Leadership Values in Times of Transition

As leaders move through the leadership pipeline they typically gain additional responsibilities, a larger footprint in the organization, and more complex stakeholder groups. They likely have many new constituents to consider, points of view to integrate, a larger vision to convey, and more people to convey it to. In our Signature Voice for Leaders program, we talk about the shift in mindset that is required of leaders to broaden their perspective and influence during an expansion of their role, or to fully step into their current role. They need to see and think more broadly about the organization as a whole to have the impact they desire.

This message of thinking “big picture”, while often difficult, is not usually new to leaders that we work with. The flip side of it, however, often is. Along with holding a broadened perspective is also a need to go deeper and become more focused on what is really important to them as a leader– in short, being clear on their values.

What are Leadership Values? It’s usually easy to begin to understand and envision values at work when we consider leaders we’ve worked for – for example, the person who held “fun” as a core value and couldn’t imagine going to work if he didn’t get to experience and create it. Or the leader for whom “hard work” trumped everything else, and who expected that of her team. Or the person who valued “expertise” above all, and used that as a key criteria in decision-making. Or “relationships”, or “quality”. Each of these is a reflection of what’s most important to that person. It’s authentic to them. It’s what they’re known for and becomes part of their brand. While it’s usually fairly easy to spot in others, it’s sometimes more difficult to see in ourselves those 3 – 4 things that really define what we stand for.

As leaders progress in their career, and as they transition into a new roles, clarity of values can play an important role in making that transition go smoothly.

Values and Motivation As leaders step into a new role, their motivation is critical to enabling them to sustain engagement through the challenges they’ll inevitably face in their new position. Attending to their personal values is a critical first step. For each of us personally, whether we’re working in alignment with our core values or not will usually directly correlate to our satisfaction and engagement in our job. If you think back to times when you felt like you were at your best and fully engaged, it’s likely that you were in an environment that enabled you to live your core values. Likewise, when you had the inevitable “slump” in your career, you likely were not feeling like you were able to live in alignment with what is most important to you. Being clear on how one’s personal values align with the organizational need is critical as one enters into a new role.

Values During Transition When leaders are going through a leadership transition, they can often feel somewhat unsteady. They are at the beginning of a learning curve about the area they are leading, the team they have supporting them, and the expectations of the internal or external customers they are supporting. During this time of uncertainty, growth and change a leader’s values can anchor them in what is NOT changing – what you can still hang onto. Their values become the rudder that can keep the boat upright in the storm-perhaps it’s “challenge”, “teamwork” or “mission-focus”.

Values to Promote Understanding As you think about the last time you got a new boss, if you’re like most people, you spent the first few months of that new relationship trying to figure him or her out. Where are they going to lead us? What is their preferred communication style? How will they make decisions? What are their hot buttons? How can I influence their thinking? That transition period can be shortened greatly with an explicit conversation about these topics, and once again, the answers usually lie in a leader’s values. Being clear on what’s ultimately most important to you, and being explicit about it, can shorten that ramp-up period.

Leadership Values Create Culture We see over and over again that the culture of an organization will typically reflect the values of the leader. It’s as if their values seep into the fabric of the organization, shaping what people focus on, how they make decisions, who gets promoted, the predominant communication styles and the mood and tone of the organization. Being clear about the values a new leader wants to shape in their organization is the first step to creating a culture that will support the leader’s vision.

What are Your Core Values? So, in light of the importance of leadership values, how can you get more clear on what’s most important to you?

1. Think back to the high points and low points in your career. During the high points, what are the words that come to mind that describe the experience and made it fulfilling for you? During the low points, what was missing?

2. Think back to the last time you had an emotional disagreement with someone or felt triggered. What value was it that was being challenged at that time? It’s likely something that’s very important to you.

3. Ask a few confidantes. It’s often easier for us to see values in others than in ourselves. If you ask a few people what you’re known for, or what they believe is ultimately most important to you, what themes begin to emerge?

4. As you get more clear on your values, think about how you can use that knowledge to motivate yourself and others, promote understanding, and create the culture that will lead to success!