Values.
We often don’t talk about it, but it plays a humongous role in shaping our behavior and actions. Likewise, leadership values are not all that different from personal values, and due to lack of a clear definition, they remain an essential but under-appreciated and under-discussed part of who you are, what you believe in, what you stand for, and how you perceive everything as a person and as a leader. But how are leadership and values related?
Just think about it.
What values and ethics do you think you happen to follow thoroughly? Does it align with you as a leader? Or do you sometimes compromise yourself in order to lead?
According to you, what are the essential values of a leader? While no one can tell you what values must be followed, your gut tells you what to stand for. And now is the time to be honest with yourself!
Only those leaders who clearly understand and define their true selves project it out confidently. Actions need to match words or else they stay hollow words and empty premises!
Your core values are the deeply held beliefs that authentically describe your soul.
—John C. Maxwell
The Five Reasons for Defining your Values
Leadership and values are two faces of the same coin. It is your core values that shape every aspect of your personality, including how you lead.
Guide your decisions
Making decisions is the primary job of a leader. These decisions don’t just impact you but also those around you. Big or small, think about the consequences of your decisions, the impact of it on others, and how it aligns with your values.
In simple words, at first, run your decisions consciously. The core values of leadership after much practice would eventually remain intentional but would be imbibed in your subconscious!
Strengthen your ability to influence
When you voice your thoughts with passion, people are drawn to you, they are also more likely to listen to your message, comprehend it, and amplify it via word of mouth. This way, you will be more successful in influencing and persuading. As a leader, it ought to be self-evident why your core values matter in this way.
Create clarity
Clarity works wonders in so many ways. Without cobwebs in your head, everything in life becomes clearer and easier to handle. Clarity helps you concentrate, be more productive, communicate your ideas with ease, and actually get things done the way you intended to. Be clear about your values and ethics, and everything else falls into place.
Reduce stress
Stress is contagious. It has this insane quality of infecting those around you. But don’t worry, there’s a sweet loophole. Expressing your stress might be helpful in pushing people into action. But excessive stress can break a team and demotivate them. When you make faster, better, and more confident decisions, this is easily avoided. Communication gets easier, and clarity about things reduces stress! Drawing from one’s core values is an excellent way of reducing stress, be it in a personal or professional setting.
Guide your actions
We saved this one for last on purpose. While it is one thing to know your ethics and values and understand their purpose, it is another thing to actually implement and behave in accordance with them. Always be mindful of this and let your values and ethics guide your actions.
To be confident about one’s values is to know who one truly is. This can lead you to be a more effective, confident, and productive leader.
