Article 22: Finding Your Core Values
Core values are part of every leader's House of Leadership (HOL). But what are core values, how can you find yours, and why are they important? In this blog, I will share a framework I have developed to guide you in answering these questions. After reading this, I challenge you to find your own and inject them into your daily actions and decisions.
Your core values are the essential principles that shape your character and ultimately your destiny.
Peter Drucker
What Are Core Values?
Our environment, over time, shapes our beliefs and creates the values we act out daily. Core values or CVs are beliefs you hold dear and help guide your daily actions. Think of them as a compass. Your CV should keep you on course and guide you in challenging times. I have discovered that CVs are formed by leaders we work with, life events, or the organizations we work for. For example, the core values I strive to act out daily come from the Army. The Army captures its core values in the acronym LDRSHIP (Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage). When leaders understand their CVs, they can be decisive with their decisions while reducing decision fatigue. I've created the acronym VALUE to help you discover your core values.
Visualize The Past
The first step in discovering your values is taking the time to reflect on the past. Start by visiting the environments that forged the leader you are today. What events have impacted you so profoundly that you carry them forward? Once you isolate those events, begin to dig deeper. Was the environment creating the hardship, or was it a person? Some of the most impactful lessons I've learned come from both toxic leaders and hostile environments. When you work for toxic leaders, look at the situation as an opportunity and allow them to inspire you to become the leader you wish you had. McMillion Leadership Coaching (MLC) mantra is to become the leader your team needs—what better way to start than by capturing wisdom from poor leadership. Second, visit the wins in your life. Most of us have more wins than losses, but we always remember losing over our victories. Looking back at successes, you can see the decisions leading to the results. Each action you chose directly caused victory or defeat. Regardless, isolate those and begin to brainstorm what worked. Purposeful Accountable Leaders (PALs) can look at their past and identify themes that lead to wins and losses.
Platoon Leader
2012 Afghanistan
This picture was taken in Afghanistan in December 2012. I always reflect on my platoon leader experiences and how they shaped my core values.
Analyze Other Leaders
Once you have discovered the events that have shaped who you are, shift to observing the leaders around you. Each leader I have served with has taught me powerful lessons, either for the good or the bad. Your goal is to capture the wisdom of each leader so you can help discover your CVs. Start with leaders that you respect. Why do they have your respect, and how have they earned your trust? Once you analyze successful leaders, you'll begin to identify additional themes. As Tony Robinson says, "Success leaves crumbs. " Second, analyze leaders that you do not respect. How have they violated your trust? Again, themes will begin to unwind, and a direct linkage will form, connecting the past events you have already studied. PALs take the time to analyze leaders and determine what created their successes or failures.
Learn Your Red Lines
If you have studied other leaders, begin to reflect on your beliefs. We all have areas in our lives we do not cross. Those are deeply ingrained areas unimaginable to violate; that is how I define a red line. Determining your red lines is most likely connected to a previous event or belief ingrained earlier in your leadership journey. Understanding these areas is critical for establishing your values. Especially when you hold a position of leadership in an organization. Discovering your red lines helps you communicate your beliefs to others and begins to create shared values. When leaders understand their ethical and moral limits, it helps find CVs. It sets the bar of accountability expected in the organization. PALs understand their red lines and communicate them clearly to others they lead.
Red Lines
Red lines are non-negotiable, do you understand what yours are?
Understand Your Work History
First, have a repentant heart. This means you must understand it is not about you and your performance. It is about the organization's legacy because if the organization is successful, you will be successful. Transitional leaders suffer from heartening of the heart, which will cause them to fail to complete their leadership journey. Second, have a receptive mind "Head" that actively listens and implements others' ideas. Often, the best solution within the organization is from team members, not in leadership roles. Highlight those moments of brilliance and build them up. Third, lead with action "Hand" and follow through with your words! This comes down to a simple quote from my battalion commander during a live-fire exercise, "Deeds, not words."
Exam The Traceability
In engineering, especially systems engineering, every requirement must be traceable to a system specification or a user. Traceability is discovering new information and creating a linkage between events. The same is true in a leader's life. If you followed the VALUE format, you've considered the leaders, the environments, and the organizations you have worked for. You begin to find the connections to the beliefs you've always subconsciously known. Discovering those beliefs is the first step to start taking action and forging your legacy. Now, it's time to call them out. There is no perfect number of CVs you must have. Instead, you're trying to create head, heart, and hand alignment between the values you thought of and the emotional connections you feel. My general rule is to limit yourself to seven core values and then bound them into your top three. What three values define the leader you choose to become? What top three values do you want to be replicated in your organization? What top three values do you want your team to consider when making critical decisions consistently? PALs understand where they are today by discovering their past.
Final Thoughts
Discovering your HOL comes down to understanding who you are. When leaders can confidently communicate their values and follow up with their actions, it taps into the Rule Of Buy-in. To create Buy-in, leaders must develop their reputation and consistently make decisions filtered through their CVs. Each decision I make as a soldier, leader, father, husband, son, and brother is fed through my CVs. My personal philosophy regarding finding your values is following your heart. For example, my values are respect, integrity, and duty (RID). When you realize your CVs, they allow you to make faster decisions, develop deeper relationships, and forge a reputation where people want to work for you.
After Action Review
What are the past events that define your present?
What leaders earned your respect? Why?
What values of previous organizations resonate with you?
My Mission: I will end toxic leadership practices by equipping leaders with transformational leadership skills.
Together, we will impact 1 MILLION lives!!!
Every day is a gift, don't waste yours!
Joshua K. McMillion | Founder MLC | Founder MLC
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