During the past decade, authentic leadership has become a central topic for scholars. This study is the first to analyze how authentic leadership, trust, leader–member exchange (LMX), and individual performance are linked through a sequential mediation process with an employee-centered lens. Data were obtained from 320 personnel employed in Pakistan’s health sector. Results demonstrated that authentic leadership significantly and positively affects individual performance, both directly and indirectly, via the mediating roles of trust and LMX. Moreover, findings revealed that authentic leaders cultivate an atmosphere of trust that strengthens employees’ LMX relationships and ultimately enhances their performance. This investigation introduces new insights regarding the dual mediation mechanism while merging four key constructs into a unified framework. Theoretical contributions, managerial implications, and recommendations for future work are also presented.
