Science Journal of Business and Management 2022; 10(1): 36-46 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/sjbm doi: 10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16 ISSN: 2331-0626 (Print); ISSN: 2331-0634 (Online) Credible and Authentic Leadership Development in Organizations Muthiani Ben Muli Department of Leadership, School of Leadership, Business and Technology, Pan Africa Christian University, Nairobi, Kenya Email address: To cite this article: Muthiani Ben Muli. Credible and Authentic Leadership Development in Organizations. Science Journal of Business and Management. Vol. 10, No. 1, 2022, pp. 36-46. doi: 10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16 Received: February 6, 2022; Accepted: March 2, 2022; Published: March 12, 2022 Abstract: Leadership practice that is founded on values is the new order in contemporary organizations that operate under complex and dynamic environments. The survival of such organizations requires the review of classical leadership theories and the adoption of newer approaches that have heightened the demand for effective leadership. Leaders’ misdeeds such as those witnessed in Enron and WorldCom, hypocrisy in the pulpit, infidelity in the family unit, politics of deceit, and so on have dented the leader’s image and the followers have lost the confidence they had in them. These developments justify the need to embrace authentic and credible leadership as an alternative leadership approach to rebuild followers’ trust and sustain operations of the organizations. The principles of authenticity and credibility are more critical than ever before in the restoration of confidence to followers where credibility has waned. It is on this basis that this qualitative study was undertaken to understand authentic and credible leadership development. The objective of the study was to identify how credibility and authenticity relate and the values and qualities that leaders perceive as important for defining credible and authentic leaders. The study adopted a qualitative research design. Three congregants from a Baptist church located in Nairobi city, Kenya were interviewed for their views about leadership, differences between authenticity and credibility, qualities of credible leaders, how credible leadership can be developed, outcomes of credible leadership, and the followers’ role incredible leadership development. The findings resonated with what is known in literature and in theory. The qualities that were found to define credible leaders included being forward-looking, visionary, compassionate, supportive, good listener, having integrity, being firm, being fair, and acting as role models. The fear instilled by leaders to the followers was found to be an impediment to the followers to effectively play their oversight role. The conclusion drawn was that credibility is a must-have tool for leaders to meaningfully engage their followers with a view to providing solutions to the problems faced at the workplace and addressing their needs. It smoothens the relationship and provides an enabling environment where leaders and followers can freely engage. Keywords: Credible Leadership, Authentic Leadership, Credibility, Authenticity, Values, Qualities 1. Background 1.1. Introduction The demands for higher standards in leadership practice based on values have in the recent past become a commonplace discussion in contemporary organizations. Leaders are today operating in new paradigms where the environment has become global, complex, and constantly changing. Uncertainty in the organizations is the new order and the future is blurred with no precise formula that can guarantee survival (Kouzes & Posner (2011). To circumvent these challenges, academicians, theorists, and practitioners have reviewed classical leadership theories and recommended the adoption of newer ones that have heightened the demand for effective leadership [35]. Satisfaction of these demands requires shedding the older leadership styles and embracing atypical leadership practices that have not been tested [4, 29]. Northouse views leadership as an influence process between the leader and the followers [27]. Kouzes and Posner consider leadership as a construct that entails the building of relationships between individuals who have aspirations to lead and those willing to follow them [21]. To effect any meaningful leadership change requires an