Cornerstone 1 - Anchored by Values

Discovering Your Values

When we grew up, we learned a set of values, those qualities or standards that parents/caregivers considered important to our well-being and that of others. Over time, we came to adopt those values as guides to our own behaviour. Families vary in the weight they place on certain values. Families often emphasize a variety of values, such as helping others, creativity, knowledge or wealth accumulation. We may begin by adopting our families' values and as we mature, we often add our own.

By selecting, interweaving and prioritizing our values, we define who we are – or at least, who we want to be. Just as we recognize people by their physical characteristics such as hair colour, height or the way they laugh, we also come to know people by the values they embody. As we get to know friends or colleagues, we begin to recognize what means the most to them. Do they crave excitement, care about the environment or seek status?

We evaluate others based on how well our values mesh. You might value personal time for creative work more than social activities, while I might value relationships and family time more than professional recognition. We feel comfortable around people who share our most important values and often avoid those who do not.

Unlike universal principles which apply to everyone, values are individual. They are personal. There is an especially urgent reason for identifying your most important values. Life is finite. Values help us to be selective about how we spend our precious time. Without values, how would we decide what goals are worth having? From all the opportunities that life presents us, which are most important to us? While values can help us tell right from wrong, they can also help us to decide right from the right by guiding our choice from among more than one attractive option.

The Morality of Values

Not all values are created equal, as in the previous example. Without some context, values are neither moral nor immoral. It is only when we need to make decisions that have moral consequences, that values take on moral significance. Being moral means more than honouring your personal value system. Because we choose our values, personal values may be out of alignment with the principles.

Try to imagine the contents of Osama Bin Laden’s moral compass. No one would deny that Bin Laden has a strong value system; one that probably includes some admirable beliefs. But his willingness to harm innocent victims, including members of his own Islamic faith, in pursuit of his values, violates the universal principle of compassion. Osama Bin Laden "walks his talk"; that is, his goals and actions are consistent with his values, but some of his values violate our universal moral compass.

When we make a decision that does not have any moral significance, as in deciding where to go on vacation, we might indulge our desire for adventure without a second thought. But when we are making a decision that involves others, as is the case when considering a career move that would affect family members, the priorities we assign to our values must be consistent with universal principles. In that instance, we must honour the principles of responsibility. We may realise that our desire for adventure, growth and more money would come at the cost of our responsibility to our family.

Activity: Identify your values

As with every element of effective leadership, good decision-making requires clarity about your personal values. You can use the following worksheet to better understand your values and their relative importance in your life.

Click here to download the values information sheet.

Circle the number of each personal value you believe to be one of your core values. Choose 16.

Revisit the list again.

Now reduce the 16 to 12.

This shortlist of most important values probably represents the aspects of life you hold most dear. That does not mean you will always behave in ways that are consistent with your ideal values. But if you consistently behave in ways that conflict with what you say you value, it may be useful to re-examine your values statement. Do you espouse a value because it is politically correct in your organization or because you were brought up to believe in it?

What Your Decisions Reveal About Your Values

If, over time, you find yourself behaving inconsistently with your espoused values, you have a choice. You can learn to better align your behaviour with your values by developing your moral and emotional competencies, or you may simply accept that you value some things that you did not realise were important to you. Either path is fine if your actions do not violate the universal principles.

Uncovering Values Conflicts

After you identify what you value, ideally and really – look at your list of values and compare it with the universal principles. To ensure that your values are consistent with principles, ponder questions like these:

• Is my desire to achieve financial results so strong that I behave as if that end justifies the means?
• Does my desire for high achievement lead me to a lack of compassion for an employee whose family crisis takes him away from work at a critical time?
• Does my need for economic security discourage me from speaking out with integrity about an unethical corporate practice?

If you accept universal principles, universality applies. You must, as a morally-intelligent leader, reprioritize your values in line with the principles. We are not saying that you should not value what you value. In some cases, it will be important to find a way to honour your values while upholding principles. You can honour both principles and personal values when you look for answers to questions such as, "How can I arrange my financial affairs so that I am protected if my ethical position gets me fired?" Alternatively, "How can I creatively allocate resources to preserve or improve group productivity while an employee is out on leave?"

It should be clear by now that values can be applied in a morally bad, neutral or positive way. We are not encouraging you to abandon your values in favour of certain values that may have a more obvious moral veneer.

Value-Centred Leadership

Attracting, motivating and retaining bright, creative and highly productive performers are essential in today’s competitive borderless economy. Organizations that creatively harness the contribution of their people are sure to gain a competitive advantage. We believe that the needs of people are the issue that leaders must address – for the sake of their organizations and for the well-being of society. This challenge calls for ‘awakened’ leaders who desire to make a real and lasting impact through their leadership.

In other words, a new approach to leadership is required, one based on inner conviction and values: Value-Centred Leadership. We are convinced that, if leaders have the courage to lead, based on their values and consequently the impact they want to have, they will surely make a positive and lasting effect on their organizations and on the quality of life of their people. Values provide focus and vision. In today’s competitive and rapidly-changing environment, we are pulled in various directions. Being clear about our values enables us to remain centred and consciously provide leadership based on what is important to us, instead of letting circumstances take our organisation off course.

Our efforts can be deliberate and focused, thereby enabling us to produce significant results. As a leader, what impact do you want to make through your organization? What type of legacy do you wish to leave behind? How would you like to be remembered? Reflecting on these and similar questions can help you clarify your values and vision.

As you begin to reflect on your future and that of your organization, keep in mind the words of Woodrow Wilson, the twenty-eighth president of the United States: “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

A new era calls for a new leadership philosophy. Value-centred Leadership is about looking inside before taking steps to lead on the outside. It is an invitation to guide from your inner core and to leave your legacy. As we navigate through uncharted waters, it is this kind of leadership that will help us stay on course and successfully complete the journey.