COURSEWORK 1 LEADERSHIP QUESTION

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 Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3

Authentic Leadership.................................................................................................................3

Strengths of Authentic Leadership.........................................................................................4

Weaknesses of an Authentic Leadership................................................................................5

Ethical Leadership......................................................................................................................5

Strengths of Ethical Leadership..............................................................................................6

Weaknesses of Ethical Leadership.........................................................................................7

Identification of better way of leadership in recent days...........................................................7

Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9

References................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction

Authentic leadership involves self-awareness, relationship honesty, balancing processes,

moral perspectives, knowledge capital, truthful self- and idealised influence, which are more
followers-centred than most of known leadership approaches. Authentic means true, actual,
reliable, and dependable words. For instance, one who works in ways that everyone else
expects to function. Mainly they so not only create guidelines or rules, which should be
followed by others, while they also maintain that created guidelines. A leader, however, who
symbolizes moral principles of their business or culture, can be considered as an Ethical
leader. They operate within limits of corporate or organisational standards. Authentic
leadership is a practical distinction between two structures, whereas ethical leaders are
theoretical. According to popularity, practice of ethical leaders is easier than authentic
leadership, as an ethical leader may be produced through ethical speech, however an
authentic leader cannot.

Authentic Leadership

Understandi
ng Purpose

Practice
Strong
Self-
Values
Discipline
Authentic
Leaderhip

Establishin
Leading
g
with Heart
relationship

Figure 1: Characteristics of an Authentic Leadership

Authentic leadership is a leading style that values a leader's openness, sincerity, and integrity
in within society or any workplace. These types of leaders can establish strong, and
have honest connections using these actions that members of a team respect and follow.
Because of a continuous and real demonstration of their own leadership, they may generate

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trust and drive within their workforce. Martin Luther King, Jr can be considered as best
example of an authentic leader. He opposed violence through use of “Civil Rights
Movement” against non-violence (Housing.umich.edu, 2021). Nonviolence, no matter how
nasty and brutal people are towards him or his cause, was one of his highest ideals. His non-
violence value continues to accomplish his aim of equality throughout his legacy. His
sincerity and principles inspired people and his legacy continues as people promote equality
in a society (Leach, 2018).

Figure 2: Martin Luther King, Jr and example of authentic leader

(Source: housing.umich.edu, 2021)

Strengths of Authentic Leadership

Authentic leaders most frequently encounter and recognise validity of people around them
who are controlled by this authentic leader. Their basic strengths are as follows:

 The main strength is improved relationships, equivalent to improved alignment and

efficiencies (Hunjra et al. 2017).
 An authentic leader has demonstrated more confidence and cohesiveness among
citizens and leaders.
 In the workplace or organisation, they establish and sustain pleasant and worthwhile
working relationships that clearly enhance growth of teams and involvement and
agreement among stakeholders.
 An authentic leader is far more in line with his own talents, needs and beliefs, and
principles that enhance social awareness as well as relationship governance. This
helps allowing him to adjust his leaders and tactics to unique contextual demands.

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  Communicating requirement does not include complete preparation that allows
employees to assess their capacity in changing environment (Hunjra et al. 2017).
 Endurance and perseverance based on beliefs and ideals, reliability and uniformity in
activity and not easy to affect through external pressures and difficulties, are those
special characteristics which can considered as valuable strength an authentic leader.

Weaknesses of an Authentic Leadership

The greatest drawback of this leadership theory is its inexperience. The concept of authentic
leadership has no consistent or cohesive theory, and many experts contribute their own tastes
to whatever it implies to be an authentic leader. However, there are some weaknesses towards
this leadership practice, are as follows:

 Authors like Northouse challenge that ambiguity about specific conditions,

particularly on well scope of such real leadership. According to him, while authentic
leadership indicates that leaders are driven by higher ideals such as justice as well
as community, the way in which these values impact real leadership is not evident
(Schroeder, 2017).
 Values of an authentic leader may not always match whatever a company or its
stakeholders do. In truth, co-workers and other stakeholders may not always satisfy
their demands. Consequently, a leader may find himself either sacrificing their
internal worth by giving incentives for employees or by offering such bonuses so as
to increase sales potential of a firm.

Ethical Leadership

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 Respect
Others

Builds
Serves
Communit
Others
y
Ethical
Leadership

Manifests Shows
Honesty Justice

Figure 3: Characteristics of an Ethical Leadership

As a major topic in research evidence, theory of ethical leadership has developed, and
associated research has been increasing dramatically since mid 2000s (Bartnik et al. 2018).
Ethical leaders are recognised for their fairness, consideration for others, their honesty, their
commitment to a spirit of humanity, community spirit and to value-based decision-making.
They lead by example, promote initiative, and accept ethical breaches. More significantly,
they are compassionate.  Showing of normally suitable activities through interpersonal
connections and personal acts, as well as two-way interaction, strengthening and decision-
making that promote this conduct to supporters is ethical leadership (Lin et al. 2020). 

Towards providing an example of true ethical leader, CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates could be
considered. His speed has altered, his mindset moving to an impactful, compassionate
philanthropist from such an ambitious industry leader. Funds and resources for poor nations
and communities are provided by “Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation" to foster healthy and
productive lives (Wilson, 2020).  This gave Microsoft the opportunity to take highway
as technological ethical leader.

Strengths of Ethical Leadership

Every leader will decide ethically even if he does not recognise that is exactly, he does at the
time. Those strengths that develops a potential work culture through ethical leaders are as
follows:

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  Ethical leadership seems to have a positive effect both on people and on society as a
whole. It gives workers happiness at job, a fair working environment, and an incentive
to improve effectiveness or a role model and so increases their dedication to
maximizing their turnover trends inside a business.
 This leadership is vital to impact corporate performance connection, as it
influences corporate environment, which leads employees in day-to-day work and
customer management of their values, attitudes and conduct (Feng et al. 2019).
 Based on an idea of social exchange, supporters would likely return fairness and
concern of their ethical leaders through pro-social behaviours, such as organisational
civic behaviour, that benefit company and its collaborators.
 Ethical leaders exemplify and act as character models of positive behaviour, imitate
them and assist others to pursue communal ideals instead of simple interests (Bartnik
et al. 2017).

Weaknesses of Ethical Leadership

While ethical leadership has no doubt brought enormous advantages to individuals and
organisations and should consequently be encouraged. However, it must not be disregarded.
While managing a multicultural team, people with various objectives, duties and beliefs do
not always see leader's actions as intended. Those weaknesses of ethical leadership are as
follows:

 Often the attractiveness of an ethical leader generates just faithful followers that
people are powerless to think personally, and they are not capable of decision-making.
 Even while ethical leadership influences strongly, workers prefer to be faithful to
leaders rather than firm with a danger of mass attrition for employees when a leader
fall.
 Ethical leaders generate trust in their workers and provide conditions that are needed
to enable employees, vendors or even consumers to take essential risks involved in
creating new inventions on behalf of a firm. As example, "Ritz-Carlton" leadership
team allows each employee to spend up to $2,000 in his as well as her own way on
client problems (Toma, 2018).

Identification of better way of leadership in recent days

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Ethical and authentic leadership theories in last century had received increasing attention,
mainly because of turbulent ethical leaders of early 21st Century, an era full of corporate
crashing, global terrorism, political unrest and global health complications such as perception
of SARS and HIV epidemics (Copeland, 2016). The authentic leader is to promote whatever
he is doing based on his/her values, those individuals may or may not be ethical. Authentic
leaders cannot thus always be ethical. However, an ethical leader is indeed authentic. Ethics
are interconnected with morality.

Authentic Leadership Ethical Leadership

Authentic leaders promote self-awareness Ethical leaders encourage management
and authenticity. of morality as well as other awareness.

Authentic leaders do not rely on these Ethical leaders use transactional management

transactional management approaches. approaches, as they fully utilizes rewards and
punishment mechanism.
Table 1: Comparing ethical leadership with authentic leadership

Authentic leadership is characterised as self-knowledge and self-compliancy. Authentic

management, that some researchers claim to include an ethical component, has evolved most
lately. Some researchers do not see ethics as a crucial part of true leadership. Authentic
leadership has a favourable relationship, but it is empirically different from ethical leadership.
The approach to ethical leadership focuses on ethics and morality, ensuring that ethical
practises across an organisation. Ethical leaders are honest and fair people who employ
different kinds of communication, penalties and incentives to encourage inferior behaviours,
which are different from all other leadership styles. As a result, researchers started to regard
ethical leadership instead of concentrating exclusively on ethical elements of all other
leadership behaviours (Yasir, 2016). Thus, ethical leadership conduct is advised for upper
management in businesses.

A good leader has honesty, responsibility, compassion, humility, strength, ambition, authority
and optimism as most significant traits. Management aims to convince employees to do
activities they do not even want to do and to inspire them to accomplish things that
they never imagined they could." According to theory of the Great Man, which may possibly
be referred to as the “Theory of the Great Man”, leaders are born along with capabilities of
leading team perfectly, they have inborn talents in. communication skills, confidence, and
social skills (Uslu, 2019).

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The previous CEO, Desmond Hague, North America's largest hotel firm, has also taken
another example. Hague guided South Carolina's “CenterPlate” to great success after
acquiring business leadership in 2009. However, in 2014, he was caught while kicking puppy
in anxiety with surveillance video from a safety lift, which was non-acceptable. The Globe
and Mail reports that Hague's demeanour, through prescription anxiety medication and
anxiety, could perhaps have been affected. However, although the business first reported that
it would alter the scheme through legislation, it would provide 1,000 hours of labour to
society and a specific gift of US$100,000 to animal protection (Schwarz-Herion, 2018).
Hague's time as a leader rapidly ended at Centreplate, which has the good influence in
communities as declared company principles. Many organisations, conflicting, which leaders
perceive, give an "ethical neutral" background. Companies will have to be coherent and
aggressive in implementing ethics throughout their leadership strategy to accomplish
recognition with ethical leadership.

Conclusion

This conclusion is supported by modern instances of how senior managers affect their
organisations. Organizations should thus search for leaders who show normatively acceptable
behaviour.  This implies leaders concerned about achievement of statistics as well as the
impacts of a company on workers and environment in line with modern standards. It indicates
leaders those people are trustworthy and honest, and those people have leadership. In
addition, it denotes leaders who guarantee that others team member to follow suit. Ethical
leadership is sufficient to lead to a reputation, which is free of scandal, greater morality for
employees, work happiness and performance and to a favourable conclusion for businesses.
Thus this report emphasise on best practices of ethical leadership as an effective leadership
style in recent era.

References
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Journals

Allen, A.M. and Leach, C.W., 2018. The psychology of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “creative
maladjustment” at societal injustice and oppression. Journal of Social Issues, 74(2), pp.317-
336.

Bakari, H., Hunjra, A.I. and Niazi, G.S.K., 2017. How does authentic leadership influence
planned organizational change? The role of employees’ perceptions: Integration of theory of
planned behavior and Lewin's three step model. Journal of Change Management, 17(2),
pp.155-187.

Copeland, M.K., 2016. The impact of authentic, ethical, transformational leadership on leader
effectiveness. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 13(3), p.79.

Ko, C., Ma, J., Bartnik, R., Haney, M.H. and Kang, M., 2018. Ethical leadership: An
integrative review and future research agenda. Ethics & Behavior, 28(2), pp.104-132.

Lin, W.L., Yip, N., Ho, J.A. and Sambasivan, M., 2020. The adoption of technological
innovations in a B2B context and its impact on firm performance: An ethical leadership
perspective. Industrial Marketing Management, 89, pp.61-71.

Schroeder, J., 2017. Leadership development spectrum tool: Applications for designing non‐
linear adaptive leadership training at an NYSE financial services firm. Performance
Improvement, 56(9), pp.12-17.

Schwarz-Herion, O., 2018. The Impact of the Climate Change Discussion on Society,
Science, Culture, and Politics: From The Limits to Growth via the Paris Agreement to a
Binding Global Policy?. In The Impact of Climate Change on Our Life (pp. 1-32). Springer,
Singapore.

Shaw, A. and Wilson, K., 2020. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the necro-
populationism of ‘climate-smart’agriculture. Gender, Place & Culture, 27(3), pp.370-393.

Toma, S.G. and Grădinaru, C., 2018. The marketing mix in a luxury hotel chain. The Journal
Contemporary Economy, 3(2).

Uslu, O., 2019. A general overview to leadership theories from a critical

perspective. Маркетинг і менеджмент інновацій, (1), pp.161-172.

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Wang, Z. and Xu, H., 2019. When and for whom ethical leadership is more effective in
eliciting work meaningfulness and positive attitudes: The moderating roles of core self-
evaluation and perceived organizational support. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(4), pp.919-
940.

Yasir, M. and Mohamad, N.A., 2016. Ethics and morality: Comparing ethical leadership with
servant, authentic and transformational leadership styles. International Review of
Management and Marketing, 6(4), pp.310-316.

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