Values, emotions, and authenticity: Will the real leader please stand up?

Abstract

In response to concerns about the morality of inspirational styles of leadership, this article incorporates current theory from the emotion and positive psychology literatures to present an alternative approach to the role of emotions in leadership. Rather than focusing on the detrimental effects of affective responses, this approach suggests that frequent experiences of positive other-directed emotions motivate leaders to act on their other-regarding values [Oakley, J. 1992. Morality and the emotions. London: Routledge]. We begin by arguing that self-transcendent values and positive other-directed emotions are important determinants of authentic leadership. Then, we introduce an interactive approach to the cognitive and emotional processes that motivate authentic leaders to act in ways that are consistent with their self-transcendent values.