The Value of Values: Where leading begins

I have found that most people start their discussions and training in leadership around the vision of the individual or the institute. Please don't get me wrong, I certainly see the importance of a vision and in my own leadership training deal with it at length, but I do not agree that it is the starting point of good leadership.

Vision tells you what it is that you want to be know for or what you want to achieve while values ring-fence your vision (and everything else that you do). Without values, you find yourself at a place where you will do anything that you can to achieve your vision, leaving room for both people and companies to move out of the bounds of the law and ethics.

Allow me to give you an example; If as an individual, you have a personal vision to become a millionaire, but you do not know your own values, you will find yourself flirting with options that are outside what is morally right in order to become rich. Things like tax evasion, theft (be it direct or indirect) and lying (even simply not being 100% truthful on time-sheets) become options and often methods used. If you have integrity as a value, this will limit out a number of ways to become that millionaire.

I am not trying to specify at this point what constitute good values and what are bad values, merely that there is a need to be aware of what your values are as well as what the values of the company that you work for are. Every company should have their values clearly displayed, as they do with their vision. Doing this will help in hiring the right people, with the right fit for the company. As an individual, if I cannot agree with the values of a company, it would not make sense for me to work for that company as there will always be a clash in my mind and theirs as to how we reach the vision, goals and objectives.

In the same way, as an individual it is of most importance that you are clear about what your values are - what defines you, what guides you?

There will be a follow up article on where we get our values from as well as how to define them. For now, understand that values are the starting point for any good leader and holding to them without apology is what makes someone a great leader.