"You, Inc.": Defining Your Leadership Identity with Dr. William Gardner

What makes a leader truly effective? According to Dr. William Gardner, Jerry S. Rawls Chair in Leadership and Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech University, the answer lies in authentic leadership – a concept he has spent decades studying and teaching. 

The Foundation of Authentic Leadership 

What is authentic leadership? "People assume leadership is just about charisma or influence," Gardner explains. "But authentic leadership is about knowing yourself. Your values, your strengths, and how you lead in a way that’s true to who you are." Authentic leaders are self-aware, transparent in their interactions and communication, have a robust moral center, and strive to understand opposing viewpoints on issues and decisions.   

In his classroom, Gardner introduces authentic leadership as the core framework for leadership development. While students study different leadership models such as charismatic, transformational, and servant leadership, Gardner constantly brings them back to authenticity. 

"For all the positive forms of leadership, authenticity enhances them. It acts as an accelerator," he notes. "It’s not about pretending to be a certain kind of leader. It’s about aligning your leadership approach with your genuine values." 

Building a Personal Leadership Identity 

Because understanding oneself is key to being seen as an authentic leader, Gardner challenges his students to think of themselves as their own organization in an exercise called “You, Inc.” 

"Too many people go through their careers without ever stopping to ask: What are my values? What kind of leader do I want to be?" Gardner says. "The ‘You, Inc.’ exercise forces students to take ownership of their personal and professional growth." 

In this activity, students treat themselves like a company, defining their personal vision, mission, values, strengths, and liabilities. They outline what investments they’ve made in themselves, their leadership goals, and how they measure success. 

"This isn’t just busy work," Gardner emphasizes. "It’s a way to get students thinking about their leadership journey with the same level of strategic planning that they would use in managing a business." 

The Impact of Reflection 

For many students, this exercise leads to major personal and career insights. "Some students realize they’ve been chasing someone else’s definition of success," Gardner shares. "Others identify skills they want to develop or core values they want to reinforce. It’s an eye-opening experience." 

Gardner sees this as an essential step in leadership education. "Self-awareness is the foundation of leadership. You can’t lead others effectively if you don’t understand yourself first." 

"At the end of the day, leadership isn’t about a title. It’s about the impact you have on others," Gardner says. "The ‘You, Inc.’ exercise helps students define the kind of leader they want to be and take intentional steps to make that vision a reality." 

Developing Moral Reasoning Skills  

For Gardner, authentic leadership and moral reasoning go hand in hand. "I want students to leave my class knowing who they are as leaders and having the confidence to make tough ethical decisions when it counts. Leadership isn’t just about what you accomplish - it’s about how you accomplish it."  

Gardner believes that ethical decision-making is a skill that must be developed like any other leadership skill. In his course, students engage in rigorous case analyses, where they navigate real-world leadership dilemmas. 

"We take students through a structured process," he explains. "First, they identify the facts, then the ethical dilemma, the key stakeholders, and finally apply different ethical frameworks (utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, etc.) to arrive at a decision." 

Through repeated case studies, students develop their ‘moral muscle’ – just like an athlete training for competition. 

"The goal is for students to walk away with an ability to systematically evaluate tough decisions," Gardner says. "By the end of the course, they don’t just know theories. They know how to apply them in real situations." 

Gardner encourages students to not just analyze ethical dilemmas but also debate their choices with peers. "Leadership isn’t just about making decisions. It’s about defending them, discussing them, and standing firm on your values," he says. 

William (Bill) Gardner is the Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor, the Jerry S. Rawls Chair in Leadership and the director of the Institute for Leadership Research in the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University. Additionally, he serves as an associate editor for The Leadership Quarterly. 
 
He is a dedicated teacher whose courses include leadership, business ethics, organizational behavior, research methods, group dynamics and management history within the undergraduate, master's, working professionals, and doctoral programs, and he has extensive experience delivering leadership development programs. Gardner's research focuses on leadership and leadership development, business ethics and social influence processes within organizations. Best known for his research into authentic leadership and its development, he has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals such as the Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Group & Organization Management, The Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies and the Journal of Organizational Behavior. Extremely active in the Southern Management Association, Gardner served as the president from 2006-2007.  
 
In 2011, Professor Gardner received the Distinguished Doctoral Alumni Award from the College of Business at Florida State University. The Rawls College of Business recognized his research contributions in 2013 with the Outstanding Researcher Award and in 2014 with the Distinguished Faculty Research Award. In 2015, Texas Tech recognized him as an Integrated Scholar for his synergistic contributions to the teaching, research and service missions of the university. In 2017 he was recognized for his extensive contributors to the Southern Management Association through the James G. (Jerry) Hunt Sustained Outstanding Service Award. In 2017 and 2019 he was named to Clarivate Analytics’ Highly Cited Researchers List. Most recently, he was named a Paul Whitfield Horn Professor, Texas Tech’s highest academic honor, in March of 2020. 

Leadership in Organizations, 9th Ed. (Yukl & Gardner, 2020)