A common recommendation from leadership experts in academia and popular media today is to be “authentic,” or your “true self,” in the workplace. But what does that mean? In the simplest terms, authenticity is seen as acting in a way that is consistent with one's internal states, characteristics, and beliefs. That is, aligning our inner self with our outer self. Authenticity is associated with positive outcomes for leaders, such as increased follower commitment and well-being. So we have to be ourselves. Yes?
As it turns out, authenticity is more complicated than it first appears. That's right. Being true to ourselves is an important measure of well-being, and suppressing our true selves can lead to other problems, such as feeling disconnected at work or in an organization. But what if your true self is comfortable oversharing, focusing on your personal needs over others, or speaking in a way that others find intrusive? What happens when aspects of your authentic self are counterproductive to your goals or conflict with your organization’s culture?
In the National Center for Principled Leadership and Research Ethics' Academic Leadership Program, we work with new and experienced leaders to recognize that leadership roles carry expectations of presence and behavior, regardless of an individual's personality. In many situations, it is not enough to say, “This is who I am.” Because taking on and maintaining a leadership role has its own set of imperatives, including effective interpersonal communication, prioritizing organizational goals, and more.
As a result, recognizing that authenticity is less about embodying our authentic selves and more about the balance between recognizing who we are and acknowledging that accepting a leadership role entails an obligation to the responsibilities and mission of that role. It's important. We need accounts of authenticity in higher education leadership that more explicitly explore these complexities.
Authenticity and Values at Work
Scholars suggest feeling a particular emotion (e.g., “I am angry, so I act angry”) or enacting a particular identity (e.g., “I am a Muslim, so I try to act in a way that is consistent with this identity”).
Another fruitful way to think about how people strive to realize their true selves is to connect it to values. Values represent ideals and beliefs that guide thinking and behavior. Researchers have articulated a variety of values, some of which are considered universal across cultures, ranging from treating others well within a group, to gaining personal influence (power), to guiding one's actions and decisions. It ranges from desire (self-direction). .
But the problem here is that values emerge when they are enacted in terms of distinct actions that may or may not be considered appropriate in a given situation. For example, caring for friends and family may appear to others as giving preferential treatment to those in your inner circle. Personal values aside, effective leaders cannot show bias or favoritism. Likewise, enacting the value of self-direction may look like scheduling work in a way that best suits one's needs, but to others it may seem like prioritizing these needs over the needs of the organization.
Some of the most difficult leadership challenges center on conflicting values. For example, let's say the values of justice and order are in conflict. What happens if you argue unsuccessfully with the administration about a new policy that affects your unit in a way that you believe is unjust (such as a new budget model or curriculum change)? Are you expected to implement new policies now? Should I now follow the policy or quit? Or, let's say you value both loyalty and honesty. What happens if a long-time colleague asks you to participate in an action that you feel is unjustified, such as including yourself as an author on a project?
Learning how to align your work behaviors and values is important to your happiness as a leader in college. You should also consider how your actions interact with the needs of your colleagues, those you report to, and the organization as a whole. And if you feel like your values aren't really a good fit at work, or if your values come into conflict too often, it can help you know that it's time to move to a position that offers a better fit.
Authenticity of roles and rules
We argue that it is important to learn to behave in ways that are consistent with our values and beliefs, but the workplace is also driven by other functions, such as roles (e.g. leadership) and rules (e.g. regulations).
Effective leaders often have to fulfill specific roles. As we have argued, fulfilling these roles while remaining true to personal values can be tricky. This is because taking on a leadership role such as department chair, dean, dean, or director of graduate studies can have specific expectations for behavior that can be difficult to navigate.
For example, it may be tempting to start your first faculty meeting with something self-deprecating: “I’m not sure I’m the right person for this job.” For those from underrepresented groups, this may undermine your perceived legitimacy for the role. Or maybe you have a biting or sarcastic sense of humor. I'm thrilled The phrase “I will attend the 8 a.m. meeting today” may seem inappropriate to some. Or, you may have certain opinions or beliefs that go against the organization's norms, such as religious membership or political party affiliation, and you feel like you shouldn't talk about them.
Organizations are also governed by rules and regulations that determine how members and leaders perform their roles. Regulations are intended to provide order in an organization and shape the way work is done. Being part of an organization where these rules apply can make individuals and leaders feel limited in their ability to stay true to the personal values and beliefs that are most important to them. I feel cognitive dissonance and discomfort.
So what should university leaders do? Is it possible for leaders to shape their approach to work to align with all three sources: personal values, position roles, and institutional rules? To help you decide how to balance these three in your particular situation, we provide some guidance below.
Be clear about what your values, roles, and rules are (and are not).
- What are your core values? What drawbacks or challenges do you see in enacting these values in a leadership role?
- Which values are most meaningful to you and which are less important to you? Which ones do you want to push into the background and which ones you don't?
- What tasks, responsibilities, and behaviors are required for your leadership position? What is most important to your work, and what is less important? Who are the stakeholders to whom you are accountable, and what are their expectations of your performance?
- What regulations govern your working conditions? Is it officially recorded in an ordinance or statute? Or is it an implicit norm that people follow? Simply put, which things are arbitrary and which aren't?
Consider the consequences of your actions.
- What happens if, over time, I suppress certain values that are important to me? Can I find a way to stay true to this aspect of myself without violating other people's expectations of me?
- Can I perform my role effectively without being the most authentic version of who I am? What would my followers, colleagues, and superiors miss without this?
- What rules can I or others break or bend, and which rules exactly should I follow? Is there a network of people who can help you understand and navigate these rules as they apply in practice?
Imagine who you want to be.
- What values do you find most inspiring, admirable, or attractive in your current behavior? What is relevant to your personal and private life but not necessarily your professional role? What values do you admire that you are not currently enacting, that could work to make you a better leader and a better person?
- When did you feel the best as a leader? What areas will a future version of you excel at? What specific situations or problems can you solve?
- What rules do you find most helpful in doing your job? What is the biggest obstacle?
As individuals and leaders, we face a variety of competing values and demands at work, which can sometimes limit our ability to do our best and do our best. There is a way forward. Awareness of what is most important to us and the requirements of our roles and rules that govern our work can provide opportunities to help us become the leaders and people we want to be. No one is fixed or stationary. We change and are transformed through the process of taking on leadership roles. Hopefully this change is for the better overall. Building a values foundation helps institutions and leaders develop not only an awareness of what is important to them, but also the ability to exercise integrity in an increasingly complex and often conflictual environment.