The Value of Values in 2023

Do values really matter? I never used to think too much about my personal and leadership values when I was younger. I never thought too much about the companies I worked for and their values. Can anyone relate? 

Then, by ignoring my values, it did get too much and one day…I blew a fuse! When I was at this point, feeling totally exhausted and frustrated, I started doing some soul searching and, guess what I found buried at my core, my values. And, my values did not relate in any way to the company values and I know I had to make a change many years ago. My values had literally been blown up as no one had bothered to consider the ongoing importance of values in the company I worked for and how we all lead the values.

Now, I know you are a leader and, you want to make a difference, so it is crucial that you and the people you lead pay close attention to the values. By doing this you will keep people “on the bus” as this is a sign of true success. Today I know the criticality of my values and my company values and how we lead them.

MORE PEOPLE at the PARTY!

An article by Sarah Fister Gale in Chief Learning Officer, refers to “The values-driven leader.” Over the past two years, dozens of CEOs have quit or been fired due to embarrassing behaviour, workplace affairs or political comments that 10 years ago would likely have gone unnoticed. They are being forced to think about employee mental health, well-being and sense of inclusion as a driver for productivity and engagement and also, to make tough decisions when profits and employee needs don’t align. Here’s 4 ways they suggest to be a values driven leader:

• Be authentic. Jeff Hollander is another CEO who welcomes this shift. He and friend Paul Pirner launched Hairless Dog Brewing Co., a non-alcoholic brewing company in Minneapolis, in 2018. “It is hard to be authentic but it’s worth it because it means we have a product that resonates with people,” Hollander says.
• Legacy of burnout. The shift to authentic, employee-focused leadership training doesn’t come as easily for everyone. Consider Malte Scholz, CEO of Airfocus, a SaaS provider based in Hamburg, Germany. As an entrepreneur, Scholz’s biggest driver was always to deliver the highest performance possible, regardless of circumstances. “Loosening the criteria relieved the pressure, which turned out to be the key for high performance,” he says.
• Off the fast-track. Scholz isn’t alone in discovering the productivity benefits of giving employees the space and support they need to do their best work. It is what spurred Kelly Culhane to launch Culhane Meadows in 2013, and to build it into the largest woman-owned law firm in the nation.
• Beyond quotas. That kind of shift in leadership training thinking is rapidly becoming the norm as executives discover that treating employees with respect and aligning company strategy with core values results in a more loyal and engaged workforce.

Executives can no longer ignore these trends or assume that setting hiring quotas or publishing sustainability reports will be enough to prove that they are living their company’s values. This expectation for value-driven leadership will only be amplified as Gen Z floods the workplace. This generation of workers are more diverse than any prior generation, and they have high expectations that their peers and employers be equally diverse, inclusive and vocal about their values.

Leaders who want to attract this generation of workers — and build a resilient business for the future — need to be proactive about building supportive and diverse cultures, or risk losing their best people.

Leadership: Thrive with your Core Values

Do you feel you are thriving or merely surviving leadership? In the words of the motivational speaker Tony Robbins, “It’s in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” And, those decisions are determined by what we hold at your true core, your values. When was the last time you did a values exercise and what did it show? As a leader, allowing time to know what you values are will form a foundation for your future success!

“Open your arms to change but don’t let go of your values.” Dalai Lama

Courageous Leaders focus on their Values

I think we have a courageous leadership problem as shown in my blog “The 12 Rules of Courage,” I recently saw an article Demystifying Courageous Leadership where it talks about how we live in an era of distortion, not disruption or transformation but distortion! Look at how we are reacting and leading through the pandemic. We lead today in a world where there is much uncertainty, no reliable blueprint and unrecognisable landscape. Within this landscape and uncertainty there is one thing that stands out in which we need more now today than ever in our leaders – courage based on strong values. Courageous leaders are ultimately the ones who can lead through this landscape and uncertainty with adaptability and resilience as well as motivate their people around a shared purpose, inspire their customers, and bring their companies to new levels of success. Businesses who lead without courage visibly suffer.

Our work, numerous studies and research as well as findings across the globe have shown the best companies are the ones who have found the courage to make bold moves that transform their businesses. In turn they have stayed courageous especially in the face of complicated circumstances based on strong values. Leading with courage through today’s distorted playing field creates sustainable value and outcomes across all areas of your organisation. Here are my Rules of Courage:

• Speak The Truth, No Matter How Difficult It May Be
• Know Your Values – And Stick To Them
• Be Unapologetically You
• Never Let Fear Stop You From Achieving Your Goals
• Be Brave Enough To Stop And Listen
• Never Accept Defeat

Read more here.

Want to achieve Leadership Credentials in 2023?

Need support with your and your company values and culture? Reach out to us today!

FOCUS on VALUES = SUCCESS in 2023

Edward Tuorinsky a Forbes Council Member outlined in Forbes, “Three Values That Will Define Successful Leaders In 2021.” Leading my team from home for nearly a year has given me time to think — and stress — about what makes us as leaders be our best. It’s given me a new perspective to study others, too, and I’ve noticed a few things about organizations that have weathered the storm well. This thinking revealed to me the one thing leaders can do better in 2021: Lead with values.

This year, I think we’ll see a wave of companies returning to core values. I’m not talking about lip service via press releases and taglines, but actually relating business decisions to core values. One of the strongest factors driving my thinking is a noticeable pattern of success. I’ve observed that organizations with a strong sense of purpose and clear values aren’t just surviving through change and upheaval; they’re thriving. We know that shared values are an essential factor in resilience. During the spring shutdowns in 2020, I watched companies that clearly put trust and value in their employees ask their teams to reimagine their business model and customer interactions so they could move forward.

Zeroing in on core values makes strategic sense, too. Focusing on the fundamentals — your values — can return clarity and purpose to a flagging workforce. Aligning new efforts to the things that haven’t changed allows even the most shattered businesses to take baby steps. Organizations doing better than expected this past year aren’t in that position because they launched an aggressive social transformation plan. I believe they are simply living out their values. It’s a formula that any company can follow and any leader can implement. As we look at the challenges still ahead of us in the “new normal,” I propose focusing on three universal values:

• Honesty. As an organizational value, honesty is not just about telling the truth (though that is very important); it’s also about being authentic.
• Transparency. I define “transparency” as operating so that it is easy for others to see what actions are being taken. Transparency is essential to building trust.
• Kindness. Kindness has traditionally been the antithesis of being business-minded. However, I believe you can be kind and successful. Kindness can have a long-acting impact that transcends the business world, and that’s why it’s so powerful for leaders to show. You can deliver bad news and still be kind. Years from now, people might not remember all the details of our tough environment or the no-win decisions we are facing, but they will likely remember kindness.

Leaders who return to core values can become a beacon in the dark. Embrace these values in yourself. Evangelize them in your organization. Count on them to prevail.

Nominate today in the 2023 Outstanding Leadership Awards

What Does Your Company Really Stand For?

Align what matters to you as an organisation with what matters to your employees. by Paul Ingram and Yoonjin Choi

The authors conducted dozens of studies designed to determine how a clear view of one’s values can affect decision-making, motivation, relationships, well-being, leadership, and performance. They discovered that when a company’s official values match those of its employees—a situation they call values alignment—the benefits include higher job satisfaction, less turnover, better teamwork, more-effective communication, bigger contributions to the organization, and more-productive negotiations, not to mention more diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Read more here.

Outstanding leadership begins with you (with our help)

We focus on leadership development and encourage leaders to reach their full potential, find their calling and make a positive difference in the world.We genuinely invest in your learning, provide authenticity and tell it like it is. We are deeply committed to our client’s success.

We don’t have the egos of large consulting firms, and your success and significance to us are everything. Everyone feels safe and inspired at work.

Our Vision and Values

Values are fundamental, and values-based leadership drives consistent performance. We stand by several values to ensure authenticity and consistency for our leaders:

Courage – to display brave leadership

Kindness – to show empathy matters

Empower – to inspire quality leadership

Wisdom – to deliver knowledge

Being able to attract and retain great customers and talent isn’t just about a great product, service or strategy. Now more than ever before, it is about outstanding leadership and culture.

At LeadershipHQ, we design, deliver and build bespoke leadership programs, coaching and cultural transformations to give you the edge.

Your commitment to your leadership and culture will be your greatest ROI.

By Sonia McDonald – CEO Of LeadershipHQ And McDonald Inc. Leadership Coach, Global Keynote Speaker, Entrepreneur, CEO And Award Winning Author.

Sonia is passionate about her voice. When Sonia speaks, everyone in the room feels like she is having a conversation with them as her audience will feel as if they are the only one in the room. She speaks from the heart. She is brave. She wants everyone to be brave. She is an impactful and motivational leadership expert and speaker that creates a life-changing experience. People call Sonia sassy, inspirational, real and a speaker who leaves a lasting impression. Her high-energy, authenticity and humour combined with actionable and practical advice, empowers her audience and provides them with great drive and confidence to take courageous actions and inspire great leadership in all aspects of their lives.

Sonia also is founder of LeadershipHQ and McDonald Inc. and is also a renowned and award-winning author, having written several of her own books, Leadership Attitude, Just Rock It! and First Comes Courage as well as being a regular contributor in The Australian, HRD Magazine, Smart Healthy Women and Women’s Business Media. She was named as one of the Top 250 Influential Women in the world as well as Top 100 Australian Entrepreneurs by Richtopia.

Through her leadership advisory and coaching work at LeadershipHQ, and founding the Outstanding Leadership Awards, Sonia is internationally recognised as an expert in leadership and culture, organisational development, neuroscience, kindness, and courage.

Sonia is also a full-time single parent and has a passion for women in business and teenage mental health. Sonia travels and speaks across Australia and Globe, and she is on a mission to building a world of great leaders and leadership.