Leadership Tuesdays: What Are Your Values?

Leaders know what they value. They also recognize the importance of ethical behavior. The best leaders exhibit both their values and their ethics in their leadership style and actions.

--Susan M. Heathfield, from the article, "Leadership Values and Ethics, Secrets of Leadership Success"

Every other Tuesday, womenatliberty.com presents #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today's focus is on what we value and specifically, our "core values". Core values are traits or qualities that you consider not just worthwhile, they represent an individual's or organization's highest priorities, deeply held beliefs, and core, fundamental driving forces.[1] 

Successful leaders are people whose leadership and behavior are guided by their core values. Their followers are drawn to them based on how the leader lives out what they believe. 

Check out Susan M. Heathfield's article, Leadership Values and Ethics, Secrets of Leadership Success for a discussion on what causes distrust in organizations and characteristics of successful leadership. Remember, as John Maxwell says, everything rises and falls on leadership. If we are going to be effective leaders who are equipped to address and solve some of our toughest organizational, business, social, national and/or community problems, we must build trust, behave ethically, and work for the common good.

To read past Leadership Tuesdays' features on how to manage your personal brand, the positive use of power or resilience, click here and search for #LeadershipTuesdays.

Notes:
[1] Core Values Are What You Believe By Susan M. Heathfield, http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryc/g/Core-Values.htm