From the course: Transformational Leadership

Why leading with values is important

From the course: Transformational Leadership

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Why leading with values is important

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- Let's take a minute to define what we mean by values. Values are beliefs that we have that make us who we are. They're the qualities that when we live our lives by them, they help us feel true to ourselves and they inspire others. Why is it important to lead with values? Leading with values makes you a more trusted and influential leader. Even if you have limited formal authority, people trust you because you have integrity. They know what to expect from you and your actions reinforce that trust. Trust my friends, is at the foundation of any human relationship. When we first meet someone, unconsciously, our brain scans to determine whether a person is trustworthy or not. This was essential to our survival and evolution as a species. Leading with values also helps you be more inspired and engaged. When we act in ways that are not in alignment with values that are important to us, it creates stress in us. Think about the last time you felt uncomfortable because you made a decision that just didn't feel good in your gut. On the other hand, when we're able to express our values in our workplace, it helps us be more engaged and fulfilled in our work. At a macro level, there are two trends working together to make value-driven cultures even more essential for organizations. First, more and more our customers, employees, and investors are looking for how leaders in a company behave. These stakeholders make decisions on what they buy or invest in based on the company's culture and the values of the top leaders. Second, we live in increasingly in a world of great transparency where the behavior of one employee can have an impact in an entire company's reputation. Social media, viral videos, websites like Glassdoor, they all give us inside information about how things really are. They make it impossible to hide negative behavior at any level in the organization. So, no matter your level in an organization my friends know that you have powerful impact. Your values and behavior on a team is contagious. Whatever the change that you're inspired to create with your vision and purpose, start with acting with integrity and in alignment with your values. We are our most powerful when our values are vision and purpose, all work together in a cohesive whole.

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