Trisha is head of a team of three accountants at a non-profit agency that strives to promote literacy among inner city teenagers who drop out of high school. Trisha has held this position for over five years. She and her team are recognized as meticulous accountants who produce thorough and detailed financial records. But they generally keep to themselves, having little interaction with others in the agency.

Trisha has the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua and visit three villages. While there, she becomes acquainted with several intelligent children between the ages of 14 and 17 who want to leave their villages to seek educational opportunities and learn skills that will allow them to help others in their villages, hopefully bringing improvements to their lives such as indoor plumbing and electricity for their homes. But these children are illiterate and have little hope of realizing their dreams.

For the first time, Trisha understands the importance of the work that her non-profit agency does. When she returns to work, she resolves to do more than just focus on producing a thorough and accurate set of financial records for the agency. She wants to become more involved in helping others in the agency promote literacy among the agency's constituents. She takes her team to lunch and discusses her wishes with them. Together, they brainstorm ways that they can be more interactive at work, helping to support the agency's work.

 

Learning about one's self is an essential step in becoming an authentic leader. What role did self-awareness play in Trisha's story of leadership?

• How would you describe the authenticity of Trisha's leadership?
• Is it fair to say that Trisha took on the "mantle of leadership"? Was this important for her leadership? How is taking on the mantle of leadership related to a leader's authenticity?
• Does every leader reach a point in his or her career where embracing the leadership role is essential?