Values in Leadership

            In chapter 4 of the Exploring Leadership book, it discusses how it is often difficult to articulate our own values that guide our actions, but how the ability to do so will help you to be more conscious and understanding of your own actions.  It also talks about how each of us has different preferences on how we construct our own value system, and the ability to understand how we construct our value system will help us better understand ourselves and others.  I think this is a very important concept in leadership for a few reasons.  First off, in order to be an effective leader, you have to understand your own values and tendencies.  Understanding yourself and what is important to you allows you to better communicate your expectations to those you are trying to lead.  Secondly, you must be able to understand your follower's values in order to effectively work together with them.  As was mentioned before, everyone constructs their value system differently and hence responds differently to leadership; therefore it is up to the leader to understand these differences, and figure out how to effectively align their values with those of their followers.  Communication between the leader and followers is crucial to this, and an effective leader must be able to communicate their values, while also making their followers feel that their values are understood and are important to the group.

            Chapter 4 of the Exploring Leadership book also mentions a study that was done which settled on eight commonly shared values around the world. They are love, truthfulness, fairness, freedom, unity, tolerance, responsibility, and respect for life.  As far as my own personal values go, it is difficult for me to narrow this list down to a few specific values, because I honestly feel that they are all equally important.  I think that love is a necessity to achieve happiness in life, whether it comes from family, friends, or a significant other.  Truthfulness is very important, especially when it comes to leadership, because to be an effective leader you have to establish trust with your followers, and vice versa.  Fairness is also important to leadership and trust because disagreements often arise when working with others, but as long as a leader treats their followers fairly and objectively, there will not be a loss of respect.  Freedom of coarse is what drives the success of humanity.  Freedom of speech, expression, thinking, and happiness are what have driven the advancement of human society.  Unity is crucial to leadership and group success because unity involves working together toward common goals.  Tolerance is important to understanding our peers' value systems, and understanding that everyone's beliefs count for something.  Responsibility is also tied to trust.  Being responsible for your actions and keeping your promises establishes trust with your peers and commands respect from them.  Lastly, I truly believe that we must all have respect for all forms of life.  Understanding that the world doesn't completely revolve around us is humbling, and allows us to see the bigger picture in life.