I’ve recently been asked to present at two different workshops focusing on values based leadership – one to Public Relations Institute of New Zealand APR participants, and another to a group of social sector leaders. I accepted both requests gladly, because they gave me the opportunity to think deeply about the topic, and take a moment to be mindful about my own values, how I’ve been approaching leadership lately, and things I’ve learned from working with other leaders.
Here are some quick outtakes from the workshops:
- Own your power. Whether we’re aware of it or not, we all have power. It’s not always a comfortable word or concept to own, but unless we own it, we can’t use it for good. Owning it can give us more confident when we’re under pressure – and also make us more mindful about the ways that we are putting others under pressure.
- Be conscious about your values. Really think about what values-based leadership means to you. What kind of leader do you want to be? How how do you want to make people feel (not just what do you want them to do)? I always come back to the quote from Shakespeare’s All’s Well that Ends Well: “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none”. When I’m at my best, these values are at the fore.
- Ask yourself “who am I in this room?”. Some circumstances ask us to be a decisive leader, other circumstances ask for a facilitative approach. We don’t always have to be in charge – but sometimes we do. Think about what’s required of you. You don’t have to bring the big guns to every interaction. This simple question can be amazingly helpful if you find yourself running out of leadership energy.
- Accept and embrace conflict and disagreement. To quote my friend @deidre hill – “feel the heat and walk towards it”. This is especially important in diverse environments, where – if you’re doing it right – there will be different viewpoints, opinions and perspectives at play. Avoiding disagreement is not the same as leading with values.
The picture is my father, Steve Bridges, with his high school football coach, 1950s Indiana, USA. I used it in my workshops as a way to prompt reflections about leadership. What do you see in the photo? What values might be at play? How do the people feel? Who is the leader and what does this picture tell you about how he is leading?
Creating Good Change 