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LEADERSHIP VALUES AND VALUES BASED LEADERSHIP:
WHAT IS THE MAIN FOCUS?
ŽYDŽIŪNAITĖ Vilma
St. Ignatius of Loyola College, Kaunas, Lithuania
Abstract
The article is based on descriptive theoretical research and focused on two notions such as ‘leadership
values’ and ‘values based leadership’. These two concepts are not compared, but every of them is
described separately by highlighting general characteristics and showing their broad complexity. Both
notions are not related to ethics and / or morality, as the aim the literature review was to provide
insights on leadership values and values based leadership. The research question was the following:
What aspects include two concepts such as ‘leadership values’ and ‘values based leadership’? Fourteen
leadership values are provided and in the summary the three unifying aspects are presented and
discussed – personality, interaction(s) and relationship(s), and action(s) / work. The common and
flexible leadership values are presented. Values based leadership is discussed generally and four
principles of this leadership are distinguished – self-reflection, balance, true self-confidence, and
genuine humility. Also positive and limiting values based leadership shortly is discussed. The
conclusion is focused on the idea that the leader needs to regain and maintain trust. Positive values
based leadership goes beyond leveraging strengths and making meaning. Values based leaders who
engage their employees and help them flourish in life. And for their organisations they boost
productivity, creativity and financial returns. Leading and evaluating success based on values is the
best way to build a high-performance culture in organisation.
Keywords : Core leadership values; Flexible leadership values; Limiting leadership values; Positive
leadership values; Values based leader; Values based leadership.
Background
‘Leadership chaos’ might be used to describe the political, social, economic, religious, and
environmental conditions for much of the first decade of the 21st^ Century. The difficulties faced
in all of these various domains are so drastic that it is difficult to refrain from being sarcastic
about the effectiveness and utility of what is referred to as “leadership development.” In the
continuing, increasingly complex, and changing challenges, many of which have potentially
disastrous implications, the need for effective leadership is greater now than perhaps at any
time in recorded history. And at the same time, what is being called for in terms of leadership sounds as confusing as the issues and conditions facing us. We often hear of the need for strong leaders, results driven leaders, servant leaders, charismatic leaders, heroic leaders, collaborative leaders, innovative leaders, tribal leaders, and more. But what we observe in those calls for leadership is that each arises out of an ideologically driven world, and implies that every other type of leader, except the type it is calling for, is ineffective, inappropriate, or just outright wrong (Hyatt & de Ciantis, 2012). Here values play the important role. Values are a shorthand method of describing what is important to us individually or collectively (as an organisation, community or nation) (Turkkahraman, 2014). They are “shorthand” because the concepts that values represent can usually be captured in one word or a short phrase. For example, honesty, openness, compassion, long-term perspective and human rights can all be considered as values. Behaviours, which are the outward manifestation of our values, are context dependent (Cubukcu, 2014). Values can be positive or potentially limiting. Positive values such as friendship, trust and creativity, help us to connect with others and make a positive contribution to society (James, 2014). Potentially limiting values such as blame, bureaucracy and status-seeking, do just the opposite. They may enable us to meet our immediate needs, but in the long-term they are counterproductive, often divisive, and frequently result in a breakdown of connection, thereby affecting our relationships and undermining any positive contributions we may have been able to make. The frequent utilisation of potentially limiting values as a basis for conscious or subconscious decision- making leads to isolation, separation and failure. Potentially limiting values are sourced from the fears of the ego and support the ego’s self-interest (Barrett, 2013). The role of leadership is to add value to other people and the true measure of leadership is influence, thus a great leader must have the ability to change the attitude or behavior of others (Reese, 2017). In organizations where leaders lead, the leadership values must be communicated by actions, mostly in the ways in which activities / actions are conducted on a day-to-day basis, and not so much in words directly spoken or written. Actions speak louder, but written values that reinforce and support specific actions, and specific actions that reinforce and support written values, make a powerful combination (Healthfield, 2018). Values based leadership evolved as a bi-product of the time and culture. The emergence of the twenty-first century was plagued with extensive, evasive and disheartening ethical leadership
concise and shared meaning of values / beliefs, priorities, and direction within their organization. They want every employee to understand the values, contribute to the values, and live the values. Once defined, the values should impact every aspect of the organization. The leader must support and nurture this impact (Heathfield, 2018). Leadership values are discussed by authors, who make research studies, discuss, train, coach (see Table 1). Table 1 Leadership values
Name of a leadership
value
Description
Respect Self-respect and respecting others regardless of differences; treating others
with dignity, empathy and compassion; and the ability to earn the respect of
others. Three differing types of respect are appraisal, recognition and
identification (Clarke, 2011).
Making difference Making a positive impact on individuals, systems, and/or organizations or
positively affecting outcomes (Kase, 2010).
Integrity Moral courage, ethical strength, and trustworthiness; keeping promises and
fulfilling expectations (Bauman, 2013; Williams, 2018).
Authenticity Consistency, congruency, and transparency in values, beliefs, and actions;
integrating values and principles to create a purposeful life and to contribute
to the growth of others (Bishop, 2013).
Courage Possessing a strength of self to act with intention on behalf of the common
good; taking a stand in the face of adversity; acting boldly in the service of
inclusion and justice (Sen et al., 2013).
Service Commitment that extends beyond one’s own self-interest; personal humility
for the sake of a greater cause (Bourne, 2016).
Humility A sense of humbleness, dignity and an awareness of one’s own limitations;
open to perspectives differ-rent from one’s own (Cable, 2018;
Higginbottom, 2018).
Wisdom A broad understanding of human dynamics and an ability to balance the
interests of multiple stakeholders when making decisions; can take a long
term perspective in decision-making (Yang, 2011; Clayton, 2013).
Self-discipline Focusing your attention consistently on your most important goals re-quires
self-discipline (Jabbour, 2017; Gulledge, 2018).
Personal development An increase in quantity, quality, and / or development over time. We can
grow individually, increasing our skills, understanding, etc., as well as grow
as a team and an organization, increasing our ambition, our sites, ability to
serve clients, etc. Growth can be characterized by a breakthrough change, a
transformation as a significant development, which is great. More often,
though, growth takes the form of incremental improvements over time. Self-
awareness and self-reflection help enable us to know our areas of potential
growth. (Keyser, 2011)
Respect of teamwork Respect is at the core of high functioning teams – and the lack of respect
between team members is often times the cause of poorly performing
teams. It’s about respecting the person, their abilities, their ideas, and their
contributions to the team. Self-respect and respect for others is learnable.
It is not learnt or encouraged by putting a group of “values” on a wall
plaque or on a sheet of paper. It is learnt and encouraged by the team
getting to know each other and themselves well. Self-respect is also
encouraged by managers who mentor and coach. Respecting others is
implemented through showing support, encouraging participation, giving
positive feedback, being honest, listening before speaking (Arnold, 2018).
Belief in human
potential
The possibilities human beings are capable of accomplishing. The idea that
with hard work, every person — regardless of age, background or religion
— has the opportunity to succeed and achieve. Fundamental to this dream
is that leader(s) remains small and limited, giving maximum freedom to the
individual. The great potential of leadership lies in people (Millar, 2012;
Browback, 2016).
The power of positive
psychology
Strengths are underlying personal qualities that energise us, contribute to
our growth and lead to peak performance. When we tap into these sources
of energy, we can reach full immersion in our task at hand. Meaning is
what gives purpose to our existence and to what we do. We gain happiness
from our actions when they are based on choices that make sense to us.
Many definitions of employee engagement include energy and meaning.
Accordingly, employees are engaged when they are energised by work and
show a genuine willingness to go the extra mile. What does this mean for
leadership? To boost their employees’ engagement, leaders have to help
(Sen et al., 2013). They challenge employees in two ways: first, to use their strengths to tackle problems they have not tackled before; and second, to achieve true mastery in their areas of strengths (Uhl-Bien et al., 2007). Being part of a group makes sense. Leaders emphasize the team over individuals, reducing internal competition for the benefit of mutual support and collaboration (Clayton, 2013). Leaders recognize that beyond leveraging individuals’ strengths, they need to leverage team strengths. Team strengths depend on how each team member’s strengths interact with other team members’ strengths (Millar, 2012). This interaction influences how well the team performs as a group. Leaders leverage the full diversity in their teams (Kase, 2010). The members of a cohesive community have each other’s backs; they are there when an individual needs help. The good of the group takes priority over selfish motives because it promises future benefits to the individual (Cameron, 2008). For employees, workplace relationships - and especially relationships with managers and leaders - are a significant motivating factor in how they feel about the work they do, and the organizations where they do that work (Clayton, 2013). If leaders underestimate the importance of these relationships as a leadership value, they often do not succeed in their growth as leaders (Kase, 2010). Only through open communication can both sides come to understand the position of the other, which may initially be quite the challenge to undertake, but inevitably it will prove to the betterment of the well-being of all concerned, as well as the overall performance of the organization (Clarke, 2018).
- Action(s) / work. Employees may perceive their work as “meaningless”. Opaque decision making, political agendas, a fragmented value chain, bureaucracy – all these devalue what employees perceive as the actual, often-invigorating purpose of work (Bishop, 2013). Leaders need to offer meaning to their followers. Leaders work with this powerful source of meaning (Bourne, 2016). They enable their followers to feel helpful to others, be it clients, colleagues or the general public (Browback, 2016). Meaningful acting or working is about having an impact on the world that transcends the individual’s existence. Leaders want to be part of something that still influences the world when they are no longer here (Bauman, 2013). Leaders help their followers to feel significant. They stress the importance of the shared mission and the criticality of every team members’ or employee’s contribution (Arnold, 2018). Leaders must take a more hands-on approach to developing their people and helping them find meaning in the
work they do. All people want to feel valued - not just for their work, but as individuals. The presence or absence of that feeling of being valued impacts how they feel about the organization, and their role in it (Sen et al., 2013). On the part of the employee, it is perhaps wise to consider that leadership is a complex matter and, like all humans, leaders don’t always get it right, and sometimes need time to figure out the right course of action and support in implementing that action (Clarke, 2018). Leaders must know what they value and exhibit their core values in their leadership style(s) and actions. Leadership values practiced by the leader should be visible because s/he lives them in her / his actions. If leaders never identified their values in their workplaces, the mistrust is understandable. People don't know what they can expect. If leaders have identified and shared their values, living the values every day visibly will create trust (Healthfield, 2018). Leaders come from all eras, all levels of society, and all cultures; but there are certain beliefs leaders share. These core beliefs are the foundation of the particular leader’s leadership, the things that will help her / him become successful (Daskal, 2016). Values as a basic for leadership could be divided into types. For example, Reese (2017) divides leadership values into common and flexible (see Table 2). Table 2 Common and flexible leadership values
Name of common
leadership values
Description of common
leadership values
Description of flexible
leadership values
Name of flexible
leadership values
Leadership People want to be led, not
managed. Instead, leaders
must manage their actions
and possess the ability to
lead by example.
To oversee the progress of
a project or assignment
when necessary. Provide
specific instructions and
closely supervise specific
situations.
Controlling
Vision People want to know how
and why their efforts
matter. A leader must
actively provide this vision
to his/her people to
maintain purpose in their
work.
To demonstrate to your
team the desire and
capacity that you have to
share information or
knowledge in the
workplace.
Teaching
actions within every
responsibility.
Responsibility People feel gratified when
commitments to them are
kept. Leaders, who keep
commitments, will have
employees, who are
accountable for their
commitments.
Wisdom People learn most from
their leaders by example
and coaching. Leaders need
to temper their knowledge
with good judgement and
concern for others.
Communication People perform better when
they understand the issues.
A leader who is open and
listens to concerns and
ideas will gain more
support from his/her
employees. This
communication can be
verbal, non-verbal and even
a simple visual
measurement system.
Flexible leadership is not something you do to people, but something you do with people. Following personal leadership beliefs and core leadership values through thinking, reflecting, communicating, learning, and implementation of flexible leadership values through teaching, coaching, mentoring, acting, communicating helps leaders to become successful. Leaders driven by their core values inspire loyalty and commitment in their followers because they help them to find purpose and meaning in what they do, and they bring out the best in the people who work alongside them (Clarke, 2018). Once an organization's values are clearly defined, they should also be the guiding light for how performance is evaluated - at the team and individual level. This is especially true when
organizations are facing change. And values based performance evaluation systems need to be put in place Gleeson, 2017). Values based leadership People become effective leaders when they are rooted in who they are and what matters most to them (Clarke, 2018). Becoming the best kind of leader isn't about emulating a role model or a historic figure. Rather, the leadership must be rooted in who the leader is and what matters most to her / him. When the leader truly knows her / himself and what s/he stands for, it is much easier to know what to do in any situation. It always comes down to doing the right thing and doing the best s/he can (Jansen Kraemer, 2011). Values based leadership has received attention as many charismatic and seemingly transformational leaders had emerged that lacked a moral, authentic and ethical dimension (Copeland, 2014). Values based leadership is the only true style of leadership that separates the great from the rest (Clarke, 2018). Leaders must lean on the values of the organization to drive performance, especially during times of change. An organization's values should be the bedrock of why the institution exists, how it makes decisions and its true purpose. They must be authentic and relatively specific so they actually resonate with the team (Gleeson, 2017). Values based leadership within the organization manifests the institutional ethos. Institutional ethos clearly articulates values and culture. Everything employers and employees do is guided by the institutional ethos. Because it means that leaders have come together to ensure alignment on what the organization stands for. What the long term vision is. It guides decision-making, recruiting and selection, how the organization trains its members and how the institution fights, and the overall expectations ( Barret Values Center , 2018). Values based leadership means communicating organisational values that tell members how to behave in order to fulfil the organisation’s mission. They talk about these values in a way that connects with employees’ personal values, so that employees come to identify strongly with both the organisation and its mission (Daskal, 2016). Such leaders focus on core values - the enduring guiding principles that capture the organisation’s strengths and character. Because the core values represent the soul of the organisation, they are likely to remain steadfast in the face of changing market trends and fads (Clarke, 2011). In order for employees to believe in the sincerity and depth of the organisation’s values, the leadership team must lead by example
these three areas of wellness leads those in an organisation to focus on individual gain, and the concept of doing what is best for the collective becomes lost. Values based leaders are those with an underlying moral, ethical foundation (Copeland, 2014). Thus the successful values based leader will recognize personal and professional values; determine how much variance from established values will be tolerated, and understand the values of internal stakeholders. This model relies heavily on recognition of the individual’s role in upholding personal and organisational values. After all, an organisation may have established values, but it is up to the individuals in that organisation to embody them (Graber & Kilpatrick, 2008). The values based leadership is not about realizing leader's personal needs for status, fame, or ego satisfaction. Instead, her / his actions are based on helping their followers realize their true needs. Values based leaders consistently act on behalf of their followers, seeking to provide the conditions and resources those constituencies couldn’t provide on their own. The importance of this servant leadership quality is identified, but what is most unusual about these leaders is the consistency of that behavior: unlike paternalistic leaders, they do not seek to impose their personal agendas on their followers; unlike situational leaders, there is a complete and predictable integrity to all their actions; unlike transformational leaders, they do not seek to change their opponents (their every action demonstrates respect for their followers and enemies alike). And they each display a high degree of selflessness. That does not mean they are without ambition, but rather their ambition is of an unusual sort: they find personal satisfaction and fulfillment by providing the opportunity for others to realize their goals and potential (O'Toole, 20 08 ). Conclusion Today there is widespread lack of confidence in leadership, in business, government, education and elsewhere. Every leader needs to regain and maintain trust. Positive values based leadership goes beyond leveraging strengths and making meaning. Values based leaders who engage their employees and help them flourish in life. And for their institutions / organisations they boost productivity, creativity and financial returns. Values based leadership may not be a cure for everything that ails us, but it's definitely a good place to start. But leading and evaluating success based on values is the best way to build a high-performance culture in organisation.
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