Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
Chapter 9 – Authentic Leadership
Discussion Questions and Exercises
1. What are the benefits of softening the boundaries between leaders and followers, as George’s
model suggests? Any drawbacks?
2. Can you give an example of a trigger event that might ignite positive psychological
capabilities and moral reasoning? How is this the same as or different from environmental
influences in the Mumford Skills Model?
4. Relational transparency is a self-regulatory behavior. How much of one’s negative qualities
should a leader expose to others? What is an “appropriate manner” of sharing core feelings,
motives, and inclinations?
5. How do the practical and theoretical approaches to AL differ? Are they really describing the
same type of leadership?
6. If authentic leadership is really a lifelong process, can teenagers be authentic leaders?
7. What is the underlying process through which moral values affect other components of
authentic leadership?
8. Is a self-report the best way to measure a leader’s authenticity?
10. How can moral reasoning be taught?
11. How can authentic leadership be enacted on a virtual team?
12. How can the four key positive attributes predispose or enhance a leader’s capacity to develop
self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing or relational
transparency?
13. How might the four key positive attributes NOT contribute to a person’s leadership ability? In
other words, what effect could they have on a non-leader?