Goffee, Rob, and Jones, Gareth., "Managing authenticity: the paradox of great
leadership", Harvard Business Review, December 2005, pp 87-94
-"-=\<1:
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I
I
i
MANAGING
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(lF
THE
PARADtlx
OREAT
LEADERSHIP
Try to leadlike someone
else-say,/ack
welch,RichardBranson,
or MichaelDell_andyou
will fail' Employees
will not follow a cEo who investslittle of himself
in his leadership
behaviors.
Peoplewantto be led by someone,,real."This
is partly ra"atronto the turbu_
lent timeswe live in' It is alsoa response
" disenchantment
to the public'swidespread
with
politiciansandbusinesspeople.
we alr suspectthat we,reueingauped.
our growingdissatisfaction
with sleek,ersatz,airbrushedr""'o..rr.,ipis what
makesauthenticitysucha desirablequalityin today'scorporations-a
qualitythat,unfortunately,
is in shortsupply'Leadersandfollowersboth associate
authenticitywith sincerity,
honesty'and integrity.It's the rearthing-the attribute
that uniqueiy ienr,., great leaders.
DECEMBER2OO5
6/
P a r a d o xo f C r e a t L e a d e r s n l p
M a n a g i n g A u t h e n t l c r t y :T h e
will not proBill is still at the utility company'but he
necesis
self
authentic
an
of
met more
But while the expression
gressfurther there' Most of I9l haveprobably
of authenticity is
His
your
organizations.
sary foi great leadership,the concept
in
Bill
themselves' it]un on. failedleaderlike
to
leaders
for
is
it
oi,!.t *i""derstood, not leastby leaders
difficult
how
,-,*y ittr**,es perfectly
an innate qualand
personalities
ifl.V oft"" assumethat authenticity is
their
expressing
not' In fact' au- find a balancebetween
i V]rf-t", a personis either authenticor
peoplethey aspireto lead or at
the
of
those
*"""gi.g
attribute to you'
itlenticity ii a quality that others must
Yetthe atility to strikethat balance-and
teasti"nRience.
NoleadercanlookintoamirrorandSay,..Iamauthentic.''
her own' Authen- ,opt"t.tu"one'sauthenticityintheprocess-isprecisely
executives'
n p.rron cannotbe authenticon his or
what distinguishesgreat leadersfrom other
peopleseein you
of manthat
il.itv it largely definedby what other
exactly
is
itre ctrattengeof gteat leadership
by you' lf
it
undoubtthough
and,assuch,canto u g,."t extentbe controlled
paradoxical
ugingon.', iuthenticity,
quality' there would
authenticity were puiely an innate
edly sounds.
therefore'little
not the prodU. ilof. you could do to manageit and'
iet usbe absolutelyclear:Authenticityis
yourselfmore effectiveasa leader'
make
to
aspectsor
do
."tfO
reflects
It accurately
V""
no controloverthe ex- uct of pure manipulation'
who exercise
Indeed,managers
theleader'sinnerself,soitcan,tbeanact.Butgreatleadtrouble very
pressionof their authenticselvesget into
personalitytraits they shouldreroles'Consider ersseemto know which
caquicklywhen they moveinto.leadership
They are like chameleons'
in Pittsburgh' veal to whom and when'
they
situations
the
iiil, u -unuger in a large utility company
of
pable of adaptingto the demands
do not losetheir
Billstartedoutasatraineeelectrician,butseniormanageiaceandthe'peoplethey lead,yet they
talent' The HR
ment at the companyswiftly spottedhis
.,I AMAUTHENTIC.''
leadersremain fo-
identitiesin the process'Authentic
universigr' from which
lose sight of
department persuadedBill to go to
cusedon where they are goingbut never
he was
environtheir
to
tre'graduated with a good degree'.Afterward'
wherethey camefrom' Highly attuned
job' His work at the utility
someformative'
of
,ruJ-fy welcomed back to his
-.t tt, tttay rely on an intuition born
and he beoften involved managing projects'
expectations
the
."-p*V
to understand
times harsh experiences
His techniat assemblingand leadinCJlu*t
."*i
they seekto influence'They
people
the
of
concerns
and
"a.p,
. u r u u i r i . i . ' a n d h i s h o n e s t y w e r e h i s b i g g e s t l e a d e r s h i p i*in ,t.i, distinctiveness
asindividuals'yet they know
attributes.
in strongcorporateand socialculhow to win acceptance
to the head
asa basis
Things started to unravel when Bill moved
t-uresanAnow to useelementsof thosecultures
of the most senior
office and became an adviser to some
for radicalchange.
to Bill that this
qualitiesof auexecutives in the company' HR suggested
In the followingpages'we'llexplorethe
for a.major leaderof research
years
new joU would be good preparation
five
thentic leadership,drawingon our
But the head office
levelsof orall
at
;hip ;osition back on the front lines'
aswell asour work consultingto leaders
talk hit many
our points'
wai political, and Bill found that his straight
illustrate
ganizationsin diverseindustries'To
that he didnt
reflections
and
wrong notes. He started to get feedback
we will recountsomeof the experiences
and that he
We
studied'
and
fully inderstand the complexity of situations
of the authenticleaderswe haveknown
others' Bill
influencing
for
skills
better
develop
should
don'tpretendtohavethefinalwordonthesubject'of
never mimic his
tried to curb his directness,but he could
and socialscientistshave
.ourr". Artists,philosophers,
lose
to
started
He
behaviors'
sawy
centuries'and it
,up"riorr'politically
debatedthe conceptofauthenticity for
while he tried
indecision'
beiween
alternated
He
this discussion
way.
his
would be foolish for us to imaginethat
suddenbursts of outand
politics,
offlce
the
Nonetheless'
else'
io.,rtA.rttu"d
by us or anyone
.oriJ rc synthesized
his old forthrightwith
struggled
he
as
to a better
uggr.ttion
.igtn
we believethat our reflectionswill contribute
abilities'
his
doubt
seriously
to
began
He
ness.
in England'Gareth
schoor
at LondonBusiness
behauior
of organizatio.nar
professor
a
is
(rgofee@rondon.edu)
Goffee
Rob
andafellowof theCentreforManFrance,
i, o vk'itingprofisor"atInseadinFontainebreau,
(garethjoutinternei.ci^l
at Henley
development
Jones
a formerproprsi of organizatbnar
schoor.He is arso
Busineis
tonaon
ot
AssociDeveropment
Management
agement
of Creative
G"t" 'ia mei o" tneTouiaingpartiers
England'
oxfordshire,
m
College
Management
in London'
consultingJirm
in organizational
ates,
HAII.VARD BUSINESS REVIEW
88
to-
re
Iis
to
ld
ManagingAuthenticity:
T h e P a r a d o xo f C r e a t
Leadership
understanding
of the relationship
betweenthe expression
of selfand the exercise
of leadership.
how to managetheir authenti.itv r-"Ji.i *rro f,r,o*
*jrr uJi] ,r," .o.. .r
betterabte
ffi*:fr:it,
to b"th;"";;i;. una.",uin
rovur
at
Id
ry
S.
ttI
'f
t-
There,s
no one right wayto establish
and manageyour
authenticjty.
But thett areconscious
stepsyou cantaketo
helpothersoaraa,u.
asan authenticleader'
someof
thesestepsentairburY
up knowledge
aboutyour true
sell some,nuo,u.,.u'loinn
rnrngmoreaboutothers.
perception
flanaging the
Establishingyour atrthenticity
as u leaOe. is a two_part
chailenge.
First,
you haveto ;";il ,ir.
consistent
with your deeds;ott;.*i;, uor. wordsare
folrowers
will
authentic.r vervon
e acr<n
owreage
s
ffi "Jrl.t"rij#1 i:
Get to know yourself
and your origins better
by:
. Exploringyour
autot.
i,,g",tr,..,t-il'itl,,iT::f,
f TH:',.':?.,',HL*r,,i,"7
yourdentty,,..n"il"_u#lf
lust pay lip serviceto it.
;llli:::l:f:T::iJ,n
He wiff Uveitlvery moment
of
the day.Indeed,it,snot an
.""**"."'ri# io sayttrat a great
teaderis obsessive,
i
U"r, ."rUi?riig"rri s Ueriers.
Considerthe c;
j?:l*:i;?'l*:_Xil
ce
nrythen.
:::il
"o,.l."nil
rad; .,,JuJ;",,ionut. #;
:1,:1.an
:",]"0r(ingdom.
uuout..._
atlng
academicinstitutionwheri
stuOents,
teachers, i
andadministrators
respected
oneanoth;r andtheir envi_
*"Tf
XJ'
l'#'l.::fl
i:ffiT.ffi
:"'nr il'*:T
"tfi
walts?Lathamdid.rf you
visit"d;;,;h#
at breaktimes, l
you would probablyhave
found ,rifr",
the grounds
pickingup litter rather
""
than ; hh ffi;;;ehind
a desk.
"It'sthe simple,mundane
tfrirsri#rn"ner,,,he told
us,
"and I personallyfix many
day
is
done.,,
Thiskind of demonstrated
"d;;;.f"re
personar
.on'n'iin'"n, to a few
basicprinciplesis essentiaito
urilr.nii. l.ua".rr,ip.
But it is not enoushjust
to o;";;i;;;;t
you preach.
To get peopleto foll
that shapedyou.Share
thesediscoveri.,*,rn
*n.r,
who havehadsimilarexpenences.
. Returning
to your roots.Takea holiday
with old frrenos.
Spendtime awayfrom
the normaltrupping,oiti,.
om*
. Avoidingcomfort
zon
routines,seek
new adventurer,.r, ;t;.t::L:":ofvour
. Gettinghonest
feedback.Askfor
36o-degree
feedback
from ciosecolieagues,
friends,family,.r; ;";."
Get to know others better
by:
. Buildinga rich picture
of your environment.Don,t
view
othersasone_dimensir
srounds,biosraphies,
;# lillT ::lTlj, f ilo,.''0..o
. Removingbarriers
betr
yourselfand others'
selectively showu *.uon.rru""n
approachabir
ity,"
r",;::;:f,'J;jlil:::il:iltJ::'
taries,andsoon.
. Empathizingpassionately
with your people.Care
deeply
aboutthe workyour people
do.
. Lettingothers
knowwhat,sunique(and
authentic)about
them.Civepeoplefeedback
that acknowledn.rl"o
*,,
d a t e st h e i ro r i g i n s .
'
rerate
to,;".;;;j",:.H:f:,il:_n"r."4f,::,,,1.,T#
ershipis finding
commonground *i,n ti,"
peopleyou
seekto recruitasfollowers."thir;.#r*
wilt haveto l
presentdifferent faces
to different ;liJ;;.r,
a require_
maly ReoRre
n"d h;i;
,;;;;e'with authen_ l
f:..::*"jBut,
rlclty.
as Shakes
worrd,sasiage-:il;?:T.J",:,"ff
11ff"i11i,1;l;,ll"ii;
Suchrote playingdoesn,t
il;;;-;ll'o,
inrin.....
That'snot to sayit's.1ry_fu.
from
out, peopleinstinctively..".ognir. it. er-*.,u" pointed l
fruu;,.* behavior.
prylc rorethit i,",t;;;;;xpression
11""]::::::
l
or
nrs
authentic self,followers
will sooner o. 1"r". feel
like l
they've been tricked.
And once ,h";-;;;rrion
.-.-"'is out
there, it's hard for a leader
to ,aaou"r.Nestl6 CEO peter l
Clnnect to the organizational
context better by:
. Gettingthe distance
right. Be *ury of.r.utinf
tnJ,'
wrongfi rst impressions.
yourund
ersta
no,r, rJrlt"?;tli::
Xiiiff:l :?,
"r
to separate
yourselffrom,
others.
. Sharpeningyour
socialar
j
sisnments
ana
",n";;;::",J; ;T: ;ijJ:::;:;r.
s u b t l es o c i a l c l u et h
sat
mr
between
your success
andrairure ;:ff :J[ iinrence
.
i
I
nizes
*reil.,fi:LTIi;,Hffi
.that
i#J:x,J,:."?"*;
mustbetrueexpressions
ornispe;;ffir;;ne cover
of
oneof Nesttd,s
annualrelorls d"ililil
,ttting
tn
ttre
Swiss
mountains
wearing
cli.Ui"g;lother.rui in ,rr"p"g",
of TheNesttd
Leadershin
anauaiageirrtilirriptrr,ne
u l
dressed
in a dark suii andstanding
;;,d; corporare
headquarters.
Asheexplains,,,r
wa.'tu;;r! tireimaee
Honoringdeeplyheld valu
and socialmores'Youare
unlikeryto makeconnectiles
i ns roushshodover
other curtures,s,rornly
h.';;:ilrid
. Developing
your resilience
I
ence
setbacks
when
you
.,#: ;i,-:ilf :y_.:nL,,
and cultures.
prepareyourself
by learninguOourr"i"
understanding
your own vaiues.
il
ji
D E C E M B E R2 O O 5
89
ii
lir
P a r a d o xo f C r e a t L e a d e r s h i p
M a n a g i n g A u t h e n t i c i t y :T h e
and anBut it is one thing to developthis complexity
Usingyour
other thing entirely to wield it effectively'
degreeof self'
.o-pf.^ ,."1f(or, rather,selves)reOlile.1.a
a
climber'
I'm
",..*otio''ulissuesformanypeople.ButthephotoiSnot
weekends'
on
I
wear
that
artificial.That'swhat
and the willingnessand ability to.share
t"oitr*,
beingtalkhuman
a
it's
picture,
tn the mountaineering
with others,what we call selfdisclosure'
for the institution' I setf-moivteAge
a lot of time
ing. fn ttt" [other picture],I amtalking
Thisis not to saythat authenticleadersspend
they both capture
or thermeditation
fie photographsare different, but
through
lives
;;ploti"g theii inner
essentially
essentialabout me'"
ald
,ornalhi.tg
-self-aware
profoundly
upy.ff,.V may be
we'll call
givingthe term here)'
R tong-rr.cessfulmusic industry executive
alinentic (in the sensethat we are
selves'
his multiple
Dick is al-soa carefulcommunicatorof
in the l butnotbecauseofcontemplationoranalysis;theyalenot
occasions
oi.r. i, rrorn,he Caribbean,andon many
fllm' Fewauthenticleadwe have seen charactersin someWoodyAllen
are engagedin sell
to"gft-una-t"mble of the music business'
they
that
erswill evenbe conscious
to an islandpatoisliberhim switchfrom corporate-speak
at homein
atly sprinttedwith expletives'He is absolutely
"*p'.''io"andself-disclosure,whichisprobablywhythey
are sohard to imitate'
artists and
attributes?
the cutthroat environmentthat recording
Sohow do authenticleadersacquirethese
paroperatein' But, at the sametime' Dick's
itr.it
"g*"affluent,well-established
membersof Caribbean Therelativesimplicityoftheirgoalsoftenhelps.Agreat
three
.*t ar!
is usuallytrying to accomplishno morethan
that requireit' Dick canplay I leader
these
about
,oli"ty, unO,on the occasions
unwavering
is
He
or four big goalsat a time'
to create a rapport with the
queshimself
of
he
than
aspect
more
any
them
il;i;
goals;he do"rr,'tquestion
also
must
he
whom
with
,n.Aiu moguls and celebrities
becausethe goalsare usuallyconring true; his skill l iions'himself.That's
the leader'saudeal.All thesefacetsof his personality
nectedin somewayto one or anotherof
and when'
l
is- in aeclOingwhich to revealto whom
thenticselves.Hispursuitofthegoals'andthewayhe
thought
ptuylt-rg
mrrltiplerolesusuallydemandsa lot of
communicatesthemtofollowers,isintense-whichnatu.
andwork...Beforelgointoasituation,Itrytounderstand
the environment
of the mountaineerbecausewater and
TRUEEXPRESSION
:
SELF'
OFHISAUTHENTIC
l"::,ti,
,;
-i::i
i.'r':
i
''
we are talking
rally promotesthe kind of selFdisclosure
variousselves'
his
about
uUouiuna educateshim further
--W"
keep closeto
leaders
ttuu. alsofound that $eat
As
honest.feedback'
give
them
ttlem peoptewho will
have
us"'You
told
Burns
Bill
n*t.'pttut-aceuticals head
want to put
io f.."p your feet on the groundwhen others
you stop
pedestal'
a
on
; a pedestal.After a while
il'h;;.itg
andthey
henchmen'
Itisnotafabricationorafacade-justthebitsthatarerelthe
by
the truth. It's filtered
You
hear'
to
for that situationl'
you
want
evant
what
it possible I t'.J tJ" so well they know
relationships
no
Let'slook more closelyat just what makes
with
hive,
asthe queenbeein the
.tJ
Tomlin, and executiveslike them
"p
for Brabeck-Letmathe,
withtheworkerbees.Mywifeandsecretaryarefullyem- without seeming
to presentfragmentsof themselves
me getting a bit uppity'to give
powered,if they .u.,
"!
inauthentic.
me a thumping greathit overthe headl'
in to do preAs consultants,we often havebeen called
as priests
both
acting
cisetytt at for seniorexecutives,
to truths
open
more
to makeleaders
exerciseof leader- and spiesaswe try
This
others.
with
It goesalmostwithout sayingthatthe
andtheir relationships
andpractice'Over
develop
leaders
these
tttip it--pfex andrequiresboth skills
"uoui,rr"-relves
meanhelping
a leaderdevel- doesnot necessarily
time, andthrough variouslife experiences'
Dan Golemancallsemotional
psychologist
tttat
of
*or"
canmakeher
ops an extensiverepertoireof roles'which
it meanshelping them to sharpen
in different situa- ini.ffig"n..t ratter,
,..- u.ry different to different people
the emotionalintelligencethey althis complexity' ifr"i, i.ifft in disclosing
iions. tndeed,if a leaderdoesnt acquire
cangivebetter performancesfor their
only thosepeople readyhavesothey
shewill be ableto recruit asfollowers
followers.
common ground'
with whom she already sharessome
preparewhat I am
what it is [people]will be thinking' t
in that contextl'
be
to
going
g"i"g-," ,uy unAwho I am
at Marks &
director
HR
E-pi"i"t )ean Tomlin, former
businessblack
influential
and one of the most
;;;;";
channeling
I
am
but
me,
I
be
to
*o-an in Britain."Iwant
me'
of
segnent
a
get
is
you
parts of me to context'What
Know Yourselfand Others
HAIIVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
90
M a n a g i r gA u t h e n t i c i t y :
T h e p a r a d o xo f C r e a t
Leadership
_Consider an executive we,ll
,
/-
call Josh,the CEo of one
of the
world's largest TV production
companies for the past
ten
years. When we first
met him,
losh was one of the early inno_
vators in the field of documen_
tary TV. Over the years,
as he
nloVed up the corporate
ladder,
he maturedinto a highly
knowl_
eogeable and effective
execu_
tive who, in the process,
became
r a t h e rs e r i o u s _ e v edni s t a n t
and
austere_ in the eyesof
some of
nrs employees.These percep_
:lo::,*"r.
to attract
-**-**-:--''
,\
weakening
hii abitiiy
and retain followeri.
so we coachedJoshto return
to
the mischievous
senseof frumor
that he had disptay"d
;;;;
readily earlier in his career.
He
has.anamazing sense
of comic
timing, which he tras
tearneJ
i
-d&
@
i
\.
to ur"-to a"""ririi"g"effect
to
opponents
anddelight
_olsarm
his followers.At a recent
retire_
ment celebration, for example,
people expectedhim
to deliver
a rather sober speechconcern_
t n g t h e d e p a r t i n gs e n i o r
execu_
trve. Instead,they were
treated
to a comic tour de force,
which
thrilled the retiring executive
and stunned
/osh's followers.
none of whom would
have guessedtheir bo-ss
was so
\
i
'-- \
- -'.-------
./
i
I
r
manager's-formative
years enhancesher
ability to read
impo.I
ffiJJ.TT.,,Tif.::lnl:ru:l,rt,:Xciailv
with.difrerent
peopre
"rI.T*r,11,^
and
situations.
':t^
utation
u'nr"ua".
r.'as
benented
*;;;'d,::
comroi;;;;
.""
:t'
",#ffi|"#TilT',ffi,rillaiuiauart
in
serr.rJ.ilff:,??:',il:::i:J?l:-,S*J"t*
;;;
hersociar
;-'rs
recognize ins her
sruus
+,T1.1p1"""-pJ",deveropea
aeri.l
journevto estatrish
whichaspectror ur.ir
credibility
particulargroups
of folrowersnr" ,ool,lThentic-selves
"rti;;.;;:r;j11o
womanoperatingin an envi.o
asa brackbusiness_
1
highvaeveffi
;"#i:ih#:,,i:T:l:"j::',"ff
ri;f,1};'iti.;:i*,::H?"ditffifJ*l
mix of cognitiveand observatt"""i
t"ittt i" recognize
what followersare consciously-andunton"iou'lv--rnnalingto them.
tionsandtreatmentwere
#ety torerable,
and severar
of
#;r,;r
sordiers
rricide.Brabeck-Letmathe
"n..piJ
I
j
b"
il:ffi11il."ffi:x!"?"Ht'Jn:h:fl:il
.
,'"""t!fli',::l:i:.'lx#Tt:*:,il:"ffi:ij..::.r,:
tearn
to stayoutoftheir;,_ "-,
them.w" h#round thatindivid"",,
*nxijL?ll
a greatdealof mobility early
in tfreir fivesfossessttrere
Use
youcomeFrom
where
:li'J:.xi:-ffi:.1ii:T"'l;,1',Un"f"'#;;.;
tu,9t
By thetimea manager
startoutin sales
unJir,u,mostseniore"".u,,ufl3
risesto , ,;;
,""-0.^n,,
.^
nationar
.".','i.,-i#T;;:H!1,il;.,ltil::..'1-""i il;;;; mav
seem
rike-and,
'"oli',TllXfi'J1t"i3i;
'ngs
Expo,.,;;l;;
D E C E M t s E 2RO O 5
ffi:::ffi?H:T5L:1fl,i:,:
9,ft:ilii::i'*ilJil;;
*ff:ru:,T:
i:HTt
91
#
Leadersnlp
T h e P a r a d o xo f G r e a t
Managing Authenticity:
orjSins'The oxt9
authenticityis still closelylinked !s "authenticity;'
aefines
Di ctionary,ioi"^u*pte'
ford Engtish
'ir
we think it is
undisputedoriginl'Asa result'
p*q
in establishing
succeed
"t;;"f
fair to saythat no leaoerwiliever
hisrelamanage
effectively
his authenticityunlesshe can
to
followers'connections
tionshipwith his past and his
their roots.
personalhistoriesto estabAuthenticleadersusetheir
desireto esgroundwith their followers'The
Urh;;;;;.
a
as
employees regular'aptablishhis bonafideswith his
,
Tony Blair often conCritlcsof British Prime Minister
t
o m a x i m i z eh i s p e r t e n d t h a t b e c a u s eo f h i s d e s i r e
different'contradic,""1, .00..,, Blair movesbetween
' e
p
e r s o n a lb e l i e f s W
t o r y s e l v e sl,a c k i n ga n y c e n t r a l
stem
w
a
y
s
w
i
n
n
i
n
g
B
l
a
i
r
'
s
* o u l d u r g r . , h o w e v e rt ,h a t
on the altar of electability
not from sacrificinghrmself
s k i l li n m a n a g i n gh i s
b u t r a t h e rf r o m h t sc o n s u m m a t e
'llt ttzGerald'
*no,
explaini
pronablv
s
i
n
g l ed r a m a t i cw e e ki n
a
in
;uv
f
;;;i.
u u r n . n , , . ' , UH. i s b e h a v i o r
speaksoften and with
ut'unil"utt'
he doesthis'
well
cochairman
how
a former
.tt'U lr'n zto5 exemplified
and the influenceof his
heritage
Irish
his
C
e l d o f -a n d B o n o B
o
b
il;;il;;rt
f h " w e . t b e g a nw i t h t h e
worldviews'SimianJpolitical
moral
raiseawareness
his
both
eventto
an
motheron
inspiredLiveB pop concert'
chairmanat Unilever'
current
a
by Blair'strip
Burgmans,
larly,Antony
ubortpou.rty in Africa Thatwasfollowed
countryman- asdemonComDutch
ffie
Olympic
remains
International
obstinately
to Singaporeto lobbythe
p
ublic
j
i
g
i
n
g
l
e
e
f
u
l
a
stratedinhisdress,*."inhiswalk-despitehiselevated
*itt..-, arring whichhe danced
comfortabledisare
executives
C
a
m
e
sw a s
these
cases,
S
u
m
m
e
r
z
o
t
z
,i"i"tlt. u*h
* h . n t ' t , . U K b i d t o l a n dt h e
consummit
C8
of their origins'in a very different
the
attended
Alsothat week'he
;"tt;il;"thing
successful.
their followers'
to makeheadwayin adi"^i, ir-tora., to connectwith
in Scotland,where he was able
be carefullyhanto
needs
however'
concernsThen
roots,
passionate
one's
Pridein
dressingsome of his most
his heritage
trumpets
CEO
whose
ef t h e
L
o
n
d
o
nb e c a u s o
dled. An organization
B l a i rw a su r g e n t l yc a l l e db a c k t o
to employees-and
well be intimidatingor offensive
may
'.'uiio-.rr-*ho
This is one reason
hail fro-melsewhere'
to
work staycuriousand
that somany authenticleaders
Wehaveworkedfor many
op.n to tf-t"i,followers'origins'
executiveat a U'S'chemicalscompany'
V"ur, titf"t a senior
beginsthe
he alw-ays
Whenhe meetsnew ttu- *"tl"tUtrs'
terroristbombingsthere'
lneachoftheseinstances'Blairplayeddifferentroles
ways'Yetdespitethe d ifto attractfollowersin d rfferent
wasableto commuBlair
ferentbehaviorshe exhibited'
n-icateacoreself;hea|waysconnectedpowerfu||ywith
p o p m u s i c s' p o r t t' h e
h i s k n o w np e r s o n apl a s s i o n s - f o r
the defeatof terand
conversationswitr,tr"'esamequestion:..Tellme,howdid
eliminationof povertyin Africa'
now?"He hasan
are
you
guy
of
kind
the
t
h
at week wrung
be
,"
t""'**"
r o r i s m . l n d e e d ,h i s p e r f o r m a n c e
complexfactorsthat retlie
in
Rawnsleywrote
interest
;;il;;iable
praiseevenfrom his critics As Andrew
he underbecause
from
come
reports
airect
admiring when they obvealwherehis
\n the Observef"Peopleturn
be morelikely
(anO
it-'eorganization)will
read' articulate'and mould
standsthat they
serveISlair's]capacityto
their odgins'
with
comfortable
feel
they
i" ,t*..a if
criticaP
l o l i t i c am
l oments"
recognizethat people
It is important for leadersto
waysandthat there
frametheir backgroundsin different
cultures'The salient
are differenc.' u-*g and within
inyour
idea that you will get
tnaifJople useto.definethemselves
characteristics
ity for many' Even so, the
these
And
geography'
and
cludegender,tlu", 'ltt' 'tatus' -through dress'speech' chance remains strong'
ways
remains relatively fixed'
*uny
i"
may be expressed
ln other societies, elite status
these
Given
individof walking'
business elite comprises
i""'0, *a evenin differeni styies
For example' the French
simple
making
same
the
about
from all
in the granddcoles-often
variables,*. 'r-tottiJut tuuiiout
.,uir.au.u,.a
can
we
though
societies'
societies'espeIn
g"r-,"iufiiutions aboutstatusand
."tt"t Oti"ifegedbackgrounds' .Asian highlv reled r a w s o m e c o m p a r i s o n s . F o r i n s t a n c e ' Sthat
o m are
e s o c i e.i"iiv
t i e sd Crtiti ramilv and geographvremain
status-attributes
ascribed
p"uflt''
understandingof their odgins'
focusmore on
Othersfocus u'J,Jaop.opleis
individuals'
particular
has important impliio
perceivedu, innut"
The variability of socialstltus
rolesthat
and
of Americansocimoreon peo pt"'' o'iii"asfatus-attributes
for leaders'Therelativefluidity
cations
the
At
is reflected
own.endeavors'
individualsattainthrough their
;" avowedemphasison aspirations'
placesgreatempha- ;;;,;in
The Yalesociety
leaders'
their
e-"itan
ttutt,
ioward
attitudes
mostgeneral
i;?oil;;"tt'
W' Bush'for example'
sisonachieveastarus;thebeliefthatwhereyou'regoing
educatedYankeearistocratGeorge
the heartof the
close.to
lies
andbe believedbebeen
ut
Texas
yott
from
guy
outweighs*t"tt"
poseasa regular
can
society
American
saythat
will acceptthat he
Americanar.urn.'rni, is not to
Ameri.u"', unlTkt Europeans'
cause
commentators
Many
alwaysactsaccordingto this belief'
cantransformhimself,andtheywillrespecthisaspirati
rich andpoor in the
simply wouldnt
between
gap
g'o*i*ng
worry that th"
to do so.That kind ;f metamorphosis
mobilsocial
of
prospects
il"tt
wiliJecit"ut"
Unitedstates
H A R V A R D B U S I N E S SR E V I E W
92
seemauthentic in Britain;
to the working_class
voter,once
an aristocrat,always an aristocrat
Authentic leaders are comfortable
in their skin; they
know where
they comef1""1
andthey
know how to usetheir.back$ounds
""j;;;;il;;.,
to ;;ill
rapport
with followers.Authenticlea*ders
"
with other origins;they welcomJii._.
"r. "","ifr.""tened by
l."f]:
rn.u ur.
sensitivein communicating
their
are
aware
of the differences
";tgrJs;;
in culturalattituaes'iowLa*,rr"l.
Uu.t_
grounds.As Albert Einstein
once,aid,l,t ,O"lf, ,o .u.ryone in the sameway,whether
he is ii_r.gLU"g"r"n o.
,, .t 'i. r
AUTHENTIC
M a n a g i nAg u t h e n t i c i tTy h
: ep a r a d o x
o f C r e a tL e a d e r s h i p
he preferred the quiet_corrjdors
of headquartersto the
hurly-burly of the marketplace.
c.ufr"_ i"J attempted
to fit in to the dominantculture.
fnrt"uJ, t nad merely
conformed - and lost the
chance ,;;^;; " effective
change leader.
At the other end oftl
Itl',**; iil;il""i?5i
[ :ff:fl:T
".fil3lil,ffi
conformingenough.Ashisboss,
nrr.nr.r irrr"., told Brit_
rete ra_ilr
newspape
s
r,,,u. rtu.i.JioTffi .opr"ilr.
1!1,
wrong way.He was controversial,
wenr on....We'dall take a
and it got worse asthings
bus [at,n.io.porl e retreatl
iiii. SEIF-AWARE
ANDESSENTIALLY
,liiI l,rii iliri i
the president of the university',
That statement reflects
not only Einstein,scomfort
*lt-n f,ir"r"fiJu, ulro with the
more open societyhe chose
to live in.
Conform- But Only Just
Enough
When picking which aspects
of themselvesto reveal,and
to whom, authentic leaders
rnrrt i;;.;irst
how much
they need to conform to social
and organizationalnorms.
The challengefor theseexecutives
is to createjust enough
distance from the norms
so followers will perceive
the
leadersas specialand attractiv".
,if
judgment
call: Too much conformity
"'""ri?ne
can render
leaiers ineffective;
too little can isolate them.
Craham, a dynamic salesguy
in a fast_moving,Boston_
basedconsumer goods uusiiess
,h;i;;
uo"u,r",provides
a good illustration of what
happens ;;;
leader con_
forms too much. He was,and
ls,a ue.y efrc.iiu" ,ul"rrn"n,
albeit in an old_fashioned,in_your_f"*
f.irJ"r*ay. Some
people found him brash.
We it orgni h.'*"i very bright
but a tittle
too forthrigh, r".,rr.llii;;fi.
cutturein
which he worked.We.ulSed
his managersto givehim a
to grow,though,feelingthriilir"f,igl_,_."ergy
!h11..
lead_
ership
stylecould help bring"about
,"_Jn'r.., needed
changein the organization.
Grahammovedfrom.salesto
marketing,then briefly
into a productionrole at a factory,
ana th-JnOacl<
into a
seniormarketingrote.we were
il;r"; unJ;isappoinred
at the transformationjn him
*f,.n *" ru*l_,jrnagain.He
spokein nuancedphrases,
and he *r.irffy *"ighed his
opinionsbeforeexpressing
them.He defendedthe status
quo,remarkingthat our proposed
changeug"nanfor the
organization
was,,alittle simplisti..,,H;
;td usthat
";;
:'
andhe had a limousine;a special
driver.Everyonehad a
walkie-talkie,
andyoutrearaipeopteir;;;;,wh"
wasthis
guy,and why washe demanding
this?ilt i,as a badvibe,
let) o1t it that way."ovitz lastejr4
;";;;; at Disney.
Authentic leadersknow how
,; ;;ik;;
balancebe_
tweentheir distinctiveness
andthe culturesin whichthey
operate.Theydo not jmmediately
seekori t.ra_on .on_
frontationsbecauseth.eyrecognil"
irr", ,Li. survivalas
leaders(and,by extension,
theiurviJ
requiresa measuredintroduction,;, "fii"i, iririatives)
;;;"ptation
oi
the organization,s
establisheO
Uusines,n"*on , and so_
cial relationships.
To inflrrence
;il.ntic teaders
mustfirstgainat leastminimal ",h.;;,
u.."p,ur*
membersof
their organizations.
",
Perhapsthe bestexamplewe've
seenof this wasthe
caseof an executivewe,lliall
fvflyuf.o,onJ of the first fe_
malefinancedirecto
wasanoutsta,di"sb:::L3JJi:il..T;:T3;?;#'J
accounting
practices,
U-lghrln n"* talent,and
11ize 1s
succeeded
in breakingup the cozyriale
.uJ"f n, the top.
But evenas shebroki
toqrav
therore
expe;":'l,:,#1#fnf;,'fi:i:i
settings.
Her situationtrighfightsth.
,ri"*r", challenge
that womenfacein estauusrring
th";;i;;;;s
aurhentic
leaders:Unlessfemaleleaders
;f.""*f.j*.
lnO validate
,Jurrounding
::Tj^:l,ll.prevaitingorganizationalno.fr
gender
roles,thev will find it hard
to oUiulnu..eptance
from malefollowers.
In complexorganizations,
Ieaders
canselectthe specific
normsanderementsthey want
to be identifiedwith and
to
ln:,r.ln.U !.ed reject.GregDyke,for_..-ai...,o, g.n_
erat
of the BBC,one of the wirrdb
l;;;;;oiu
o.gu.,i
zations,understands
verywell fro* to p.fuvjiilr.n,
o.gu_
nizationalnormsagainstone
another.Whenhe took over
D E C E M B E R2 O O 5
93
T h e P a r a d o xo f C r e a t L e a d e r s n l p
Managing Authenticity:
the organiacross
at the BBCin January2ooo'employees
the job'
into
coming
after
zation were unhappy'Shortly
andstudiosto unovi." u.g* pokinghisnoseinto offices
better'The morevisitshe
staffers'situation
J.rri*irrt.
he couldwin broad
made,the more he cameto seethat
to introduce
needed
he
changes
r"r the major
"i..pi""."
Uiupp.ufing to the organization'sf""k "Ld,lt" cars and
out the
To that end, Oykeiegan phasing
memberof his
each
to
.f",utff*r, that hadbeen"asigned
producersand support
a*.."rt" board' The program
[n an organization
move:
;;;ff"" were pleaseauy tttis
long line of exthe
with a strongegalitarianaspiration'
hadbeen
pensiveblackcarsparkedoutsideheadquarters
staffers'
many
alienation-for
a sourceof irritation-even
consultoutside
spent.on
cut the largebudget
oyL
millionrl
to
million
"fto
tzz
ants-in oneyear'it went from
generalhad in the
,V*f"iiritg the faith the director
insidethe organization'He wasimplicitly
p."pf"
"ft""dy
here'"
iuying,"rknow we havethe talent
his language'dressed
oclasticinstincts.He moderated
moreformallythanwashisnormaltaste,andpublicly
(notablymuseumsand
.*pi"tJ.O thoseof his interests
most to the board' In
;;i;;.. education)that appealed
tfr. ."a, however,the political machination:"f lTju'
forcedto reslgn'
o"a*naf*.a evenDyke,andhe was
of asthe oppositeof
Authenticityhasoften Utt"'iottgttt
sincere'and
;;ril. - somethingthat is straightforward'
is not
suithat conceptionof authenticity
r"i"*Ot*ed.
aswho
Managers
*itpfi"ic, it is alsowrongheaded'
from an uncontrolled
"tfy
sumethat their authenticitystems
becomeauthennever
will
selves
inner
of their
;;;;"i""
that their reputation
ii.Ga.rr. creat leadersunderstand
forauthenticityneedstobepainstakinglyearnedand
carefullYmanaged'
of honesty"'lf you
The comicGeorgeBurnsoncesaid
equallyhave
canfakethat, you'vegot it madeJ'He-could
of course'authentic
been talking aoout luthenticity'
but Burns'sjoke resit'
make
to
it
f t a.tt ao" ireally fake
we might
it acknowledges.what
Butitwasntenoughtoidentifywithpeoplenearthe
onur., preciselybecause
Dyke
CEO'
typical
a
I t . ,.tuct"nt to admit - that the expressionof one'saubottom of the hierarchy'Unlike
of
board
powerful
very
act'All authenneededthe approvalofthe BBC's
tt","ntl. selfis a complicatedandcontrived
chairmanat the time' the patrician
lts
as
wett
;;;;t;;
ticleadersarecomplicatedandcontrived'ManyAmeriDykehad
"t
acceptance'
for his authenticityas
SirChristopherBland'To win their
cansreverethe late l{onaldReagan
he
while
even
mores
actorto
professional
to showrespectfor their established
president- but he wasalsothe first
most
of
instincts
U
*u, upp.ufingto the antiestablishment
makeit to the White House'
at
adept
quite
proved
he
For a while'
of his employees'
In public' at least'he always
relationship'
tf"tis
rnu*gi"g
Reprint RO5l2E
qovernorsin forSir Christopherandthe other
addressed
order, see Page 155'
To
to rein in his own iconmal language'He wasalsocareful
&
)Q.
'tf
j
Ar$fFS*'j
is on to something"'
"DomeafavorandcallBob It lookslike.Jerry
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
94