Employees operate under growing conditions of uncertainty and stress …as such it is critical that leaders step in to ‘model the way’

Values are a critical aspect of leaders’ ability to model the way

As a first step, leaders need to determine what is important to them and what their own values are…the path that they wish to take A critical aspect is discovering what they care about, finding their voice

Knowing your “inner territory,” what you value, makes you a stronger leader because it allows you to act with integrity as your values guide your actions When a leader’s actions are guided by values s/he is able to achieve authenticity as a leader

When leaders have clarity on their personal values they experience and demonstrate a greater sense of commitment to value-aligned action and those with whom they work

An equally important step is to create a sense of shared values among employees

Values need to be forged, not forced Effective leaders do not impose their values on employees, they find a way to integrate their personal values with those of their employees to forge a common value system

Leaders need to model the shared values…. Leaders illustrate what the values ‘look like’ in the organizational context

When the shared values are tested, leaders need to demonstrate commitment to values by engaging in behavior that is consistent with them

Leaders model values by:  How they spend their time  The language they use  The types of questions they ask  The types of feedback they seek

Leaders teach values by:  confronting critical incidents  telling stories that exemplify values  visibly demonstrating value-consistent behavior