Great leadership goes beyond meeting sales targets and
sticking to budgets. The best business managers also adhere to a set of core
leadership values that guide their decision-making and interactions with team
members on a daily basis.
What Are Leadership Values?
Leadership values are the overarching principles that guide
a team leader's decision-making and direction of others. Many effective leaders
identify a set of values that they will use to shape company culture and lead
professional initiatives. They choose paths that are consistent with those
values and reject those that are not.
A strong leader's professional values may also coincide with
their personal values, but this is not required. In some cases, a great leader
must set aside personal opinions that do not align with the culture of the
company they lead. Instead of putting their own beliefs first, successful
leaders defer to the company culture they helped create. This company-first
leadership style works as long as the company culture is ethical and respects
all stakeholders.
Importance of Leaders with Values
Core leadership values provide a compass for business
executives and project managers to use when faced with difficult decisions in
the normal course of business. Sales opportunities, human resource challenges,
marketing plans, and political alignments are just a few of the many aspects of
corporate life that a strong set of leadership values can help a manager
navigate.
A good leader who understands company values will look at
every decision through the lens of company culture. By adhering to these
values, they ensure a consistent level of excellence in their organization and
a consistent baseline in their treatment of others. A value code can also
provide leaders with the confidence they need to make important decisions.
Understanding what conforms to company culture and what does not can give a
manager a sense of empowerment: as long as they respect company values, their
decision will be correct.
10 Important Values for a Leader
Many of the best leaders share a set of values that they
apply to their work as organizational shepherds. Here are ten core leadership
values to help you shape your own leadership development.
1. Communication: Effective leaders not only have strong
communication skills, but they also recognize the importance of consistent
communication. They serve as gathering places for team members to check in,
share ideas, and learn about company initiatives. In some cases, leaders may
even give team members the opportunity to provide feedback on company
initiatives.
2. Emotional intelligence:
3. Honesty: A leader who is consistently honest will engage
team members with candor. They will convey the same message to all stakeholders
within the organization. Because honest leaders do not need to change their
story for different audiences, the message can remain consistent.
4. Integrity: Integrity may be more important than any other
leadership quality. Leaders who value integrity are more likely to act
ethically in their business dealings, both within the company and with third
parties. Ethical leaders recognize that a company is more than its bottom line;
long-term success comes from treating all parties with integrity and never
cheating to achieve a business goal.
5. Open-mindedness: Strong leaders are adaptable and listen
to different points of view. They recognize that no one person, not even a CEO,
has all the answers and respect those who have different points of view.
6. Self-awareness: Wise leaders recognize their own
limitations in terms of skills and competencies. They assign themselves tasks
that make use of their best qualities, and they delegate tasks that are better
suited to the skills of others. Rather than ignoring their own flaws, they
admit them and work to improve.
7. Team empowerment: Effective leadership necessitates
empowering others on the team and allowing them to take on new roles within the
organization. Employees appreciate leaders who invest in their personal
development as well as the company's growth.
8. Transparency: By committing to transparency, you instill
trust in all stakeholders. Many strong leaders recognize that keeping secrets
from their employees is unnecessary. Because they believe in trust and are
committed to transparency, they share critical information with all relevant
stakeholders, including strategic plans and financial data.
9. Vision: Visionary leaders can chart a course for
themselves and their organizations. This can inspire others and instill trust
in the company's direction.
10. Work ethic: Great executives and managers lead by
example. If you, as a leader, continually put in hard work, you set a template
for all team members. If you slack or show inadequate commitment, team members
notice. In the long run, they may even mimic your lack of dedication.