Response to discussion post minimum 150 words

I’m working on a Social Science exercise and need support.

Read the posts of your peers and post scholarly responses to two. Ask clarifying questions or suggest other ways a leader might use practices from these two leadership styles to engage community members.

Student post down below:

As we look at and discuss figure 9.1 from our text, we can see the key characteristics that make up an authentic leader. Authentic leaders have a sense of purpose, knowing what they are about and where they are headed (Northouse, 2019). Purpose manifests itself as passion. Passionate people are interested in what they are doing, are inspired and intrinsically motivated, and care about the work they are doing (Northouse, 2019). Authentic leaders have values, know what they are, and do not compromise on those values (Northouse, 2019). This quality manifests itself through the leader’s behavior, all authentic leaders act in accordance with their values. Authentic leaders build relationships with others and have connectedness with their followers. They are willing to share their experiences and listen to others’ experiences and are communicative with their followers. Authentic leadership is self-discipline, which gives leaders focus and determination: ability to focus on a goal and move forward towards that goal even in the face of setbacks (Northouse, 2019). This is consistency. Self-disciplined leaders remain cool, calm, and consistent during stressful situations. Finally, authentic leaders have heart, which shows in their compassion. They are sensitive to others’ needs and are willing to help them. Each quality shown in figure 9.1 builds upon the next starting with the characteristics in the middle of the circle. As I mentioned above, in authentic leadership you cannot have the qualities shown in the outer part of the circle without first having the inner qualities.

While authentic leadership and servant leadership have some of the same characteristics, they do have different qualities. Servant leaders are self-aware. They are empathetic, great at listening and they promote healing and wholeness. Servant leaders actively serve others, they are committed to stewardship and building community. Many servant leaders are persuasive, have good foresight and conceptual skills (Northouse, 2019).

A leader in a human services organization could use the characteristics of both servant and authentic leadership to engage and support their members. For instance, a servant leader should be authentic. Authenticity is all about transparency. A great leader is the same in private as they are in public. What they speak behind closed doors matches what they say to others. The authentic servant leader is consistent in message and transparent in intent. The humility aspect of a servant leader is also revealed in authenticity. A servant leader is never afraid to say, “I don’t know”. The leader who is authentic is less concerned with the perceptions of others and more concerned with the content of their character.