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Authentic-Transformational Leadership

by David G Komatz

This leadership style merges the best aspects of Authentic and Transformational Leadership. Combining these traits and giving it a new name does not create a new leadership style. It takes more. This article outlines the underlying aspects of this new leadership style and discusses how leaders can incorporate it into their own lives. Integrity is the foundation of this leadership style.

Ethics
Authentic leaders are ethical leaders. They’ve identified their ethical codes, and they never compromise on what they believe to be right and wrong.

1. Know your organization’s values, so that you can embody them in your day-to-day business.
2. Know Your Personal Ethics. The best leaders follow their personal as well as their organizational ethics.
3. Know the consequences of behavior that doesn’t live up to your corporate values, or which breaks the rules on ethical behavior. When this occurs, there should be consequences without being too harsh. You should remind people of the proper standards of behavior.

Authority
Authentic leaders know how to use the right kind of authority for the good of the group, and for the objective that needs to be attained. As a leader your team should look up to you. When leaders do as they say, they gain the esteem and appreciation of their teams.

Hire the Right People
It cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to hire the right people. They must be the right people in the right job at the right time and with the right attitudes.

The Customer is Extremely Important
The customer is critical in determining where the company should go, that is in the right direction. Determine the needs of the customer and then fulfill those needs. After determining the needs of the customer, the leaders must figure out the costs involved and the steps needed to reach those needs.

Products Should not be only Good Enough
The key in today’s technology driven economy, companies do not have the time to wait over a year for a product to be determined as the best it can be. The key is to work more quickly and use the test and iterate method to make improvements as needed.

Find the Good In An Organization, Not The Bad
When leaders join an organization they should not work to find out what is wrong with the company, but rather to determine what is good and makes the organization great and improve on those areas. Spending excessive time finding the errors that exist, you should determine which actions are done correctly and encouraging the workers to continue.

Test and Iterate.
When creating new products or services, never settle for good enough. Always strive to make your product or service the best it can be. Then, continue making improvements as needed.

Keep your target market in mind.
Customers are very important. Companies should be able to recognize the needs of their customers and endeavor to give them the best customer care. Seek input from your customers and find out what they demand. Once that is determined, set goals to supply the customers with what they need.

Learn to handle your people.
You have to deal with employees, including senior managers. You are faced with the challenge on how to get people to adjust to changes in the organization. Senior managers can either be retained or let go while some younger executives already know what they want. It is important to evaluate, assess and do the right thing: either encourage people to get on board by motivating them or letting them go.

Listen to what your employees are saying.
Your employees are extremely important to the organization and you should allow them to provide their opinions and learn from them.

Be an Accommodating, Participative and Well-Informed Leader.
Motivating and inspiring team members can show how sympathetic one is as a leader. When it comes to trusting and respecting employees, you should be one of the supporters, which makes you a participative leader.

Inspire employees instead of forcing them to work.
A transformational leader will encourage employees to work through motivation and inspiration. Be a leader who sets a good example and constantly encourage them to be productive. You are not there as a leader to force anyone to work. Ensure that all of your employees are engaged and happy.

About the author

David G Komatz is a seasoned pro with over 47 years of accounting experience. Within those years he has gained 36 years experience in leadership, 16 years in HR management and 10+ years in fraud prevention and deterrence. He has a MBA in Forensic Accounting, MS in Organizational Leadership, two graduate certificates in criminal justice and HR management and is currently a student in a Doctor of Business Administration in Global Business and Leadership.