Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Activating Authentic Leadership Competencies in African American Women

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Activating Authentic Leadership Competencies in African American Women

Kindra Cunningham | 2021

Abstract Authenticity is rooted in truth and honesty as an internal declaration and external demonstration that commands consistency in action without perfection in execution. Being self-aware, compassionate, confident, resilient, optimistic, honest, ethical, and self-regulating are consistent fundamental characteristics of authentic leaders; however, demonstrating the features varies greatly person-to-person(Northouse, 2016). Many of the foundational features of authenticity have been cultivated generation after generation for African American women, often through responses to adversity, stress, and turmoil, exhibited as perseverance, strength, and tenacity. While some are enamored by the grace and distinction displayed by many African American women, most are not aware of the unique challenges they face. A brief glimpse into the world of these women reveals a station full of code-switching, identity hiding, compromise, adaptation, and agility. To deal with written and unsaid yet understood leadership requirements, African American women possess the ability to activate Authentic leadership competencies to achieve success without compromising their truth. When individuals ascribe to the notion of being fearfully and wonderfully made, knitted together in their mother’s womb, there is resolute assurance that everything they are, deep within their truth, is exactly what they are meant to be (Psalm 139:13-14 ESV). David wrote Psalm 139 amplifying how God created him, every fiber of his being, and since God’s works are wonderful, he knew he was complete(Brown, 1996). African American women are fearfully and wonderfully made with every propensity needed to operate in an authentic leadership style.