Experienced Authentic Leaders

http://www.lougehrig.com/about/als.htm

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/167924-lou-gehrig-remembering-the-quiet-forgotten-leader-of-murderers-row

The name Lou Gehrig is more than a legendary Hall of Fame baseball player. The name means more than a former Yankee Captain and World Series Champion. It means more than his tough persona and nickname ("The Iron Horse") indicates. Lou Gehrig is a disease, a disease that is incurable and leads inevitably to death to those who have it. Throughout the semester, I have become interested in those who have leadership placed upon them. Leaders who have no choice but to embrace a cause purely through association are typically the most authentic leaders of all. Could Martin Luther King Jr have led the Civil Rights movement if he hadn't faced the hate and bigotry of the South? Could Lance Armstrong become a symbol of hope to those who have Cancer if he didn't experience the disease? Could Magic Johnson discuss the fear he faced when diagnosed with HIV if he didn't experience it? Simply put, Authentic leaders whom experience their cause, often leads to the best authentic leadership.

Leaders who experience the causes they represent have unbelievable support from their followers. These leaders are able to create a sense of trust and honesty that others can't be replicate. This high level of trust ensures followers that they are following a noble cause. The leaders themselves are the cause the followers support. An outsider trying to replicate this behavior is often viewed as phony and selfish.

Authentic leaders like Lou Gehrig are able to leverage all of the authentic leadership characteristics. They are so closely linked to their cause that followers will go beyond the basic call of duty in order to complete a task. Examining the Authentic Action Wheel, one notices that a leader who experiences his cause first hand is able to create high levels of meaning, existence, and power. These three concepts can motivate followers to fully embrace the mission and structure more closely than they would with an outside leader.

As one can see, obviously leaders who experience their causes are able to embrace their message and gain support from their followers better than outside leaders. The question remains, does this relationship exist in business? The answer: Absolutely. Take a look at any business, and somewhere in their history you will find a leader who first hand experienced the cause they are supporting. Take for instance the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford embraced the causes his business supported and his employees followed due to his first hand experience with creating Ford Motor Company from nothing to the top car company it once was. Henry Ford benefited from creating the company himself. This experience shows commitment to the company that other leaders cannot replicate. Although he had a choice to start a business or not, his first hand experience with the struggles any start up business experiences can be used to motivate his employees. Anybody who starts their own company can use authentic leadership to enhance their relationship with their employees. To sum up, when someone has experienced the cause they support first hand, they are better suited for authentic leadership than an outsider. These leaders can motivate their followers in a unique way that emotionally affects those involved. And we all know people will fight for a cause they believe in.

Dan Becker