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1. Model the Way – Principle 1: Find Your Voice to Clarify Values

By Michael Sutton posted 09-08-2010 22:09

  

Personal credibility is one of the most critical personal traits of a leader. Leaders promote two principles in this practice: find your voice to clarify values and set the example. Today we will discuss the first principle.

Would you be willing to follow a leader who was wishy-washy about their beliefs, indecisive, totally unorganized, or completely contradictory? I doubt it, although many of you might be saying that is exactly the kind person I am stuck working with at work. As an emerging leader, you have to stand for something, even if that something is not popular.

As I tell my Executive Leadership MBA learners,

“…as an instructor I am not teaching this course to be liked or win a popularity contest. If, at the end of a seven-week course with me, you feel you have learned a lot more than what they came into the course with, then I have succeeded. You do not have to like me, and in fact probably will not. However, I will earn your respect. At the end of these seven weeks, you may say, hey, I would like to become a colleague, friend, or be coached by this person. If you do, what a bonus.”

I remember fondly one of my favorite videos, For a Few Dollars More, (1965), directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef. The two characters played by Eastwood (“Manco”) and Van Cleef (“Mortimer”) did not like each other. However, they worked as a team, one sometimes leading, and the other one leading at other times. Both roles were portrayed as bounty hunters who wanted the reward for capturing "El Indio" (Gian Maria Volonté), a notorious highly intelligent fugitive.

Van Cleef had a hidden agenda because of a pocket watch retained by El Indio. Only through a shrewd partnership, based upon evolving trust by Manco and Mortimer, could the explicit bounty goal and implicit vengeance goal be achieved. Each actor “modeled the way” through uncompromising pain, personal integrity, and parallel visions of the overall objectives.

Well, let us come back to our business world. You respect business people you know that stand for something, and stand strong. You should be willing to let your colleagues and super ordinates (bosses) know what you “stand for” in the E 2.0 arena, and stick to it. Write down your guiding principles and values.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND PERSONAL VALUES
What do guiding principles look like? How do you clarify your personal values into guiding principles and shared values with your team? As an emerging leader, what would comprise a personal credo? First, you need to look at how others articulate their guiding principles:

  1. U.S. Department of the Interior - Guiding Principles of Leadership (http://www.doi.gov/hrm/employ2.html)
  2. University of Kentucky – Ethical Values and Guiding Principles (http://getinvolved.uky.edu/Leadership/pdf/Values%20and%20Ethics.pdf)

Often, guiding principles revolve around how you will act in term of: accountability, coaching, collaboration, commitment, communication, compassion, competence, expertise, humility, mentoring, passion, respect, responsibility, or trust. The process of discerning your personal values and guiding principles is the foundation for your moral compass. Leading through your behavior creates a foundation for your values and the consequent guiding principles.

PERSONAL CREDO
A personal credo is a simple outline of your personal and professional beliefs, (“credo” is Latin for “I believe”). The beliefs you identify and describe are the beliefs others should respect and follow because of what you stand for. I have a personal credo that I shared with my staff when I was a corporate executive, and I now share with my MBA learners at the beginning of our Executive Leadership class:

  • I believe I must be fiercely Passionate about my work.
  • I believe in the Rigorous use of methods and techniques to achieve efficiency and effectiveness.
  • I believe that being Organized in my work habits, which frees my mind for higher achievements.
  • I believe that Disciplined written and verbal communications creates a framework for concise and precise communications with my team and colleagues.
  • I believe in Excellence in the delivery of my and my team’s work.
  • I believe my choices are made through a highly focused and Directed personal will to achieve only the very best possible results.

I call it Michael’s PRODED Leadership Credo, because I use it to prod my teams and coach my team members to become exemplars for their direct reports. Other examples of personal leadership credos include:

  • Kenneth Kim, student, University of Calgary (http://mrkim.2myclass.com/kkim/uofcmed/65111credo.pdf)
  • Café David (http://cafedavid.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-leadership-credo.html)
  • Leaders Lab 2010 [Create your Leadership Credo](http://leaderslab2010.com/blog/2010/04/27/create-your-leadership-credo)

Next week we will review the next principle for aligning actions with shared values, community, and commitment. I would appreciate hearing feedback from any readers about their personal experiences with personal values, a leadership credo, or guiding principles.
 



#practices #modeltheway #leadership #leadershipcredo #principles #followship #softskills
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