Values Based Leadership

Values Based Leadership requires leaders to be courageous. There can be difficult decisions to be made, well entrenched beliefs to be challenged and leadership behaviours to be changed when following a values-based approach. This does not always promise an easy route for leaders and taking these decisions requires courage. The military is an example of an organisation where values form an intrinsic element of leadership and leadership delivery.

Clausewitz is one of the foremost military influences on the art of war and today remains a highly acclaimed scholar within the military community.  He still features at the centre of many military debates on strategy and warfare and is a vehicle to develop commanders and leaders of tomorrow.  It is therefore extremely significant that he harbours such concerns on theory; Clausewitz cautions against adherence to fixed theories as every case needs to be considered afresh to the situation.  Reiterated from the introduction; he states that theory is the servant of practice; leaders need to be flexible enough not to rely on fixed theory (Howard 2002).

The quote, simple and noteworthy highlights one of the fallibility’s of change, the moral component, the need for empowerment, a shared vision and unity.  Without thorough understanding change will always experience friction, as Kotter (1996) highlights transformation will require to empower the employee. The concept of Values Based Leadership is intrinsically linked to the internalisation of the a set of values. Essentially internalising the values will empower the individual and create a greater comprehension of how to behave and accepted behaviour.  It can therefore be assumed that Values Based Leadership although underpinned by transactional and transformational leadership (Bass Bass & Riggio 2006, Bass 1998) relies ultimately on the leader and the follower having a greater understanding and application of the values.

There are a number of other factors need to be in place to bring Values Based Leadership to life. To test these factors we need to ask three important questions of leaders.

Firstly, are they willing to learn? Leading Values Based organisations is a dynamic process and one that requires people to constantly be learning and evolving their thinking.

Secondly, do they want to lead? Often people find themselves in a leadership position by default without really considering whether they want the responsibility. At the core of Values Based Leadership are leaders who relish the challenge and the responsibility of leadership.

Finally, are they able to deal with the change and ambiguity that exists in organisations in the 21st Century? And do they have the skills and knowledge to lead in an ever changing environment without being overwhelmed by the complexities of leadership?

Values Based Leadership gives leaders and organisations the flexibility to lead through ambiguity and change. When these factors are in place we believe that the three dimensions of Values Based Leadership come together in a powerful way to lead organsations.

 Leading Self - Leading Others - Leading the Organisation

The interconnection of these three dimensions is the critical factor. By understanding the inter-relationship between the dimensions and having all three covered, you can gain the dynamics and power of Values Based Leadership. So, having a strong set of personal values but not living the organisation's values will create a divide within yourself, and others will see this. Having a strong and successful team and leading that team well, but not understanding the purpose of your organisation will develop a rift between what you and your team are actively doing and what the organisation thinks it is doing. However, when all three dimensions collaborate this leads to…

Sustainability – a sustainable and dynamic organisational culture that has the agility to change and create long term repeatable success

The emotional connection and engagement of both employees and customers with the organisation

Organisational agility – the ability of the whole organisation to be responsive and adapt to the changing environment within which it operates

Authentic Leadership – Values Based Leadership wins the trust, respect and confidence of the people in the organisation

 http://www.valuesbasedleadership.co.uk/news/reviews/VBLModel/

Ten Principles of Leadership

ActionCOACH Founder and Chairman Brad Sugars believes, when people decide to respect you as a leader, they observe what you do so they can know who you really are.

People then use this observation to tell if you are an honourable and trusted leader, or a self-serving person who misuses authority. A good leader has an honourable character that selflessly serves his/her organization. In your employees' eyes, your leadership is everything. Your activities affect the organization's objectives and their well-being. According to Brad Sugars, a respected leader concentrates on three key areas:

• Be - what he/she is (beliefs and values)
• Know - what he/she knows (job, tasks, human nature)
• Do - what he/she does (implement, motivate, and provide direction).

For more on Brad Sugars' "Be, Do Have," take a sneak peek at his YouTube Video below. What makes a person want to follow a leader? People want to be guided by people they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future.

The Three Most Important Keys of Leadership:

Studies have shown that trust and confidence in top leadership is the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization. Effective communication by leadership in three critical areas is the key to winning organizational trust and confidence, and involves:

1. Helping employees understand the company's overall business strategy.
2. Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives.
3. Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee's own division or department is doing - relative to strategic business objectives.

So basically, you must be trustworthy and you have to be able to communicate a vision of where you are going.

Brad Sugars' 10 Principles of Leadership:

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement. In order to know yourself, you have to understand your "be", "know", and "do" attributes. This is possible by continually strengthening your attributes by reading and self-study.
2. Be technically proficient. As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees' jobs.
3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. Search for ways to guide your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, do not blame others.
4. Make sound and timely decisions. Use good problem solving, decision-making, and planning tools.
5. Set the example. Be a good role model for you employees. They will believe what they see - not what they hear.
6. Know your people and look out for their well-being. Know human nature and the importance of sincerely caring for your workers.
7. Keep your people informed. Know how to communicate with your people, seniors, and other key people within the organization.
8. Develop a sense of accountability, ownership and responsibility in your people. These traits will help them carry out their professional responsibilities.
9. Ensure tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished. Communication is the key to this responsibility.
10. Train your people as a team. By developing team spirit, you will be able to employ your organization, department, section, etc. to its fullest capabilities.

The Process of Great Leadership:

1. Inspire a shared vision - Next, share you vision in words that can be understood by your followers.
2. Challenge the process - First, find a process you believe needs to be improved the most.
3. Enable others to act - Give them the tools, authority and methods to solve problems themselves.
4. Model the way - When the process gets tough, get your hands dirty. A boss tells others what to do; a leader shows it can be done.

Encourage the heart - Share the glory with your followers' heart, keep the pains in your heart - Human Relations:

• The six most important words: "I admit I made a mistake."
• The five most important words: "You did a good job."
• The four most important words: "What is your opinion?"
• The three most important words: "If you please."
• The two most important words: "Thank you,"
• The one most important word: "We"
• The least important word: "I"

Values Based Leadership

Values Based Leadership requires leaders to be courageous. There can be difficult decisions to be made, well entrenched beliefs to be challenged and leadership behaviours to be changed when following a values-based approach. This does not always promise an easy route for leaders and taking these decisions requires courage. The military is an example of an organisation where values form an intrinsic element of leadership and leadership delivery.

Clausewitz is one of the foremost military influences on the art of war and today remains a highly acclaimed scholar within the military community.  He still features at the centre of many military debates on strategy and warfare and is a vehicle to develop commanders and leaders of tomorrow.  It is therefore extremely significant that he harbours such concerns on theory; Clausewitz cautions against adherence to fixed theories as every case needs to be considered afresh to the situation.  Reiterated from the introduction; he states that theory is the servant of practice; leaders need to be flexible enough not to rely on fixed theory (Howard 2002).

The quote, simple and noteworthy highlights one of the fallibility’s of change, the moral component, the need for empowerment, a shared vision and unity.  Without thorough understanding change will always experience friction, as Kotter (1996) highlights transformation will require to empower the employee. The concept of Values Based Leadership is intrinsically linked to the internalisation of the a set of values. Essentially internalising the values will empower the individual and create a greater comprehension of how to behave and accepted behaviour.  It can therefore be assumed that Values Based Leadership although underpinned by transactional and transformational leadership (Bass Bass & Riggio 2006, Bass 1998) relies ultimately on the leader and the follower having a greater understanding and application of the values.

There are a number of other factors need to be in place to bring Values Based Leadership to life. To test these factors we need to ask three important questions of leaders.

Firstly, are they willing to learn? Leading Values Based organisations is a dynamic process and one that requires people to constantly be learning and evolving their thinking.

Secondly, do they want to lead? Often people find themselves in a leadership position by default without really considering whether they want the responsibility. At the core of Values Based Leadership are leaders who relish the challenge and the responsibility of leadership.

Finally, are they able to deal with the change and ambiguity that exists in organisations in the 21st Century? And do they have the skills and knowledge to lead in an ever changing environment without being overwhelmed by the complexities of leadership?

Values Based Leadership gives leaders and organisations the flexibility to lead through ambiguity and change. When these factors are in place we believe that the three dimensions of Values Based Leadership come together in a powerful way to lead organsations.

 Leading Self - Leading Others - Leading the Organisation

The interconnection of these three dimensions is the critical factor. By understanding the inter-relationship between the dimensions and having all three covered, you can gain the dynamics and power of Values Based Leadership. So, having a strong set of personal values but not living the organisation's values will create a divide within yourself, and others will see this. Having a strong and successful team and leading that team well, but not understanding the purpose of your organisation will develop a rift between what you and your team are actively doing and what the organisation thinks it is doing. However, when all three dimensions collaborate this leads to…

Sustainability – a sustainable and dynamic organisational culture that has the agility to change and create long term repeatable success

The emotional connection and engagement of both employees and customers with the organisation

Organisational agility – the ability of the whole organisation to be responsive and adapt to the changing environment within which it operates

Authentic Leadership – Values Based Leadership wins the trust, respect and confidence of the people in the organisation

 http://www.valuesbasedleadership.co.uk/news/reviews/VBLModel/

Some great books on the mater of VBL.