Page 10 - Mini-Module 1

Authentic Leadership and Trust

Authentic leadership is exciting leadership. Authenticity, according
to Webster's Dictionary, is being genuine. Genuine means not being
a hypocrite. And to be a hypocrite is, "to feign qualities or beliefs
that one does not actually possess or hold, especially a pretence of
piety or moral superiority.” So to be truly genuine - or authentic -
a leader must work towards these goals: To ensure that one's
corporate actions and rhetoric are aligned; to ensure that such ac-
tions are meaningful (as opposed to superficial, headline-grabbing
actions that don't take root beyond the organization's need for
disingenuous publicity); and to ensure that one's public persona
and private core are not at odds.

An authentic school leader is therefore someone who is not living a
façade, someone who is not putting on ‘a school principal persona’,
but who is genuinely able to be himself or herself while at work.

What is an authentic leader?

One who:

● Defines him/herself by who he/she is,
not what he/she does.

● Communicates his/her emotions to others.
● Recognizes that he/she is not God-like.
● Does his/her best work because he/she knows him/herself and
his/her purpose.
In order to be authentic leaders, Beginning Principals need to build
self awareness and self integration. This allows them to lead from a
more authentic, confident and consistent place. The result is a new
level of trust and openness in all relationships.

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