Question

If authentic leadership is really a lifelong process, can teenagers be authentic leaders? Why or why not? Be sure to include in your answer discussion about moral development.

Answer 1

I believe that even teenagers can become authentic leaders. Authentic leadership deals with the ability of the leader to build an honest relationship with their followers. What this means is that the relationship is built on honesty and trust that takes a two-way path. First of all, we can say that an authentic relationship has less to do with the individual's skill as an individual and more to do with how they can create the necessary outlook for their subordinates. And, age isn't the factor which determines the ability of an individual to lead a group of people to achieve their best possible capacity. The only rationale one might give to refute this is the fact that the development of a teenage mind goes through several different phases and the fact that their culture, upbringing, network circle, and exposure to reality are all still developing. They would need to have a greater understanding of their actions and the implications of their decisions, but it does not handicap or limits their potential or capacity as a leader. I firmly believe that it is in an individual's teenage years that they can make the correct distinction between rules that are universal and rules that are made for the sake of specific individuals and this distinction is both uninfluenced by the world and unbiased. For an authentic leader, the fact that trust and honesty dictates their relationship with their subordinates and their understanding of the concepts of ethics, morality, and distinction of their function hasn’t been overcome by their desire to succeed in their life yet would also provide an advantage to them in terms of being able to allow freedom of actions and thoughts that wouldn't be possible otherwise.