Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2013 in the subject Leadership and Human Resource Management - Management Styles, grade: 1,7, University of applied sciences, Düsseldorf, language: English, abstract: Authentic leaders and authentic leadership have become more and more important in times of fierce competition. Against the background of the increasing economic importance of leadership, this assignment investigates what the facets of an authentic leader are. The target group of this assignment are leader who want make itself to a more authentic leader. Today, many companies are facing the problem of having a respected leader who can empower employees to achieve goals. With authentic leadership, a leader is able to make employees to followers, to increase the team performance and to have an open communication. This practice-oriented investigation therefore focuses on communication. Although the effects of communication between sender and receiver are known over the years, leaders often use simple responses rather than showing commitment to employee's needs. To sum up, authentic leadership includes both the 'doing' factor (the way how a leader is doing something) and the 'being' side (the inner attitude). At the end of the day, it is the individuals' behavior that plays a pivotal role in the work climate. The optimization of leadership style is therefore indispensable in our today's business environment.