Leadership Philosophy: Theory, Authenticity, and Organizational Growth

Definition of Leadership

Understanding that effective leadership is not always a matter of directing is an important part of leader development. Leadership encompasses many different attributes of the individual, and while it always pertains to one's ability to lead, there are numerous different ways in which any single leader might lead followers at any given time and in any given place. For this reason, it is helpful to understand leadership from the perspective of theory—in particular, the Five Colors of Change theory and the Inside the Box theory. These two theories focus on the various ways in which leadership can be most effectively applied. But leadership is more than theory; it is also practice, and that is where personal authenticity comes into play. Ultimately, the goal of the leader is to help the organization obtain its goals, which often means understanding the complexities of the organization and assisting in organizational transformation and development. Obtaining organizational goals also requires a leader to recognize the importance of spiritual formation, followership, and wisdom, and how these relate to leadership theory and leadership philosophy.

Leadership is the ability of a person or organization to guide others; it often involves having a vision, the ability to communicate that vision effectively, the ability to motivate others, high levels of social and emotional intelligence, and the willingness to think critically and innovatively (Boyd & Goldenberg, 2013; Hendon et al., 2017; McCleskey, 2014). Successful leaders are able to develop relationships, provide support to personnel, and facilitate teamwork (Zeng, 2019). Because there is no single right way to be a leader, approaches to leadership vary considerably depending on the person and the situation in which leadership is needed. For that reason, there are as many theories of leadership as there are styles of leadership. Essentially, leadership is best defined as the ability to lead others toward a stated goal using an appropriate style to facilitate the process.

Two important theories of leadership that help explain what leadership is and how it can vary in approach are the Five Colors of Change theory of De Caluwé and Vermaak (2004) and the Inside the Box theory of Boyd and Goldenberg (2013). De Caluwé and Vermaak (2004) explain, for instance, that every situation in which leadership is needed is likely to be complex. Because of this environmental complexity, leaders have—or should have—a range of options when it comes to choosing how to approach leadership. The Five Colors theory suggests that the leader should decide how to frame the situation using one of five color-coded approaches and act accordingly. These color codes include an approach for identifying the "conglomeration of interests" within the organization; an approach for relying on expertise to plan a rational course of action; an approach that relies heavily upon social and emotional intelligence in order to nurture followers and build relationships; an approach that focuses on action-learning; and an approach that focuses on chaos thinking and promoting naturalistic, organic development (p. 11).

Boyd and Goldenberg (2013) complement the Five Colors of Change theory with their focus on Inside the Box thinking, which provides various approaches to leadership as well. In the Inside the Box theory, leaders may choose from subtracting something from the workplace to make it more efficient, dividing tasks, multiplying tasks, unifying tasks, or applying the attribute dependency approach, which focuses on understanding how the parts fit together. When adopting the attribute dependency approach, another leadership concept that can help is the laughter advantage (Carder, 2019). Promoting joy in the workplace can be a way for a leader to help the various parts of a complex environment meld more coherently and consistently (Charman, 2013).

Personal Authenticity

One important component of leadership, regardless of the approach taken, is personal authenticity. Personal authenticity refers to an individual's possession of a code of ethics, adherence to that code, honesty in dealing with others, and the ability to demonstrate that one lives by the values one professes (Zheng et al., 2020). Personal authenticity is what enables a leader to come across as genuine to others (Malone, 2016). Genuineness is critical in leadership, especially when the leader is attempting to promote organic development within an organization: the leader will want to foster relationships and help people reach their potential. The ability to come across as authentic can help empower and inspire others to work toward a high ideal. As Malone (2016) points out, one way to empower others is to use humor in the workplace—humor has the quality of emphasizing and appealing to the common humanity of everyone. It can authenticate a workplace by grounding it in a spirit of acceptance and mirth. A leader who uses humor while also promoting and adhering to a code of ethics will show followers that he is neither a self-righteous type of leader nor a leader without values. Such a leader can relate to others while holding to a high standard of conduct and serving as an example of how to work according to that standard.

An authentic leader is one who emphasizes truth. Truth can be unsettling for some, but in the hands of a leader who is open to using humor in the workplace, truth can be a way to lighten the atmosphere and liberate people. Those who accept objective truth can gain self-awareness, awareness of their actual environment, and awareness of universal principles that can guide moral action. Joint laughter in the workplace can foster teamwork, facilitate relationship-building, and humanize organizational culture so that people see one another as equals rather than as obstacles or opponents (Kangasharju & Nikko, 2009). Humor can be an effective way for a leader to come across as more real, to break down resistance, and to create harmony (Carder, 2019). The laughter advantage is thus a good foundation for a philosophy of leadership.

Organizational Theory

Coupling a philosophy of leadership with a theory of organization is another important element of effective leadership. There are many organizational theories. The classical organizational theory focuses on identifying best practices for best results (Onday, 2016). In modern organizational theory, focus is given to structures and the division of labor so that resources are optimally and efficiently used. In postmodern organizational theory, culture and language give meaning to the various elements of the organization; understanding those elements requires understanding the words, terms, emotions, values, and ideas of the culture and people who use them (Hatch, 2018). In symbolic organizational theory, there is an unconscious association between a physical thing and an expected outcome (Hatch, 2018). Each of these theories provides insight that a leader can use when considering how to lead an organization.

For instance, when addressing conflict, the leader should consider which theory best applies to the leadership philosophy and practice he has chosen to pursue. From a classical theory perspective, conflicts are typically resolved by appealing to the structures and hierarchies within the organization, with the leader exerting influence to resolve the conflict. At the same time, the leader may want to consider a symbolic or postmodern theoretical perspective in order to understand the culture underlying the conflict and the expectations of the individuals involved. Humor as a basis for leadership philosophy can be used to ease tensions, communicate truths in a light-hearted manner, and open doors to resolution through goodwill and understanding. If conflict arises from disagreement about expectations or from clashes of culture, the leader can apply the laughter advantage to re-introduce humanity to the situation and remind everyone that all are human beings in need of charity, respect, understanding, and appreciation. Thus, a firm understanding of organizational theory and theoretical foundations will assist a leader in applying leadership practices effectively within the organization.

Conclusion

Effective leadership is produced through a combination of qualities and capabilities: a leader is one who leads others to an identified goal, to put it simply. But in the real world, complexities abound. In an organization, there are various parts that interact and integrate; sometimes those parts do not work well together; sometimes they grind against one another; sometimes they appear superfluous; sometimes parts appear to be missing. Inevitably, parts need to change and the organization needs to grow in new directions. Leaders must be responsible for guiding change and cultivating a culture within the organization that both empowers followers and gives them a reason to find meaning and joy in their work.

Leaders should therefore focus on the spiritual nature of the organization, on cultivating followers in a way that enables them to think critically, and on applying wisdom so that the organization benefits from the reflexive capacities of both leaders and followers. Organizational development depends to some degree on the extent to which followers are given the opportunity to become tomorrow's leaders. But without a firm understanding of organizational theory—how culture and language imply meaning, and how structures and hierarchies can assist in issues like conflict resolution—a leader will have little foundation for practice. Leadership philosophy should incorporate a sense of humor to guide all things toward the organization's greater good.

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