While we often think about the kind of skills and competencies required by effective leaders, we think less about the values that underpin good leadership practice. These are the underlying beliefs that guide a person’s actions and decisions, shaping their interactions, relationships, and careers.
Leadership values are those values that can positively influence the effectiveness of people in leadership positions. They are moral grounding for good leaders, giving them a framework for consistent actions, and ensuring that they set a good example to the people around them.
What kind of leadership values support leaders in their professional lives and why are they important?
The seven key leadership values
Integrity
Leaders need to act with integrity, being consistent in their approach to their role, make ethical decisions, and set an example. Integrity creates a culture of respect and transparency, ensuring that everyone is inspired to work to the highest standards of professionalism. Integrity underpins many of the other leadership values and learning to reflect on what it means and how it is applied within organisations is an essential component of leadership development.
Accountability
Accountability is one of the key leadership values because it demonstrates that leaders are willing to take responsibility for their actions. Good leaders don’t attempt to pass the buck but understand that if something goes wrong, they will be held accountable. This not only encourages higher standards of decision-making; it also creates a positive example for team members.
Empathy
Being an empathetic leader ensures that you are aware of the strengths, weaknesses, struggles and motivations of your team. It helps you better understand your customers, their pain points, and how they can be better served. It fosters stronger relationships, that can sustain your organisation through the good times and bad, building strong bonds of loyalty and mutual support.
Resilience
Leaders need to be resilient. At times, leading any kind of organisation can be frustrating and highly challenging. Unexpected crises, conflicts, and setbacks can all knock organisational confidence. At times like these, it’s essential that leaders demonstrate resilience and determination to the people around them. Leadership resilience helps to foster a stronger sense of organisational resilience, ensuring that the company doesn’t get knocked off course.
Courage
Leaders require a degree of courage to make difficult decisions, develop strategic plans, and take calculated risks for the long-term benefit of the organisation. Developing leadership courage is a key part of leadership development training, helping leaders move their organisations in new directions, and embrace positive change.
Humility
Leaders need to develop confidence in their abilities, a clear sense of purpose, and a degree of resilience, but one key personal value is often overlooked. Humility is an essential part of effective leadership. Leaders should be constantly learning and developing their skills, taking on new knowledge and insights, and being willing to change when necessary. To do this requires an open mind, self-awareness, and the emotional intelligence to admit when mistakes have been made. Humility also demonstrates to your team that you are a reflective and realistic leader, helping to build trust and loyalty.
Vision
Leaders need to look beyond day-to-day management, to the future development of the company. They need to be able to envision the future, what success will look like, and the changes that may be needed to get there.
Vision as a leadership value, ensures that leaders keep the bigger picture at the forefront when it comes to decision-making. Choosing short-term benefits that threaten to undermine the long-term objectives of the organisation or jeopardise a hard-won reputation may be tempting but they should be resisted. A strong sense of vision can ensure that leaders don’t succumb to short-term thinking.
Can you develop leadership values?
Leadership values can grow, develop, and change over time, and are based on personal reflection and experience. Leadership assessment tools can evaluate the values base that an individual leader draws upon, and leadership development programs will frequently incorporate leadership values as part of their core methodology. Working with experienced expert mentors on an individual basis can help leaders uncover and strengthen their values, enabling them to become more consistent and effective in their professional roles.
Develop your leadership values with Leadership Success
At Leadership Success, we provide a comprehensive approach to leadership development. Our individualised development training fosters the skills, competencies, and values that are essential to effective leadership.
Contact us to find out more.
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