case study

Debating Point: SHOULD LEADERS REALLY BE AUTHENTIC ALL THE TIME? According to popular business books and several scholarly articles, authentic leadership is one of the core attributes of effective leaders. Authentic leaders know themselves and act in accordance with that self-concept. They live their personal values and find a leadership style that best matches their personality. Furthermore, authentic leaders have a sense of purpose, often developed through a crisis or similar "crucible" event in their lives. It makes sense that leaders should be authentic. After all, as singer Liza Minnelli has often said, "I would rather be a first-rate version of myselt than a second-rate version Of anybody else."* In other words, leaders fare better by acting out their natural beliefs and tendencies than by acting like someone else. Furthermore. authenticity results in consis-tency. which is a foundation of trust. So, by being authentic, leaders are more likely to be trusted by followers. But should leaders alwavs be themselves and act consistently with their beliefs and personality? Not necessarily, according to a few experts. The concept of authentic leader-shin seems to be at odds with well-established research showing that people are evaluated as more effective leaders when they have a high rather than low selt-monitoring personalitv. High "self-monitors" auicklv understand their social environment and easily adapt their benaviour to that envI-ronment. In other words. high selt-monitors change their behaviour to suit what others expect from them. In con-trast, low self-monitors behave consistently with their personality and self-concept. They do not change their beliefs, style, or behaviours across social contexts. On the con-trary, they feel much more content win nigh congruence between who they are and what they do. even when their natural style does not fit the situation. Employees prefer an adaptive (I.e., high self-monitoring) leader because they have preconceived prototypes of how leaders should act (implicit leadership theory, which we discussed earlier in this chapter). Authentic leaders are more likely to violate those prototypical expectations and, con sequently. to be viewed as less leader-like. The messagefrom this is that leadershio is a role that its incumbents arerequired to perform rather than being tree to completely"act naturally." Ironically, while applauding the virtues of authentic leadership, the late leadership expert Warren Bennis acknowledged that "leadership is a performance art " His point was that leaders function best when they act naturally in the leadership role. but the reality of any performance is that people can never be fully themselves." Furthermore, while being yourself is authentic, it may convey an image of inflexibility and insensitivity.' This problem was apparent to one management protessor and con sultant when working recently with a client. The executives staff followed a work process that was comfortable to the eyecutive but not to many of her emplovees. When asked to consider adopting a process that was easier for her staff, the executive replied, "Look. This is just how I work." The executive was being authentic, but the inflexibility undermined employee performance and morale.55 [1:54 p.m., 2023-06-21] Shivali Sharma: DID CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP CAUSE STEINHOFF'S DOWNFALL?' Board members of Steinhoff International Holdings anxiously waited for CEO Markus Jooste to arrive from Europe with documents supporting the company's unaudited and overdue financial reports. Instead, after hours of delay, Jooste sent a text message saying that he was quitting, seeking legal counsel, and wouldn't attend the board meeting at all. The South African-based company's stock value plummeted by 90 percent with news of its accounting "irregularities. A recent forensic accounting report confirmed the worst: a small group of Steinhoff executives, "led by a senior management executive." had engaged in extensive accounting fraud involving more than (CAD) $10 billion over the previous decade. Steinhoff's collapse has been attributed to several factors, including overpriced acquisitions, a dual reporting structure, and a board that failed to provide sufficientoversignl of management. Another frequently men-Brenton Geach/Gallo Images/Getty Imagestioned explanation, however, is that Markus Jooste was a charismatic leader who mesmerized Steinhoff's board.of uncritical subservience and self-censorship" and that executives, and many external stakeholders. Jooste has*only those subordinates who obsequiously defer to him been portrayed as a "superhuman businessman." a "ruth.benefit from his extensive patronage." lessly ambitious" retail star with "extraordinary dealmakingJooste's apparent charisma was even blamed for thetalent" and "unshakeable confidence." These characteris.board's poor oversight of management. Steinhoff's chair-tics were reinforced through his "bold" acquisitions, includ man, who has since resigned, claimed that the accounting ing Poundland (United Kingdom), Mattress Firm (United fraud "came like a bolt out of the blue." Yet German States), Freedom (Australia), and Conforama (France).authorities had been investigating Steinhoff's accounting Jooste cultivated a small cadre of "fiercely loyal insiders practices for almost two years and an investment firm who enjoyed social and financial privileges through their(Portsea) had written a scathing report about self-dealingclose association with Jooste" He was called the "don" and potentially illegal financial transfers at the company. of the "Stellenbosch mafia, referring to his tendency toA well-known investment analyst summed up thehire executives educated at his alma mater, Stellenbosch Steinhoff saga with this warning: "You cannot in this day University. One South African professor stated that and age have a board full of stooges that rubber-stamp Jooste's "leadership style fostered an institutional culture what a charismatic CEO wants to get away with." TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER CAROLYN MCCALL IDENTIFIES IMPORTANT LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES Carolvn McCa savs she is not a turnaround expert. Yet the chief executive of TV. the United Kinadom's largest commercial television companv. has demonstrated herTurnarouneskis onmore occasions inan mosteadersDiscount airline easJet rebounded under her guidance as CEO. and Guardian Media Group also prosperedwhen she led that company in earlier vears. McCall IS now transforming I from a traditional linear broad caster to the emerging video-on-demand model. Along with having an inspiring vIsion, McCall savs that successtul leaders require several personal attributes One of these is integrity. "A reputation takes vears to build and vou can lose it in two seconds." warns McCall who recently received the British honour of DamehoodDavid Levenson/Alamy Stock Phot(the female equivalent of knighthood. would rather tell people the truth. even if it's really hard. than avoid the problem.McCall observes that effective leaders also have the drive to continue under adversitv. "You'll aet hammered at points in your career and you nave to have the resi-ience to keep going and believe in what you're doing." A third leadership attribute that McCall emphasizes is the need to understand and manage emotions. "Emotional intelligence is important for leadership." she says. "For me. it's about being able to relate to other people and to show vou want to nurture that relationshipMcCall also recognizes the importance of knowing yourself and being yourself in leadership roles. "You need to be comfortable with vourself to be confident, she says, warning that "if you change yourself to adapt to that, it's even harder." However, McCall distinguishes pretending to be someone else from adapting your leadership style to the situation. Of course in different Situations you have to have different behaviours. You sometimes have to be a lot more assertive in meetings but that's a change of tone, not character.

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Open the W5 reading material and read the first page only before answering following questions: 1. Paraphrase it in your own words. 2. What are your personal thoughts about the question asked in the article? Give example(s) from your work.