Andy Gibson

           Not only does this single question generate a myriad of responses, but the way in which each response is formulated reflects a collection of individual experiences. In my experience, leadership is a person’s capacity for inspiration as a byproduct of role modeling both positive and negative behaviors. We can learn just as much from bad leadership as we can from great leadership. Leadership is in our every action and can be applied under any circumstance. The true mark of a leader is one’s ability to model integrity through his or her every action regardless of audience. For the purposes of this discussion, we will define integrity as a person’s ability to align their actions with their values.

When it comes to the relationship

between leadership and management,

this is the basis for which I draw my

opinion.

            Both management and

leadership exist harmoniously within

the context of an integrated

relationship. Management cannot exist

without leadership but leadership can

exist without management. This is

because management is the action of

operationalizing and facilitating tasks.

The very act of executing managerial

tasks requires leadership. According to

Scott (2013) “most if not all cases of

great management and leadership are

a combination of experience,

knowledge, skills, personality, and the optimization of situational factors associated with both management and leadership that have contributed to personal effectiveness and organizational success” (p. 7). Across the different applications and areas of research, leadership takes many different forms. In the world of Olympic athletics, leadership is characterized as demanding, relational, and solution focused (Din, et al., 2015). In the business world, leadership may be characterized as strategic, visionary, and independent. These two descriptions may be contrasting but these different leadership skills are highly effective when applied within the context of the environment in which they are utilized. Not only is it important to understand characteristics of leadership but it is equally important to know how to implement them appropriately to yield the greatest effect. Leadership skills that are most useful in an ice rink may not be nearly as useful on the battlefield during war. It is important that we not only know how to lead but that we know how to lead appropriately. This is why authenticity is most important as both a management and leadership quality.

            Many times we see others trying to emulate the behaviors of others. Perhaps it is a youth football coach that has grown up and adopted the same coaching philosophy as the coaches from her childhood. Or maybe it is the prototypical heir to a business who tries to lead in the same way that his father did. These people may be successful as a shade of the previous leader but will need to exercise their individual abilities in order effectively lead. Authentic Leadership highlights the importance of leading from our experience. Every person can call upon the lessons learned through their experiences to lead confidently through this idea. There is a sense of existentialism that enables these leaders to inspire those around them. Fusco, et al. (2015), highlights the effectiveness of an existential approach to authentic leadership development as a means to motivate followers. Just as a manager leads followers through an expertise in the subject matter, a leader leads through an understanding of the followers. Servant leadership and inclusive leadership play a key role in understanding the people we lead (Peachey, et al., 2015; Song, et al., 2015; Suk, et al., 2015).