Provide 2�3 examples of when you witnessed authentic leadership. What did the individuals you listed
do that demonstrated authenticity and how does this compare to the findings of the attached journal
article?
1)The examples I want from leaderships working in aviation only. And I prefer the examples from Aviation
Companies like Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Emirates.
2) Do include all your references, as per the Harvard Referencing System.
3) Please don�t use Wikipedia web site.
4) I need examples from peer reviewed articles or researches.
BL.DQ.W5
Authentic leadership is built on an ethical foundation and emphasizes the need for leaders to
build legitimacy through sincere relations with followers while valuing their input (Mital and
Dorfman, 2012). Authentic leaders promote openness, team and individual performance and are
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generally positive (Pescosolido, 2002). This paper is a discussion of two leaders in the aviation
industry who have demonstrated authentic leadership.
Emirate’s Vice President, Human Resources, Abdulaziz Al Ali has contributed immensely to the
company’s growth through the recruitment and training of highly qualified employees. In more
than one instance, Abdulaziz has supported employees and addressed employees’ challenges
through embracing dialogue. One example is when there he had various meetings with
employees in different work stations concerning alleged overworking and fatigue which was
compromising their well-being. Abdulaziz felt that while the company’s growth was necessary,
staff members deserved to be contented with their work in order to deliver efficiently. In this
regard, Abdulaziz and his team of human resource managers embarked on designing more
flexible shifts and regular recruitment to meet the high demand that the airline has recorded over
the years. As noted by Mital and Dorfman (2012), authentic leadership is about being concerned
about other peoples’ welfare and having the drive to better the lives of other.
This leader portrays empathy, a characteristic that is highly regarded in authentic leadership
(Hale and Fields, 2007). Empathy encompasses an understanding of members’ needs and
emotions and thereby creates an atmosphere of compassion within the organization (Mital and
Dorfman, 2012; Brown, Trevino and Harrison, 2005). An authentic leader recognizes that each
person is a human being and by envisioning themselves in the shoes of that person, it is possible
to understand how he or she is affected by certain circumstances (Avolio and Gardner, 2005).
Abdulaziz in this case must have realized that the tight schedules were exhausting for employees
through the process of empathy and thereby taking the specified actions.
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Fatima Al Kharousi joined Etihad Airlines through the graduate management program and has
managed to win the heart of the Etihad team through her thoroughness and quality leadership
skills. She was recently promoted to an airport manager to head operations in Japan’s Chubu
Centrair International Airport after working in Singapore, London and Manchester as a duty
manager. Fatima who is also the first Emirati woman to become airport manager at Etihad can be
considered an authentic leader.
While working in London, Fatima was once faced with a major dilemma when a flight delayed
for several hours; exposing customers to extreme cold. As a result, the a child of one of the
clients developed a fever just as the flight was about to leave. This left the mother agonized on
whether to proceed with the journey with a sick child or just forego the trip, which would mean
she would get late for her engagements. Devastated, the mother sought a solution and was
referred to Fatima who promised to get her a flight as soon as her daughter was treated.
Unfortunately, she was flying economy class and all tickets had been booked for the next three
days. Fatima negotiated for the woman to take the business class despite having paid for
economy class and thereby facilitated her arrival to her destination.
This can be described as authentic leadership because Fatima recognized that it was the Airline’s
fault that led to the inconvenience. As noted by Mital and Dorfman (2012), moral integrity is an
important component of leadership and letting the woman wait for days to secure another ticket
would have amounted to lack of concern for other people. The fact that she was empathetic and
humane is an illustration that Fatima possesses leadership attributes that can be associated with
authentic leaders (Avolio and Gardner, 2005).
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References
Avolio, BJ & Gardner, WL 2005, “Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of
positive forms of leadership”, Leadership Quarterly, Vol 16, Issue, pp. 3315–338
Brown, ME, Trevino, LK & Harrison, DA 2005, “Ethical leadership: A social learning theory
perspective for construct development”, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision
Processes, Vol 97, Issue 2, pp. 117–134.
Hale, JR & Fields, DL 2007, “Exploring servant leadership across cultures: A study of followers
in Ghana and the USA”, Leadership, Vol 3, Issue 4, pp. 397–417.
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Mital, R & Dorfman, PW 2012, “Servant leadership across cultures”, Journal of World Business
Vol 47, Issue 4, pp. 555–570.
Pescosolido, AT 2002, “Emergent leaders as managers of group emotion”, Leadership
Quarterly, Issue 13, pp. 583–599.
