The Authenticity of the One Guiding the Team

THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEADER IN A BOOK BY FABRIZIO CASTELLUCCI

We all know a leader when we see one. What is much harder is to pin down what leadership exactly means. Yet the literature on leadership has evolved immensely over the last century. In the beginning, the theory focused on identifying personality traits such as intelligence or eloquence, says Fabrizio Castellucci, who looked at the subject in his book Essere leader (Il Management, 2018).
 
“The adopters of this approach were not able to identify the universal and distinctive features of leadership, yet this theory is still favored by authors and publishers who claim that individual traits and characteristics can predict the success of entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs or Elon Musk”.
The literature has since evolved to incorporate new relevant dimensions: the forms of leader behavior, hence the theories on leadership styles; the people oriented vs goal oriented approach; the context; the characteristics of the leader’s collaborators.
 
Among the emerging approaches, Castellucci says, the one focusing on authenticity seems particularly promising. According to this theory, a leader with high levels of self-awareness who acts consistently with his own value system can motivate employees and gets results. “No pre-packaged model can describe the complexity of leadership. We need to use our critical thinking skills to reject over-simplified theories that bear little resemblance to reality. Leaders’ interests may differ from those of their firms. Leaders may lack the required experience and knowledge. Sometimes leaders fail and create toxic workplaces”.

Read more about this topic:
Massimo Magni. The Sense of Purpose of Leaders 4.0
Are Narcissists Good for Their Acolytes?
When Style Reduces the Discount
What if Training Is More Important than Talent?
The Boss’s Emotions
Women in Politics. Ask the System
The Independence of Those Who Control
Women in Parliament Save Lives. Scores of Them

by Claudio Todesco