How does Openness about Personal, Sexual and Gender Identities Influence Teacher Leaders’ Self-Perceptions of Authenticity?

This article utilizes the model of authentic leadership by Bill George and his colleagues to explore the extent to which openness about personal sexual and gender identities influence teacher leaders’ self-perceptions of authenticity in the workplace. Forty-three teachers in senior leadership roles were asked to complete George’s authentic leadership self-assessment tool. They were then invited to provide written comments reflecting on their performance in five key areas identified by George et. al’s: Purpose – Passion; Values –Behaviour; Heart – Compassion; Relationships – Connectedness, and; Self-discipline – Consistency. The responses of twenty-three teacher leaders self-identifying as either Lesbian, Gay. Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT) were compared with twenty teacher leaders self-identifying as heterosexual and cis gendered. Results show that LGBT teacher leaders rated themselves more negatively than their heterosexual /cis counterparts in all areas except Values-Behaviour, where they often reported that they over-performed as a defense against discrimination. LGBT teacher leaders rated themselves lowest in the key area of Relationships – Connectedness, with their reflections revealing tensions around being authentic in their relationships with colleagues, while keeping their sexual identity private.