Leadership Values: Exhibit Ethical Behavior
Leaders know what they value and recognize the importance of ethical behavior. The best leaders exhibit their values and ethics in their leadership style and actions. Your leadership ethics and values should be visible because you live them in your actions daily.
A lack of trust is a problem in many workplaces. Mistrust is understandable if leaders never identify their values in these workplaces.
People don’t know what to expect. If leaders have identified and shared their values, living them visibly daily will create trust. To say one sentiment and to do another will damage trust—possibly forever.
3 Constructs of Trust
The Most Important Secret About Trust explores three trust constructs. Dr. Duane C. Tway calls trust a construct because it comprises three components: the capacity for trusting, the perception of competence, and the perception of intentions.
Workplace ethics take the same route. If the organization’s leadership has a code of conduct and ethical expectations, it becomes an organization joke if the leaders fail to live up to their published code. Leaders who exhibit ethical behavior powerfully influence the actions of others.
You must have all three components to make a difference in your organization.
Choose Your Leadership Values
The following are examples of values. You might use these as the starting point for discussing values within your organization:
ambition, competency, individuality, equality, integrity, service, responsibility, accuracy, respect, dedication, diversity, improvement, enjoyment/fun, loyalty, credibility, honesty, innovativeness, teamwork, excellence, accountability, empowerment, quality, efficiency, dignity, collaboration, stewardship, empathy, accomplishment, courage, wisdom, independence, security, challenge, influence, learning, compassion, friendliness, discipline/order, generosity, persistence, optimism, dependability, flexibility
As a leader, choose the values and ethics that are most important to you, the values and ethics that you believe in, and that define your character. Then, live them visibly every day at work. Living your values is one of the most powerful tools available to help you lead and influence others. Don’t waste your best opportunity.
Consciously Choose Your Organization Values
Effective, customer-centric, and employee-oriented organizations develop a clear, concise, and shared meaning of values/beliefs, priorities, and direction within their organization.
They want every employee to understand, contribute to, and live the values. Once defined, these values should impact every aspect of the organization.
You must support and nurture this impact, or identifying the values will have wasted your time. People will feel fooled and misled unless they see the exercise’s impact on your organization daily.
Leaders must lead in every aspect of selecting and living organization values.
Examples of Workplace Values
These were developed by several organizations with facilitation by their leaders.
A Human Resources Development office chose:
- Integrity
- Belonging/Caring
- Helping/Contributing
- Inner Harmony, Peace of Mind
- Personal Growth, Learning, and Self-Actualization
- Achievement/Accomplishment
A University Student Health Center staff developed the acronym “I CARE” to remember and express their values. In the final document, each word is defined by a series of value statements that describe how the value is expressed in the workplace.
- Integrity
- Compassion
- Accountability
- Respect
- Excellence
Characteristics of a Successful Leadership Style
Much is written about what makes successful leaders. Many leaders believe these ten characteristics and actions are key. You could undoubtedly add more, but start with these.
- Choose to lead and practice adaptive leadership.
- Be the person others choose to follow.
- Provide a vision for the future.
- Provide inspiration.
- Make other people feel important and appreciated.
- Live your values. Behave ethically.
- Set the pace with your expectations, requirements, and your example.
- Establish an environment of continuous improvement.
- Provide opportunities for people to grow, both personally and professionally.
- Care and act with compassion and communicate positive mental health.
