CNN article: http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/03/21/tim.pawlenty/index.html
In this article Kevin Bohn describes how Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota, started with a touching story and now may be on the road to presidency. Pawlenty lost his mother at a young age, and was faced with even more hard times when his father lost his job. Pawlenty worked several years in the produce department at a grocery store to support himself and family. Pawlenty tells the story of the obstacles he overcame as a kid, financially, and even politically with unions (Pawlenty won a fight on behalf of the unionized bus drivers in his state in 2004). He was also on the maybe list for McCain's Vice President candidates. Pawlenty has taken advantage of the struggles he's faced by turning them into an inspiring story of strength, intelligence and perserverance. This shows me one thing, that Pawlenty is genuine. He has victories to back up his story. His battle and victory against the unionized bus drivers shows his passion with a purpose. He is a real authentic leader. More specifically I believe he falls under the Intrapersonal category of authentic leadership. Using his self-knowledge, self-regulation, and self-concept, Pawlenty developed an authentic leadership style, beginning by fighting for causes he believed in. Pawlenty exhibits many qualities described in the intrapersonal authentic leadership perspective as well, mostly being a genuine leader. He also makes decisions in accordance with his values. He has strong opinions against abortion and same sex marriages that he spoke out about during his time as governor of Minnesota.
Posted by Sammy Wilson
I agree that Tim Pawlenty can be defined as an authentic leader. He is resilient because he has a powerful will to succeed and share his knowledge with others. At a time when there are many corporate scandals erupting in the media, authentic leadership is so important because people are longing for trustworthy leaders like Pawlenty. He also possesses relational transparency in that he is open and honest with others. He is not afraid to share about his past nor is he ashamed of it.
ReplyDeletePosted By: Christine Burklin