Did you know that the most powerful leadership tools you will ever use are within you.
The key to successful leadership is you.
Fashioned from our beliefs and demonstrated by our actions, our leadership is an articulation of our inner self.
Our values drive our leadership.
How we lead is an expression of what we believe.
How we lead people toward is an illustration of what we stand for.
The limits we set clearly communicate what we will and will not tolerate.
Our values undeniably shape our leadership.
Our values are the foundation of who we are as leaders.
When we lead based on our values, we can trust we are doing the right thing.
When our values inform our leadership we can be assured we are making the right choices.
When our values drive our leadership we can take comfort in knowing that we are aligning ourselves with our personal best.
By demonstrating our values we are setting the tone for every action, behavior, and interaction.
This is important no matter how successful we are.
This is important no matter what kind of leadership position we hold. It does not matter if we lead a Fortune 500 company, a small business or if we are leading a company of one.
We must nurture our inner self, we must allow our nature to grow and flourish.
Without clearly defined values we will have difficulty fostering and aligning strategies, vision, purpose and meaning.
We all know there will be challenges and complications. But it will be our defined values that help us to weed through and solve them.
Leading by our values sets the standard for what we say…. is planted and what we do becomes the seeds of what matters most to us
Lead from Within: In order to live our purpose and bring meaning to our leadership we must plant the seeds of our inner nature and imprint our values in everything we do.
Photo Source: Thank you Dan Oestreich for taking the most beautiful photo and sharing it with me.
N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
- 12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
- A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
- How to Succeed as A New Leader
- 12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
- 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
- The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
- The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.
johnpaul
31. Jul, 2012
Dear Lolly,
You go for the essence of true leadership. Many profess their values but it only those who nurture them will act on what they profess.
Many say they are leaders but few truly give from their inner most self. Thank you for being such a remarkable example of true leadership.
john
Duane Grove
31. Jul, 2012
Love this piece and 100% consistent with my own philosophy. Key of course is for companies to create environments that allow the authentic self to prosper. Respect for diversity and embrace differences as enablers instead of barriers. Recently posted a blog piece related to this very topic. http://bit.ly/Qtf2MQ
Dan
31. Jul, 2012
I love this language around “we must plant the seeds of our inner nature” and strongly connecting that metaphor to values. Sometimes I think we get confused, thinking that values are big things and leadership’s goal is to transplant these great trees quickly. But another way is to see them as something small but infinitely powerful, and if only we leave a few behind each time we past, soon a forest will grow.
Scott Mabry
31. Jul, 2012
I think one of the differences between leaders and managers might also be the role that values play. For leaders, values are a powerful driving force that relies on a long term view of what really matters versus a short term view of completing tasks and meeting financial targets. Loved the post Lolly and grateful for all the inspiring content you share.
Valencia Ray MD
01. Aug, 2012
Hi Lolly, I agree with you. Thanks for a compelling post. From my experience, the challenge for leaders based on this blog conversation is summed up when you say:
“Without clearly defined values we will have difficulty fostering and aligning strategies, vision, purpose and meaning”.
I find that most people/many leaders are so “wired” to stay in action mode – even if they are NOT clear about what they are attempting to accomplish – that they don’t take time to reflect on what their values are. They don’t know their own values. They have “lost their Self”. This type of attitude is now being challenged in our changing environment and I’m glad for it, as if we want to bring passion, purpose and clarity to our leadership, we need to be clear about our values – from the heart, not just in the head (Intellectual concept). Also, by understanding our heartfelt values, we can more easily define what culture is most authentically aligned with the impact we hope to make in our service to the world. “Heart-less” leadership is not the way to engage others. Mind/head WITH heart however, goes a long way. Thanks for leading courageous conversations.
Joanna
02. Aug, 2012
So true .. Without our own set of clear values, we are without foundations and inner strength and we cannot lead without being a worthy leader to follow ..
dotun
09. Aug, 2012
How does leadership style come in? I love your article its eye opening