique variance over and above the ALQ. Moreover, while the ALQ has its controversies and criticisms, which have been noted in this critique, it is a validated measure.…”

“…Moreover, while the ALQ has its controversies and criticisms, which have been noted in this critique, it is a validated measure. In contrast, the "authenticity of actions" variable was created by the authors to assess subordinate perceptions of their supervisors' authenticity and to what extent the behaviors of their supervisor (pulled from the ALQ) were authentic in nature (see Helmuth et al, 2024). Because no measure validation was done, it is difficult to assess whether this variable accurately represents the construct it is seeking to measure.…”