By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
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Abstract: This article discusses how leaders can discover and define their personal core values and apply those values for optimal organizational impact. It proposes that effective leadership requires having strong moral foundations built on grounded principles. Leaders are expected to demonstrate authentic commitment to values like integrity, respect, and community. The article outlines several techniques for leaders to identify their core values through self-reflection, reviewing life experiences, considering hypothetical scenarios, and consulting others. It recommends defining values through an inspiring leadership philosophy statement that summarizes the key values, uses vivid language, focuses outwardly, and commits to specific behaviors. Examples are provided of how leaders at Danaher, Amazon, and Southwest Airlines successfully applied their core values of integrity, respect, and community to positively transform their company cultures and improve business outcomes. The conclusion emphasizes that leadership starts from focusing inward on one's values in order to share and model them outwardly for the organization.
In today's rapidly changing business environment, effective leadership requires strong moral foundations. Leaders must stay grounded in their principles to navigate complexity with wisdom and care. At the same time, corporate culture has shifted to embrace values-based management. Employees expect their leaders to demonstrate authentic commitment to values like integrity, respect, and community.
Today we will explore how leaders can discover and define their personal values, then apply those values for optimal organizational impact.
Identifying Your Core Values
Defining values starts with self-reflection. Values represent principles that motivate behavior and shape priorities (O'Donnell & O'Reilly, 2020). To uncover values, quiet introspection is needed. Researchers at Central Michigan University (Cleary et al., 2020) found daily journaling helped participants identify values most important to their identity and decision-making. Scheduling time each day for open-ended reflection allows patterns to emerge organically.
Other approaches include:
Reviewing life experiences like role models, achievements, and challenges. Moments that instilled a sense of meaning often point to core values (Croswell, 2018).
Considering responses to hypothetical scenarios. Imagining how you'd want to act in difficult situations exposes the motives behind choices (Gino et al., 2018).
Consulting others. Close friends and family may recognize values before you do, having witnessed your character over time (Howard & Korver, 2008). Asking candid yet compassionate questions can provide useful perspective.
Be prepared to refine your list. Early perceptions of values may not stand the test of real decisions. Real values are tested in pressure (Berkovich, 2014). Recognize that gaining clarity is an ongoing process requiring self-awareness and courage to reevaluate if values don’t match behavior. Continuous learning will deepen understanding of what truly inspires purposeful leadership.
Defining Your Leadership Philosophy
Crafting a statement expresses values in a clear, inspiring way that provides leadership direction. Researchers at Duke University (Silverthorne & Wang, 2001) found well-defined philosophies correlated to higher employee engagement and retention rates.
A strong philosophy statement:
Summarizes the 2-3 core values that will guide all decisions and strategies. Concise statements are most impactful.
Uses vivid, emotive language to paint a picture of the culture and environment that values create. Visual rhetoric sparks connection.
Focuses outward toward people, not tasks or metrics. Values prioritize how goals are achieved, not just what is achieved.
Commits to specific behaviors that bring values to life daily, like mentoring employees or soliciting diverse perspectives. Philosophies with behavioral guidelines facilitate implementation.
Remains succinct at 1-2 paragraphs for readability and memorability in busy workdays. Brief yet profound expressions are most inspirational.
Applying Your Values in the Workplace
The following examples demonstrate how leaders effectively applied core values to positively transform their organizations:
Integrity at Danaher Corporation. CEO Larry Culp made integrity Danaher's cornerstone value through transparent communication and accountability practices (Kellerman, 2020). All meetings now start by reaffirming integrity in decisions. Recognition moved from performance metrics alone to also consider ethical conduct. These simple yet principled steps rebuilt employee trust after a prior scandal.
Respect at Amazon. As criticism mounted around brutal warehouse conditions, CEO Jeff Bezos declared respect for all people as Amazon’s revised leadership principle (Statt, 2021). Wage increases, mental health benefits, career training programs, and a Rumination Room for prayer/meditation demonstrated the value's new priority. Turnover significantly declined as staff felt genuinely cared for.
Community at Southwest Airlines. Herb Kelleher instilled a "fun-loving" culture valuing employees as family (Nocera, 2018). Unique perks like dress code freedom and dance contests fostered lighthearted camaraderie across roles. This community spirit was credited for maintaining productivity and service quality even during crises, keeping the airline consistently profitable for decades.
Conclusion
Leadership starts from the inside out. By taking time for introspection, individuals can identify core values that inspire their highest purpose. Crafting clear statements and modeling principled behaviors are needed to share values with an organization. When values genuinely motivate decision-making and culture, they improve effectiveness, engagement and well-being for all. Leaders who discover their moral compass and use it to navigate complexity will find sustainable success and leave a positive legacy.
References
Berkovich, I. (2014). Between person and person: Dialogical pedagogy in authentic leadership development. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 13(2), 245-264. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2012.0367
Cleary, M., Horsfall, J., O'Hagan, M., Happell, B., Pinikahana, J., & Carta, B. (2020). Core values identification: An arts-based participatory approach. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 41(6), 510-515. https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2019.1687788
Croswell, C. (2018). Impact of values clarification exercises and critical incidents on leadership core values development: A comparative study (Publication No. 10807958) [Doctoral dissertation, Azusa Pacific University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Gino, F., Krupka, E. L., & Weber, R. A. (2018). Values and virtue: Moral framing and cross-cultural cooperation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 146, 120-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2018.02.001
Howard, E. E., & Korver, C. D. (2008). Ethics for the real world: Creating a personal code to guide decisions in work and life. Harvard Business Review Press.
Kellerman, B. (2020). Practicing ethical leadership: Ten guiding principles to strengthen integrity, rebuild trust, and inspire excellence. Cornell University Press.
Nocera, J. (2018, December 27). Kelleher and the spirit of Southwest. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/27/business/herb-kelleher-southwest-airlines-spirit.html
O'Donnell, M., & O'Reilly, C. (2020). The role of values in shaping effective leader behavior: A review of the literature. Journal of Management, 46(6), 1075-1103. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206320900721
Silverthorne, C., & Wang, T. K. (2001). Situational leadership style as a predictor of success and productivity among Taiwanese business organizations. The Journal of Psychology, 135(4), 399-412. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980109603696
Statt, N. (2021, May 13). Jeff Bezos is stepping down as Amazon CEO. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/13/22437001/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-stepping-down-andy-jassy
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Finding Your True North: How to Identify and Apply Your Core Values in Leadership. Human Capital Leadership Review, 11(4). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.11.4.15
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