Personal values are an essential part of who you are individually and as a leader.
My sole intention in writing this post is to provoke some thinking around the subject of your own personal values and to get you thinking practically about how you can ensure your values are applied in your work. Everybody has values, and when they are defined and understood, they are much more powerful.
- When was the last time you thought about your values?
- Do you have them written down?
Your personal values help you to influence others: Tapping into your values help you to connect with your passion, and when you communicate with passion, people pay more attention and feel better connected.
Your personal values help to guide decisions: There are many decisions you need to make on a daily basis. These decisions can impact you. Personally, they can impact the organization, and they can impact those who work around you. Start your decision-making process by tapping into your values; you will find your decision-making process become faster, easier, and more consistent when they are done against a firm set of values.
Your personal values can help to reduce tension: As a business leader, keeping stress or tension at bay is essential. Not solely for yourself, but also to make sure the impact of that stress is not passed on to those who work with you. When you make better decisions, more quickly, and more easily, this will ease tension and lessen the impact of any stressful situations.
Your personal values provide clarity: When you think more clearly, things tend to become just that little bit easier. With clarity comes focus, which in turn helps you to be more productive. Being clear about your personal values helps to create clarity from the onset.
Your personal values can help to guide your actions: Knowing your personal values is just the start. Understanding them and changing your behaviours to align with your values is something else entirely. Ultimately, your personal values can not only dictate but also guide your actions in business. When those around you know what matters to you most, it can help to guide their decisions and the actions they take on your behalf.
When you are clear about your personal values, you will become a more confident, effective, and productive leader.