Are You an Authentic Leader or an Authentic Jerk?

Being your “authentic self” can undermine leadership effectiveness if it’s fueled by ego. Evidence drawn from years of collective research shows that a lived commitment to personal values is the hallmark of the type of authentic leadership that can successfully bring teams together in pursuit of positive change. Leaders can learn to practice humble authenticity by owning, managing, and sustaining their values.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
MIT Sloan Management Review
Published
2025-11-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.63383/lari6079
Primary Topic
Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Are You an Authentic Leader or an Authentic Jerk?

Kristin L. Cullen, Hannes Leroy, Alexandra Gerbasi, Michael Daniels
MIT Sloan Management Review
Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
article

Are You an Authentic Leader or an Authentic Jerk?

Kristin L. Cullen, Hannes Leroy, Alexandra Gerbasi, Michael Daniels
article en

Abstract

Being your “authentic self” can undermine leadership effectiveness if it’s fueled by ego. Evidence drawn from years of collective research shows that a lived commitment to personal values is the hallmark of the type of authentic leadership that can successfully bring teams together in pursuit of positive change. Leaders can learn to practice humble authenticity by owning, managing, and sustaining their values.

MIT Sloan Management ReviewVol. 67(2)
Openalex Percentile: Top 41%
Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
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Are You an Authentic Leader or an Authentic Jerk? — Kristin L. Cullen, Hannes Leroy, et al. · MIT Sloan Management Review (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS