About Bias and Austrians
Lately, I have been so preoccupied with getting acquainted with the topic of Statistical Analysis that I nearly forgot about the intellectual loves of my life, Authentic Leadership and Positive Sales. You bet I thought about boring you with formulas and numbers on this blog just to make you share my hardship whilst finishing my PhD curriculum. But then I thought better of it. Instead, I decided, I will share with you a discovery I made online: an Austrian academic in the USA who is doing impressive work on Attribution theory, amongst many other research topics. During a statistics-less lunch break one day I came across one of his publications and a piece of Almond Joy nearly got stuck in my throat: his findings seemed to shatter part of my PhD-hypothesis!
But let me start at the beginning.
In short, the correlation between Attribution theory and Authentic Leadership that some researchers see, is based on one particular trait that authentic leaders have: they are less biased when it comes to information about themselves and their subordinates. That means, that they can form more accurate perceptions about who’s done what and why, and they can assess successes and failures more objectively by taking lots o information into account. Why is this special? Because we are all human and prone to lots of biases: terms like ‘leader bias’ (form of self-serving bias) and ‘actor-observer bias’ being most relevant here. The proper word for ‘leader-bias’ is self-serving bias because it refers to our tendency to take more accountability for successes than for failures. Translated into leadership situations this could represent the tendency of a manager to take the praise for his team’s good work because he thinks it was down to his leadership, whilst blaming them for their setbacks, attributing the failure to others. (Can you guess why this can be detrimental to the relationship between leaders and associates?!).
The actor-observer bias is an old psychological hypothesis that has been supported by dozens of researchers since the 70’s; it says that an observer (i.e. leader) will attribute the reasons for his subordinate’s behavior to their own disposition (subordinate’s ability, motivation, mood etc) whilst the actor (i.e. subordinate) refers mainly to situational circumstances (hard job, difficult customer, tough environment). This mismatch of attributions from both parties can be counterproductive and does not really help in performance development reviews. But there is a silver lining on the dark bias-horizon: if leaders are authentic, some say, they are aware of these biases – theirs and others – and they can handle these difficult situations more accurately and fairly. Sounds logical to me!
And then the bombshell by Professor Bertram Malle who did a comprehensive study about the actor-observer bias just to find out that there is a lack of support for the actor-observer-bias. Normally I would have faked blindness and ignored the article because it seemed counterproductive for my great PhD-undertaking (only joking, of course!!), but the fact that B.F. Malle stems from Austria, and earned his Masters Degrees at the Karl-Franzens-University in Graz (like me) was too strong an indicator for quality work to be disregarded. After working through some of his articles it turns out, there is an actor-observer asymmetry after all but it is more complicated than what’s been assumed before. He says that if you look for a simplistic way for people to explain behavior in terms like “person causes” and “situation causes” and have them rate it, then the old actor-observer bias isn’t really there. But if you get people to explain other people’s behaviors in their own words and distinguish between reasons such as desire or belief, and in causes and causal histories, then the expected difference between attributions an actor and an observer have, appear again.
Uff, my PhD hypothesis has been resuscitated. I can still try to find out whether it is actually true that authentic leaders for all their qualities are able to overcome, or at least work around their own attributional bias about their subordinates’ performance.
So what else have I learned from that encounter with an Austrian alumni?
1. Leaders be aware that you might be biased towards your subordinates behaviors
There is scientific support for an actor-observer asymmetry. If you find that you are affected, please contact me to discuss ways to overcome it.
2. Karl-Franzens-University in Graz, Austria is a good place to study.
Servus to all their students and alumni all over the world!
For links, articles and references contact andrea@derlercoaching.com
Posted: November 17th, 2008 under Leadership.
Tags: Add new tag, Attribution Theory, Authentic Leadership, Leader Bias
Comments: none
Obama’s Potential, or: My dream for Authentic Leadership
I just can’t help it. I too belong to the vast number of people who see in Senator Barack Obama a striking agent of change and hope that he will become the next President of the United States of America. Last time I listened to one of his campaign speeches, he spoke about Hope, Change and Unity and I have to admit the message touched me to the bottom of my heart. As soon as the speech ended and the rationalization process kicked in, I asked myself what it is that fascinates me about Obama’s personal approach to politics. After giving it some careful thought, incorporating everything I’ve read about him so far, I found some fundamental values that Senator Obama carries throughout his campaign and which make him look like an authentic leader to me:
POSITIVITY
A powerful force in leadership is to convey a positive message to people. It sounds simplistic and naïve but is a basic truth about human nature: we crave for a positive spirit that guides us through complex times. We need something to look forward to, rather than fearing our future. To be hopeful and positive about change is inspiring and motivating; we all know what difficulties lay ahead of us but we want affirmation that we can deal with them. What Obama does is not lead us blindfolded into a ‘golden era’ of his presidency by telling us everything will be fine; but he tells us about his vision filled with the positive anticipation for what could come our way. Obama’s main catch phrase is that of Hope but don’t take it as a cheesy idealistic construct for the weak amongst us. Through the feeling of Hope, authentic leaders convey an important emotional message: that of positive action. According to psychologists, Hope is bi-dimensional, involving the willpower of a person as well as his waypower. That means a hopeful person is more likely to possess the will and capacity to decide and act, and to plan strategies to meet specific goals. If this is the strategy Obama has for this country, then he has a great attitude to offer. And sometimes, attitude trumps experience.
DIALOGUE
A description of Barack Obama as leader in practice caught my eye in the IHT. He is described as someone who has a “deep philosophical commitment to dialogue”, who in meetings wants to “suck the room of every idea”, someone who “orchestrates debate, playing participants off each other – and then highlighting their areas of agreement.” How often have we experienced such inquisitive characteristics in our leaders? The ability to take all available viewpoints into consideration is an indispensable behavior of effective - and authentic – leaders. It shows an awareness that some issues need to be looked at from different viewpoints and it is a commitment to constant learning and change. Instead of imposing their own ideas, oblivious to the fact that there could be better ones out there, these leaders want to utilize the enormous potential that lies within all associates. It can be an art for leaders to not only surround themselves with the best of all advisors, but to listen attentively and incorporate their inputs.
The advantages of open dialogue are manifold and yet few leaders manage to look beyond their status when confronted with useful comments by their subordinates. If Senator Obama continues to follow that path in his presidency, real and positive change will be possible.
CONSISTENCY
Looking back at the campaign so far, not even the harshest critics of Obama can say that he changed his story or original message to gain momentum(if they are honest). He never attacked his opponents personally or disrespectfully, whoever they were. He always stayed with the issue at hand and focused on his own vision than loosing energy on talking bad about others. Despite the most despicable attacks aimed at his person he managed to remain calm. It seems as if no destructive force in the world could make him stumble, because he knows what’s important to him and this country. It seems as if he has decided on some fundamental values a long time ago, and whilst allowing others to participate, he is perfectly able to manage the challenges ahead on the basis of his deepest beliefs.
Knowing how to reach his goal, however, does not make him an authentic leader. He obviously has to prove that he will do it, consistently over the coming four to eight years as president. But what strikes me and probably millions of others, is the consistency of his message, his plans for positive change and his whole public demeanor that is one of thoughtfulness, inner strength and genuine care. He communicates a feeling of reliability and trust, values that people crave for and which are indeed desirable in any leader.
Now, you may agree with me or not about my perception of Barack Obama and both is fine, of course. The above mentioned principles that I see displayed in this public figure stay with me regardless and I decide to project them into his type of leadership. If Senator Obama actually has the energy and willpower to enact an authentic leadership style once he enters the White House remains yet to be seen; for me, he certainly shows all the signs that he will.
For links, articles and references contact andrea@derlercoaching.com
Posted: October 30th, 2008 under Leadership.
Tags: Authentic Leadership, Consistency, Dialogue, Positivity
Comments: none
Book review: The Myth of Authenticity (R. Niermeyer)
Recently I stumbled upon a book by the German psychologist, leadership trainer and keynote speaker Rainer Niermeyer, titled the “Myth of Authenticity: The art of playing the right leadership role”. What instilled my great interest in his writing at first soon turned into disappointment about the lack of academic research Niermeyer conducted for this book. What I’m most surprised about is the fact that he falls for the most common misconception about the concept of authenticity and authentic leadership. By summarizing the term Authenticity as an “empty in-word” that has wrongly been promoted by dozens of other leadership experts to its truly transformational status, he shows insufficient knowledge about the concept. Hence, what will haunt Niermeyer most in the aftermath of this book is the fact that he completely ignored the huge stream of research and theoretical studies about Authentic Leadership that has been conducted over the past years.
The core of Niermeyer’s argument is that Authenticity (and Authentic leadership) means to ‘be who you are’ in all life situations; however, to ‘be who you are’, he writes, is not possible because you play many different roles during your life time (Manager, parent, board member, life partner etc). By stating that being authentic means to openly display emotions and mood swings, to follow spontaneous impulses, or to share inappropriate information with others, he totally misconstrues the concept of authenticity. He furthermore conveys the idea that we cannot be authentic (leaders) and show a variety of behaviors with different audiences at the same time. Despite the fact this this is not a book written for academia but for managers and leadership practitioners, Niermeyer would have benefited from looking across the pond for more research on the topic.
(Just as a side note: the current list of articles and books for my literature review of Authentic Leadership is many pages long, just to give you an idea of the complexity of this issue. In this article I will only be able to shortly reply to the above mentioned basic criticism of the simplicity of authenticity/authentic leadership and the different roles we all need to play.)
Authenticity and Authentic Leadership
Pointing the way in terms of these studies are Prof Michael Kernis (University of Georgia) and Prof. Bruce Avolio (University of Nebraska-Lincoln). Kernis’ work on authenticity describes 4 components of authenticity and serves as the basis for the concept of authentic leadership as well:
• Authentic people/leaders know who they are and who they need to be.
(Awareness of and trust in, one’s motives, feelings, desires and self-relevant cognitions.)
• Authentic people/leaders don’t distort or exaggerate their own experiences or feedback from others
(Unbiased Processing of Self-Relevant Information)
• Authentic people/leaders have the ability to express their core motives. It does NOT mean that they follow a compulsion to live their’ own self’ at all costs despite external pressure and circumstances.
( Acting according to true Self.)
• Authentic people/leaders value and achieve open and trusting relationships with others, letting them see their real selves. This does not include inappropriate actions with relevant others (work, family etc).
(Relational Orientation.)
Authenticity, therefore, requires a deep sense of humility and complex understanding of oneself and one’s relationship to other people. It is far from the idea of showing your ‘true face’ in all situations just to make a point, and integrates the necessity to adapt to different situations, circumstances and audiences.
When we enter the arena of Authentic Leadership, it gets even more complicated, because then the values, motives and ideas that we have about ourselves, are further influenced by the responsibility we have for our associates and business goals. Then, the concept of authentic leadership has to integrate the ability to create an ethical climate and by following one’s own rules in a consistent manner.
The question whether an authentic person/leader can still live out different roles, and how this is possible from a theoretical point of view, has been approached by me in my previous blog entry titled: “Is there a thing like an authentic chameleon?” Feb 2nd 2008), even if not to my own full satisfaction. However, many months of research further I know that there are core values which an authentic person/leader has and develops over time, that make up his self and his identity. Self-Awareness is the foundation on which authenticity rests, and which enables us to get to know ourselves in relation to others, which allows us to become a little less biased, helps us to communicate more openly and eventually renders us more effective leaders.
Research describing the effects of authentic leadership and its transformational character has been conducted and more is in process. This branch of a new stream of organizational studies called “Positive Organizational Behavior” (POS) will further grow and make a long lasting mark in leadership studies. I just wish books like Rainer Niermeyer’s would integrate more different points of view and research results on a topic so important as authentic leadership. We could then work more efficiently on ways to develop more authentic leaders instead of trying to defend this highly complex human phenomenon to a repetition of misconceptions.
For links, articles and references contact andrea@derlercoaching.com
Posted: October 20th, 2008 under Leadership.
Tags: Authentic Leadership, authenticity, misconception, myth, Rainer Niermeyer
Comments: 1
Charisma, Politics and Elections in 2008: a dangerous liaison
My vacation in Europe took place in midst elections: my home country of Austria voted for the National Assembly, my husband’s home county Bavaria (Germany) for their State Parliament and my 21 month old daughter’s country of birth, the USA, have presidential elections still coming up in November. The choice people in Austria and Germany made against the establishment could have been based on their disappointing experiences with the major parties over the past years; a trend that could well continue in the USA. However, when watching pre- and post election debates in Austria, Germany and the USA and keeping an eye on reactions and comments of all sorts, another familiar phenomenon pops up: the voter’s crave for charisma and strong personalities. Plain talk, Youth and good looks (see Dr. Joerg Haider, Hans-Christian Strache, Sarah Palin and even Barack Obama) seem to fascinate more than intellectualism or conservatism from the old ‘wise’ men (see Wilhelm Molterer, Werner Faymann, Alexander Van der Bellen, and John McCain) . People want to be moved again, touched and motivated, even if realistic visions and the truth suffer in the process. This is not to say that it is wrong to look for an inspiring leader, because we naturally thirst for a positive spirit in difficult times. However we need to be wary of the fact that charisma and authenticity can be two different traits in leaders that look very much the same.
Charisma is often used to describe the ability of charming and influencing people. Charismatic personalities easily draw attention and admiration; they project unusual confidence and focus and have superb communication skills. The British professor Richard Wiseman further identified three more attributes of charismatic people: they feel emotions themselves quite strongly and are able to induce them in others; and, they are resistant to the influence of other charismatic people.
So far, so good. But charisma becomes a bit complicated if we enter the arena of leadership. Strong influencing skills paired with the ability to bring on emotions can be dangerous when used by leaders because it makes their followers less critical. And the crux is: charismatic leaders are not only aware of the power they have over people, they can adjust their behaviors to the demand of others, whilst very much pursuing their own agenda. They work on their self-image to present their followers with what they want to see, and in the process use intelligent impression management skills such as:
- Self-promotion behaviors to present oneself as highly competent regarding certain skills
- Intimidation behaviors to present oneself as a dangerous and potent person who is able
and willing to challenge others
- Request behaviors to present oneself as helpless with the purpose of soliciting aid from
others
(Does the above remind us of Sarah Palin, or what?)
The question is how to differentiate between a “good” or authentic charismatic, and a “dangerous” or pseudo-authentic charismatic leader? Well, socialized charismatic leaders do actually take personal risks for the greater good and pursue a common goal, whilst personalized charismatic leaders put their own interests first. Socialized charismatic leaders empower others to promote pro-social and ethical collective action whereas personalized charismatic leaders manipulate others for self-serving purposes. The only problem is that both forms of charismatic leadership result in full commitment to the leader’s vision, exceptionally strong admiration and respect for, and identification of followers with the leader. And because we are all human, all too human, we find it difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.
To know whether a leader is authentic or not is a tightrope walk for followers, particularly in political leadership. Here the temptations are higher for leaders to preach water and drink wine and it’s harder for voters to see the real person. All we can do is be aware of the different faces charismatic leaders can have and to look out for signs of impression management and overly personal exhibits. Good luck!
For links, articles and references contact andrea@derlercoaching.com
Posted: October 6th, 2008 under Leadership.
Comments: 1
Is your Organization Authentic enough for Change?
Many organizations crave for more creative talent amongst employees. They wish their staff would come up with workable solutions for existing problems more often. They recruit new people with the hope for winning competitive advantage through external expertise and outsider experience. They urge for more brain power in form of resourcefulness and innovation in their work force, to gain and maintain more market share.
The reality often looks different. Hopeful appeals of managers and leaders for great and practical ideas from their employees are met by silence. It seems as if people would leave their creativity, positive spirits and ambitions at home and instead wait for instructions in plain language from their bosses. Where is their interest and imagination for new thought? Does an improved work strategy always have to come from the top?
Managers and leaders, who are faced with this challenge of a lack of creativity and willpower for change in their departments and organizations, need to ask themselves only one question:
Do we genuinely want our people to take part in any change process, or are we only paying lip service to the demand for more creativity? Or phrased differently: Is our Organization Authentic enough for Change?
Dear leaders: to get more out of your work associates, don’t just organize more workshops, team building events and think tank sessions. Look at your own philosophy of thought that guides everyone from top executives to shop floor supervisor. How open are you towards new ideas on a daily basis? Are you really interested in what your people have to say? Are you aware that when it comes down to actually implementing a different way of thinking, you might be hesitant to do so, because you are not only sharing resources but also a degree of power with your employees?
Businesses that embrace the notion of openness and exploration of new ideas have an organizational culture that is flexible and adaptable. Their employees are encouraged to get involved in the design of work processes on a daily basis, and their performance development exceeds the training of certain skill and behaviors. I admit to actually manage a creative mindset on a day-to-day basis can be enriching as well as arduous for leaders. First, it challenges one’s own ways of working and requires more time and communication with staff members. Second, it gets much harder to assess a person’s performance on behaviors that exceed a restricted list of competencies and key performance indicators. And, by the way, the creative talent you are looking for might just be hidden in your most rebellious employee or that walking question mark in your team. Meaning: they could be where you least expect it.
But if you would like others to follow, you need to be the one to lead. That goes also for opening up for new ways of thinking. Authentic leaders provide several pre-conditions to encourage creativity in their employees; if you are a leader, try those out:
Provide an example by leaving your own intellectual comfort zone sometimes.
Don’t just lean on to your expertise and let others be brave by experimenting with new ideas. Think outside the box yourself. Actively search for other people’s opinions and listen with an open heart.
Be open about professional success and failure.
Transparency will help your people see that it can be worth taking a plunge. Trying new things is risky, even if you only lose time. Talk about the benefits and risks by following a new lead. This will help to assess new projects responsibly.
Conduct Performance Review without the paperwork for once.
Go beyond your rating scales and actually look at your staff member’s individuality. Instead of aligning the person to a list of desired behaviors, focus on what you really value about them. This will be an encouragement to follow your lead for progressive change beyond the performance measures used at your organization.
Experience and Practice steps 1-3 on a daily basis.
Only your consistency can break old habits. Show them that you mean it.
Real and constant improvement of daily work procedures as well as long lasting change is no straightforward process. The genuine willingness to explore new ideas, learning and growing has to be embodied in leaders first before they can expect them in all others. Hence, for those of you who are looking for more creative people, I recommend to ‘authenticize’ your organization: be authentic in what your want from others yourself. The spirit will spread all by itself.
Posted: September 2nd, 2008 under Leadership.
Tags: Authentic Leadership, Authentic Organization, Change Management, Creative Talent, Performance Development
Comments: none
Why Salespeople are Leaders, too
Selling is very much like Leadership. The provider of a product or service (= salesman or woman = leader) guides another person (= customer = follower) through the process of a purchase. A good saleswoman takes an active role of leading the conversation to gain an understanding of the customer’s wishes and needs to see if she can provide a good match to her products. In the world of Positive Sales the salesman takes his role as leader of this process serious, also on a moral account. By genuinely striving towards a win-win situation at the end of the sales transaction he knows how to utilize wording and timing efficiently. He has respect for the client and his needs and doesn’t see him as a means to his own end. Great sales people are aware of their capability to get results through accepting the full responsibility for the outcome. That’s why they are the leaders for that moment - with all the strings attached.
The ethical side of Positive Sales doesn’t mean that you should give in during negotiations, to sell your services off cheaply or to make a foul compromise. Positive Sales stands for high sales performance through the right attitude paired with professional skill and ethical awareness.
One useful tool to becoming a Positive Salesman or woman is the use of an agenda, a specific plan that guides your own questions and actions throughout the sales process. To know what to do and say, when to do and say it and how to listen and talk in the most efficient way helps provide you with confidence and conveys your attitude of leadership. Leaning on to an agenda helps especially in more complex sales situations. It involves preparation for the sales meeting, anticipating outcomes and seeking inspiration for a successful business relationship.
You can start by answering questions such as:
- What do I know about my customer?
- Why do I want to work with him/her?
- What questions will I need to ask (open and closed) and when?
- How long should the conversation take?
- Do I know my products (Quality and Value)?
- What would be an ideal/acceptable/inacceptable result?
- (and many more)
The actual sales meeting – be it live or via other means – will be the demonstration of your sales leadership. First, consider your attitude towards the sales process and your client. Only wish for the best possible outcome, serving yours and your client’s needs. Second, be sure of taking the lead throughout the conversation in order to provide a service to your client not just a nice atmosphere: have a plan, an agenda, some map guiding you through effectively. Design it, change it, but follow it. Third, take accountability for the result of the process. Learn, change, lead.
If you are interested in learning more about the Positive Sales process, or if you wish to design a sales agenda with me, please contact me at andrea@derlercoaching.com.
Posted: August 20th, 2008 under Leadership, Sales.
Tags: Authentic Leadership, Positive Leadership
Comments: 1
“Who” is the boss in your business?
Wouldn’t it be great if your employees followed you because they really share your goals and not just because you are the boss? Do you sometime wish they understood more deeply what you are trying to accomplish? Maybe you sense a lack of commitment to your values, and attempts to rebuild it has been difficult if not fruitless?
One reason for this mismatch in standards could be that your people don’t share your beliefs because you are unclear about them yourself. Communicating effectively what’s important to you and your business philosophy is a science in itself; before that, however, you need to be very clear what message it is that you want to convey. None of your attempts to claim authority will be as strong as it can be without your transparency. No leadership style, whether authoritarian, democratic or laissez-faire, can be as appropriate as bringing your own personal set of values to the table. Don’t try to copy other successful leaders but become an original; you will have followers for life.
One strategy as suggested by Israeli anthropologist and business scholar Shamir and Eilam is to work with your past, to figure out why you are who you are today. Reflection on your life-story, they argue, makes you gain self-knowledge and self-concept clarity; these are important features of an authentic leader who is aware of priorities, values, goals, strengths and weaknesses. The act of reflective thinking is ‘the process of creating and clarifying the meaning of experience (past or present) in terms of self.’ (Boyd & Fales, 1983).
Esoteric nonsense, you say? Think again. Try to remember an instance in your history as leader, be it a very successful moment or an unpleasant memory of failure. Then ask yourself:
1) Why did I act like I did? (e.g. external pressure, experience, knowledge etc.)
2) What was the impact of my behavior on others?
3) Which values do I still maintain/which ones have I abolished?
4) (And many more)
Analyzing and re-evaluating your actions at the time is a rational act of understanding yourself better on a multi-dimensional way. By thinking through the events of the past, you might discover more of your strengths, or your limitations; you might not want to repeat certain actions, but don’t miss asking yourself: why? You will certainly want to revive some of your special characteristics that made you a great, and proud and strong leader of others. Self-knowledge is one thing, and the formation of your personal value-system is quite another. Figure out (an this is not easy, believe me) where you want to go from here. Which priorities do you have for yourself and your business? What are the thoughts and actions that you want embedded in your employee’s behaviors, because they represent you? What is your vision for the next few weeks and months ahead, and what do you not want to see as consequence of your leader behaviors?
If you don’t have an answer to these questions, how should your people have? They might ask themselves:”Who is my boss?”
And yes, it’s getting personal, like the nature of leadership is. You have only two options: letting your followers float around working on their own agendas yet on your payroll, or involve them in your idea of the business. The main message is to find your own clarity, so that others know the person they should follow. And they will, that’s for sure.
For links, articles and references contact andrea@derlercoaching.com
P.S. An easier way than doing it yourself is to work with a leadership coach, who simply asks the right questions so that you have more time to find your answers. For inquiries about the different coaching options, contact me at andrea@derlercoaching.com
Posted: August 10th, 2008 under Leadership.
Tags: Authentic Leadership
Comments: 1
Leadership without Ethics: Why Hitler was no Authentic Leader
One reason for the numerous misperceptions about Authentic Leadership is that people think they know what it entails. Most have a faint idea of authenticity (the ascription used most often is “being yourself”) and assume it refers to leaders acting according to their inner self. Some might expand by saying authentic leaders act upon their inner values in a consistent manner. But this leads immediately to the most often quoted objection: “if authentic leaders are those whose actions are aligned with their beliefs then Adolf Hitler was a very authentic leader.”
People who say that invariably assume that:
1. Authenticity equals Authentic Leadership
2. Authentic Leaders can be authentically unethical/immoral/evil
Both statements are incorrect.
The authentic person is the foundation for an Authentic Leader, however the interactive nature of a leadership role adds several dimensions to the pure self-referential aspect of ‘self’. Authentic leaders do not live in a glass bubble in which they decide what their personal commandments are going to be (this would represent the ‘authentic person’ only). They are leading others after all, and they conceive the input for their decision making processes through a complex analysis of their group’s situational needs, followers’ opinions and emotional states. Before we ask what values authentic leaders follow, we need to ask how they arrive at the motives and beliefs as basis for action. Yes, Authentic leaders have their own paradigms but they integrate opinions, thoughts and emotions from others. They are open and transparent towards their subordinates, which includes admitting to mistakes in an appropriate manner, and cooperation for the achievements of the group.
ad 1. Authentic Leadership is more complex than authenticity alone. Through the social aspect of their role, authentic leaders focus on authentic relationships between themselves and their associates based on trust and integrity. Their values are other-directed and adaptive to the needs of the situation and their followers.
(Hitler, in turn was a charismatic narcissist, which means that he was in love with his own ego whilst attracting people like light attracts moths. He exclusively focused on his own selfish agenda instead of the needs of his people and was therefore neither an authentic person nor an authentic leader. )
Second, Authentic leadership is an extension of Burn’s original concept of “Transformational Leadership”, where the transformational leader is “high on moral character, as leading on end-values of justice and liberty”, seeing “leadership as distinct from mere power-holding and as the opposite of brute power”. Most scholars agree that the concept of an Authentic Leader who is ethically neutral or even evil is illogical because of the leader’s high levels of self-awareness of means and ends. The idea of a leader who is self-reflecting and has the ability to gaining a true understanding of himself and his impact on others, is inconsistent with a low level of moral development.
ad 2. Authentic Leaders cannot be understood without a moral connotation due to their high level of self-awareness. This awareness of her feelings, thoughts and motives lead to ethical reasoning and self-regulatory processes. Authentic Leaders have the ability to both focus on results whilst adhering to ethical standards.
(Hitler’s lack of ethical reasoning goes back to his low self-awareness, empathy and interest in others. He was unethical in thoughts and actions, exploiting the situation of his followers in the most brutal manner to reach his goals.)
Authentic leaders per definition are not unethical because their very nature involves a complex understanding of their moral responsibility as leaders. Other counter-arguments to the question of morality in Authentic Leadership include references to research about the connection between authentic leadership and positive emotions, follower’s attributions and Leadership Development Levels.
To say that Authentic Leaders can be authentically evil is a very narrow, simplistic view of that concept; it misses the point, changes its meaning, and picks at one of many characteristics of Authentic Leaders. The notion of an Authentic Leader who is self-aware, open with his followers, unbiased in her understanding of the world and morally sound might be incomprehensible for many.
These leaders nevertheless exist.
For links, articles and references contact andrea@derlercoaching.com
Posted: June 30th, 2008 under Leadership.
Comments: none
Ever heard of “Love-Selling”? (Read on despite the name)
Are you one of those professionals who don’t see themselves as being ‘sales people’, although the main aspect of your role is to acquire new customers and increase your market share? Well, maybe you haven’t had much time to think about that question, or you sometimes don’t feel comfortable with being a sales person. Anyway, you are busy with meetings, phone calls, product development or day-to-day business. (Mind you: all for the sake of selling). In any case, not your products or services need to change if you don’t sell enough; much less than that: don’t wish for different customers. Simply get a new attitude to selling and concentrate on your clients. Really concentrate, I mean.
The beauty of Positive Sales is that you have the pleasure of enriching your customer’s lives with whatever you have to offer. In every conversation with an existing or potential client, you have the opportunity to get to know them and their circumstances better. You build a professional friendship with them, which allows you to transcend the basic dealings of exchanging goods with money. If you do your job well, you know that you have authentically proven your moral stance of insisting on a win-win situation at the end of every transaction. You have successfully followed the rules that make a sales person with integrity: taking a real interest in your customer, support their needs, circumstances and desires by matching them with your products and services. It means that you have listened to their objections they might have had, blown away their doubts about your product and honestly responded to the disadvantages they saw in your services. You have made a sale that left both you and your client satisfied and interested in mutual future business.
Unrealistic, you say? U-Uh. Idealistic, you think? - Nope. Difficult to implement, you worry?- Only without the right attitude.
German Sales Trainer Hans-Uwe Koehler compares the qualities we need to display in a customer relationship with those in a romantic liaison. Despite the fact that this sounds like Kitsch and a cheap marketing trick, I think he has a point. He focuses simply on the right behaviors that make good relationships, no matter whom you are dealing with. He suggests confirming your affection for your customer on a regular basis, as you would do with your life partnerà: be genuinely friendly and open towards them in any interaction. Furthermore, relationships without mutual attention to the other person are empty and worthless. That’s why suggestion no. 2 is: show your interest in the client and do your best to maintain their interest in you and your business as well! Third, walk that extra mile for your client: f.e. call them to find out what they thought of the quality of the last delivery to make absolutely sure that they are happy. That’s “love-selling” á la Mr. Koehler.
When you think that the concept of “love-selling” is just another sales strategy: try it. Positive Sales or “love-selling” is nothing more - or less - than thinking beyond your own immediate interests, needs and sales goals. It is a visionary approach to sales that sees the client from the holistic point of view: including his worries, concerns and complaints. Bottom line is: the key to tapping into their buying power is not to close the next sale; it’s along your way to maintain a “loving” relationship with them.
Posted: June 4th, 2008 under Sales.
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