“To Thine Own Self be True” – Light from Many Lamps Part 5

When I read Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, there are so many leadership lessons to be learned. Though Hamlet himself was a dismal failure as a leader, his story illustrates many valuable life lessons and leadership concepts. One such concept is contained in the famous speech by Polonius given to his son Laertes in Act 1, scene 3, in which he compels his son to virtuous living by knowing what he stands for, getting along well with others, acting with prudence, and above all, being true to his own self:

“This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day

Thou canst not then be false to any man” (I,iii,78-80)

In this, Polonius is encouraging Laertes to really be self-reflective, find out what his true values are, and lead from a place of authenticity. This was revolutionary for the time, as the concept of self was just becoming a societal construct in medieval history (Schabram, 2009, pg 14, 15). It continues today to be a newer approach to leadership.

Authentic Leadership is a more recent leadership theory that researchers are beginning to take notice of. It contains elements of the intra-personal (being able to lead from conviction), inter-personal (leading from a reciprocal relationship with followers), and developmental (able to nurture certain behaviours) (Northouse, 2019, pg. 198).  It is a complex process that encompasses the development of moral and ethical behaviours in leaders so that they are trusted by followers (Northouse, 2019, pg. 207). Definitions that have been generated for authentic leadership are complex in nature, but Schabram (2007) succinctly defines it as “the active process of aligning values of which one is aware with actions” (p. 20).  It is closely aligned with transformational leadership, in that it seeks to influence others by relationship, however, transformational theories do not address elements of ethics or morals. Therefore, leaders such as Hitler and Ghandi have both been labelled as transformational. Researchers have separated them due to their differing morals by creating a sub-category called “pseudo-transformational” to identify those leaders who have a negative moral effect. Authentic leadership addresses this weakness (Schabram, 2007, pg. 13).

When Polonius urges Laertes to be “true to thine own self”, he reflects the practical approach to authentic leadership put forth by Bill George (Northouse, 2019,pg. 199). In this approach, an authentic leader maintains five fundamental characteristics. They include having a strong sense of purpose, which enables them to be passionate about their work. They hold firm values and a deep understanding of these propels their behaviour. They have a well developed sense of self-discipline which enables them to stay cool, calm and consistent. Finally, they have a compassionate heart, which endears them to followers by being truly interested in their life stories. The theoretical side to this approach describes such leaders as having a greater sense of self awareness, an internalization of their moral perspective, a balanced approach to processing information, and strong relational transparency (Northouse, 2019, pg. 203).

 

When one embraces an authentic leadership perspective, the benefits to the organization are positive. Studies have shown that followers are able to thrive at work, and have increased creativity, hope, optimism, and trust. They are more strongly engaged, satisfied and committed (Northouse, 2019, pg. 207). Followers begin to identify with the leader, seeing them as a role model. The work environment becomes conducive to the positive emotional well being of followers, giving them room for self expression, autonomy and self-determination. They become emotionally empowered (Schabram, 2009, pg 25). Authentic leaders also experience positive growth themselves as they begin to feel greater motivation and a willingness to seek out further challenges (Schabram, 2009, pg. 23). Michael Brown (2013), in speaking to a modern leadership culture, gives simple advice on how to achieve these goals. He says, “be clear about your values, think about how you are going to communicate them, and forge a path as a leader which allows you to be true to those values.  Whilst using your intelligence to read situations and considering which approach is going to work best to deliver the outcomes you want”.

In considering how I apply principles of Authentic Leadership, I took the Authentic Leadership Self Assessment Questionairre that Northouse (2019, pg. 220) presents. While reading the literature, I felt confident that I am authentic in how I lead. The results from the ALQ showed that I have a high score in balanced processing, in that I consider all perspectives before making a decision. I do find this valuable in my current practice. However, I was on the border between low and high for self awareness, moral perspective, and relational transparency. This surprised me, but when I consider further, I wonder if it is because there are elements where I have self doubt and gave myself lower scores in these areas. One main area is in relational transparency. I am really relational and enjoy getting to know others. I know that people feel safe with me and easily open up to me. However, in a professional setting, I am cognizant of the fact that I feel reluctant to be truly transparent with who I am, my experiences, fears, doubts, emotions, etc. I know that I feel guarded in these areas in a work environment. Yet, my sense is that this is not perceived by others around me and they would identify me as being quite transparent. I feel that too much transparency would undermine my authority as a leader with my followers. I wonder if other leaders who would consider themselves authentic leaders feel the same way. How does one be truly transparent with followers, without creating a sense of un-ease due to a knowledge of a leader’s weakness?

References:

Brown, M. (2013). Great advice for any leader: “To thine own self be true.” [Michael Brown Real Learning, For a Change]. Retrieved from https://reallearningforachange.com/leadership-skills/great-advice-for-any-leader-to-thine-own-self-be-true/?doing_wp_cron=1541338564.3376030921936035156250

Northouse, P. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice (8th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Schabram, K. (2009). To thine own seIf be true: Authentic leadership and managerial training (Masters Thesis). Concordia University, Montreal, QU. Retrieved from https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/976672/1/MR67298.pdf

Shakespeare, W. (n.d). Hamlet translation. Sparknotes. Retrieved from https://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/shakespeare/hamlet/page_44/

Watson, L.E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York: Simon and Schuster.