Business|02-10-2026

More authentic leadership through mindfulness?

Authentic leadership is seen as one of the more robust responses to loss of trust, cynicism, and “political” organizations. At the same time, in practice the question often remains whether authenticity can actually be developed or whether it is more a matter of personality type. An empirical study in the Journal of Business and Psychology tests exactly that.

What is authentic leadership?

In research, authentic leadership is typically described via four core aspects: self-awareness (strengths, weaknesses, values), relational transparency (honest, not tactical), balanced processing of information (also allowing uncomfortable perspectives), and internalized moral perspective/value-based consistency (actions align with moral standards).

What is mindfulness in this context?

Mindfulness is the trained ability to direct attention to the present moment and to refrain from automatically judging experiences such as thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations, instead noticing them first. This stance is intended to help leaders react less reflexively and lead more consciously.

What does the study show?

The researchers examined the topic in two multi-source studies (leaders and employees as data sources): a cross-sectional study and a field experiment.

Result one: Leaders with higher trait-based mindfulness are perceived as leading more authentically, both by employees and by the leaders themselves.

Result two, the key point for practitioners: In the field experiment, a 30-day, app-based mindfulness training was implemented in a pre–post design with a waitlist control group. The intervention consisted of daily, guided 10-minute meditations (Headspace) training attention and acceptance, including “returning” attention without self-criticism.

After the intervention, authentic leadership increased measurably, again from the perspective of both leaders and employees, and positive effects on follower attitudes emerged, with authentic leadership acting as the mechanism.

What does this mean for practice?

A four-week start is realistic because it is small enough not to fail due to scheduling, and long enough to support habit formation. The study explicitly recommends using such a four-week training as an entry point into a sustained routine.

Practical transfer happens above all when meditation is understood not as wellness but as a leadership tool: listening better, reacting less defensively, weighing perspectives more fairly, and acting consistently in line with values.

At the same time, realism matters: mindfulness is not a quick fix for structural problems such as overload, poor processes, or toxic incentive systems. If the environment consistently works against mindful practice, the effect remains limited.

Conclusion

Mindfulness is not just a nice-to-have. As a short, scalable development intervention, it can increase the likelihood that leadership is experienced as authentic in day-to-day work. The decisive factor is consistency: 10 minutes daily for 30 days, plus deliberate transfer into conversation and decision situations.

Reference:
Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N., & Hülsheger, U. R. (2020). Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35, 469–488. doi:10.1007/s10869-019-09633-y