Organizational leaders operate in global economic uncertainty where the speed of change and complexity of stakeholder demands produce a challenging and often stressful platform for performance. Emotional intelligence is an important contributor to authenticity. In addition, leaders must understand and be comfortable expressing their values and be able to manage their behaviour and stay true to these values even when feeling stressed or facing adversity. Authentic leaders know their own values, strengths and weaknesses, and their impact on others. This helps them to manage themselves, and others, under stress.