Born to be me… who am I again? The development of Authentic Leadership using Evidence-Based Leadership Coaching and Mindfulness

The following paper explores the construct of Authentic Leadership. More specifically it considers pathways to Authentic Leadership development, proposing Evidence-Based Leadership Coaching (EBLC) coupled with mindfulness training as an appropriate approach. While the definition of Authentic Leadership is still being debated amongst academics, what is argued here is that self-awareness and self-regulation are key pillars of Authentic Leadership. EBLC and mindfulness, provide opportunities to enhance self-awareness and self-regulation. They encourage the choice of more self-concordant goals and thereby help a leader align to a more authentic way of being. Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000) is used to demonstrate how EBLC can achieve this. Finally it is argued that a company-wide commitment is required to create an ‘authentic organisation’ where a company’s espoused values are aligned to its employees and customers experience.