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The Authentic Voices of Women Leaders

Elizabeth Jones, PhD Candidate, Capella University
Shelley Robbins, PhD, Senior Core Faculty, Capella University

Being authentic as a leader is being self-aware, being true to one’s self, and bringing all of one’s self to one’s work. Authenticity in leadership and voicing one’s authentic leadership are espoused as prized elements of leadership excellence. But is it advisable to voice true feelings? Is it safe to be authentic in organizations? What does authenticity really look like? Does authenticity manifest differently in women and men?

Beth Jones and I have been studying the ways in which authenticity and authentic voice affect women. In their 1992 classic, Meeting at the Crossroads, Lynn Mikel Brown and Carol Gilligan used the concept of voice as a metaphor for describing a person’s perspective, experiences, and stories. Their research on the development of young girls concluded that as girls develop and grow up, they are taught by society, schools, and even parents, to abandon their unique voices and replace it with the voices and expectations of others. Is this part of the silencing of women’s voices in order to fit in and get along in the organizations in which they work?

Informed women understand their peril if they follow male scripts for authenticity in leadership; women do not reap the same benefits as do men who display collectivist behaviors. Beth’s dissertation research focuses the ways in which women integrate their personal development (or processes of becoming authentic) with their work. She is particularly interested in the ways in which women lead through their ideas, and in the impact of genuine self-expression on their work, their identities, and their lives. Beth’s qualitative research uses narrative inquiry methods to explore the ways in which women academic leaders express themselves through their work and ascribe meaning to their work. Beth is working with seven influential, widely published scholars who are full professors at large research institutions in the mid-Atlantic region. To date, these women have provided over 35 hours of oral interviews in the process of reflecting on life course, workplace, and publication experiences. Would you like to join our conversation on this topic?

Visit here for more information about life course theory and find out more about narrative inquiry here and here.

The list below is comprised of recent readings on authenticity:

Here are some recent readings on authenticity:

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338.

Brown, L. M., & Gilligan, C. (1992). Meeting at the crossroads: Women’s psychology and girls’ development. New York: Ballantine Books.

Covey, S. R. (2005). The 8th habit: From effectiveness to greatness. New York: Free Press.

Eagly, A. H. (2005). Achieving relational authenticity in leadership: Does gender matter? The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 459-474.

Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. (2007). Through the labyrinth: The truth about how women become leaders. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

George, B. (2004). The journey to authenticity. Leader to Leader, 2004(31), 29-35.

Goldberger, N., Tarule, J. M., Clinchy, B. M., & Belenky, M. F. (Eds.). (1996). Knowledge, difference, and power: Essays inspired by women’s ways of knowing. New York: Basic Books.

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