Leadership Values

Leadership values are the guiding principles that inform the actions and behaviors of a leader. They are the core beliefs and values that shape how a leader interacts with others and approaches their work.

What does that mean?

Values are, simply put, the principles that guide us. Personal values can be thought of as the things you believe are important to living a happy, fulfilling life. These values help determine how you make decisions on a daily basis.

Many people go through life without thinking much about their values. Their values might be subconscious, or just a part of their personality, and not something that they really think about or consider. However, as a leader, it's important to actively think about, carefully define, and openly express your values. Knowing your values and then being open and transparent about them is critical for building trust and respect as a leader, and positively influencing the people around you. It's important to understand that high performing, high functioning teams are not just a group of people working together, they are a group of people that trust one another.

Important Leadership Values

Honesty

Honesty is the quality of being truthful and trustworthy. It is the act of being sincere, truthful, and free from deceit. Honesty is perhaps the most important value to have as it is essential to building trust, respect, and credibility with others. Without honesty, it can be difficult or even impossible for people to have confidence in one another, which can lead to conflicts and misunderstandings. Additionally, honesty is crucial for maintaining healthy and meaningful relationships with others.

Honesty is often considered the most important value as it is so foundational to many, if not all, of the other leadership values. Honesty is also key in building a sense of community and cooperation, as it allows people to be open and transparent with one another. In short, honesty is the cornerstone of a healthy and meaningful life.

Dedication

Probably the most common understanding of dedication is working hard and "saying yes" to doing as much work as possible. But the best way a leader can show true dedication is by being discerning and accountable for the work their team takes on. This requires a very high degree of transparency.

Transparency

Transparency is an essential, foundational value. Many other values build on or depend on transparency.

Transparency does not mean sharing everything. There is a common saying that "complaints should go up and explanations go down". What this means is that leaders should never complain about others to anyone that they are leading. This will only lead to (or strengthen) silos. Instead, leaders should should look into why they have a complaint, and look to find an explanation that they can share. However, the converse of this is that team members and leaders should also be free to share opinions, observations, and feedback to their leader when it is appropriate to do so. Being transparent also means being receptive to feedback and should be willing to accept feedback even if it is not expressed constructively.

Transparency also should not mean sharing just what the team needs to do their job. It should also include sharing enough so that the team knows you, as their leader, are doing your job, and thinking about or planning for the kinds of things they should not have to worry about.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves being able to put oneself in someone else's shoes, and to understand their perspective and emotions. Empathy is important because it helps people to connect with others and to build strong, positive relationships. It also enables people to understand and respond to the needs and feelings of others, which can help to create a supportive and caring environment.

Empathy is different from sympathy, which is feeling sorry for someone who is experiencing difficulties. Empathy involves a deeper level of understanding and connection, and it involves being able to share in the feelings of another person. This can help to create a sense of connection and trust, and can enable people to support and comfort each other in a more meaningful way.

Empathy is also important because it can help people to resolve conflicts and misunderstandings. By being able to understand and appreciate the perspective of others, people can find common ground and work towards a solution that is mutually beneficial. Empathy can also help people to be more compassionate and understanding towards others, which can foster a sense of community and inclusion.

In summary, empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It is important because it helps people to connect with others and to build positive relationships. Empathy also enables people to understand and respond to the needs and feelings of others, which can help to create a supportive and caring environment.

Humility

Humility is the quality of being modest and humble. It involves having a realistic and accurate view of oneself, and not being overly impressed with one's own abilities or accomplishments. Humility is important because it enables people to be open to learning and growth, and to be receptive to feedback and criticism. It also helps people to be more empathetic and understanding towards others, and to see the world from different perspectives.

Being humble does not mean being self-effacing or lacking in confidence. It involves recognizing and acknowledging one's own strengths and weaknesses, and being open to learning from others. Humility is also about being willing to take risks and to try new things, even if there is the possibility of failure. This can help people to grow and develop, and to become better at what they do.

Humility is also important in leadership, as it enables leaders to be more effective and to connect with their team members. A humble leader is able to listen to others and to take their perspectives into account, and is not afraid to admit when they are wrong or to ask for help. This can foster a positive and collaborative work environment, and can help to build trust and respect within the team.

Excellence

Excellence, as a value, refers to the quality of pursuing outstanding, high quality results. It is the pursuit of perfection and the constant striving to do something to the best of one's abilities.

Excellence is important note only because it can help us achieve our goals, but also because it can inspire others and raise the standards for what is considered good or acceptable.

Integrity

You might wonder why integrity showed up last. That was intentional. Having integrity is perhaps the most important value of all. Many of the other values are built on top of integrity.

Team Values

People

  • We Provide a Safe and Healthy Work Environment
  • We Value our Differences
  • We Respect Each Other
  • We Protect Personal Data
  • We Communicate Respectfully

Business

  • We Focus on the Quality and Safety of our Products
  • We Compete Fairly
  • We Do Not Engage in Corruption or Bribery
  • We Comply with International Trade Regulations
  • We Use Gifts & Hospitality Responsibly
  • We Act in the Company's Best Interest and Avoid Conflicts of Interest
  • We Protect Confidential Information
  • We Keep Accurate Records
  • We Safeguard Company Assets
  • We Follow the Rules for Buying and Selling Stocks and other Securities
  • We Tell our Story Responsibly
  • We Hold our Business Partners to our High Standards
  • We Support Human Rights
  • We Protect the Environment
  • We Connect with our Communities