Question

If authentic leadership is really a lifelong process, can teenagers be authentic leaders?

Answer 1

Authentic leadership:

Authentic leadership is transparent, supports openness, morally grounded, developmental (life –long process), considers others’ needs and values. Authentic leadership is all about being genuine, real, and trustworthy, with yourself and with others, authentic leaders show genuine care for others’ interests. Being authentic means consistently matching your actions with your words, and it is absolutely critical to effective leadership. Leadership needs credibility, credibility is important component of this leadership and that’s why it is most effective. Another important component of authenticity is honesty. It is honesty that makes someone believable and trustworthy, because it becomes the visible evidence of integrity and considering all fellow team members together. Consistency between words and deeds is how people judge someone to be honest and authentic leaders follow the same to be effective.

To be authentic, leaders follow some tactics, they explore their life stories and introspect their actions, engage in reflection and introspection processes, seek honest feedback, understand leadership purpose, become skilled to opt effective leadership style. They don’t imitate others they remain as they are. They learn from others’ experiences, but try them in their own way. Authenticity means that people can trust you to “DWYSYWD: Do What You Say You Will Do.

Authentic leadership among teenagers: there is an argument among authors over authentic leadership among teenagers. Some consider that teenagers are immature and can’t be authentic leaders; other thinks that teenagers don’t like hypocrisy and want to see authenticity so they can be authentic leaders. This belief or feeling, though, is not just true for teenagers; everyone dislikes hypocrisy and wants to see authenticity. With all these arguments it is believed that if teenagers are trained on three important components of leadership that is awareness, interaction and mastery, can create authenticity among teenagers. If strategies on how to nurture leadership in teens are implemented and followed; teens can opt for authentic leadership. Authentic leadership is a lifelong (developmental) process so can be inculcated among teenagers.