How can leaders make decisions that reflect their values?

Values are significant for giving meaning to the word Human, so are they for being a leader. What determines leaders' greatness are not only skills but also their values. Leaders are the people on the stage becoming role models to their followers. As leaders' values influence an audience, what leaders seek matters for followers. Their significant values form from childhood until elderliness—an entire life. Their family, education, experience, and feelings are some determinants of these core values. My research suggests that Respect is a vital element expected from leaders, and experience confirms its value. Empathy is another significant behavior. And looking at the world today, Kindness has the potential to change much for the better.

Leaders can ensure their decisions align with their values by first clarifying and articulating those values. Regular self-reflection helps them understand their core principles. When faced with decisions, leaders should assess how options align with their values, considering long-term impact. Seeking input from others, maintaining transparency, and staying accountable to ethical standards also reinforce value-based decision-making

Here is how leaders make decisions that reflect their values part 1 - Values Clarity: Define your core values to have a clear decision-making framework. Ethical Check: Evaluate decisions against your values and ethical principles. Seek Feedback: Involve your team in decisions to gain diverse perspectives and alignment.

Here is how leaders make decisions that reflect their values part 2 - Moral Compass: Trust your intuition and inner moral compass for ethical choices. Accountability: Accept responsibility for your decisions and their impact on all stakeholders. Reflect and Learn: Regularly review past decisions to refine your values-based approach. Continuous improvement leads to better decision-making.

In the technology age, there are other crucial factors in making leaders successful, such as having a data-driven mindset, problem-solving efficiency, or seeking different perspectives. But I wanted to emphasize the qualities that also make a great leader into a great human being. Including Respect and Empathy in decision-making processes will help ethical concerns. The outcomes will be fairer and more humane. Such a workplace with skilled workers will eventually work well for corporate goals and stakeholders.

Emphasizing the significance of Respect and Empathy, seeking different perspectives is a good way of showing that one respects and empathizes with others. On the other hand, leaders face a challenge in the VUCA world, which is ambiguity. To overcome this obstacle, the leaders can use the power of different minds. They can seek diverse perspectives.

Respecting others in decision-making increases participation and teamwork. It shows them they are part of the team and creates an inclusive workplace. Empathizing will show an understanding of feelings and thoughts. Employees will learn to avoid making unnecessary and early judgments about others.

APARTS is an acronym that refers to leader behaviors coming from multi-stage research. They are Gold Medalist Behaviors and stand for Agility, Problem-Solving Efficiency, Adaptation, Respect, Tech-savviness, and Seeking Different Perspectives. Diligence, Opportunism, Empathy, and Resilience come from experience and observation, and it is the second set of leadership skills and behaviors following APARTS. Therefore, they are the Silver Medal Winners. APART and DOER make The Big Ten of the Best Skill-Based Leaders. In the decision-making matrix, trees, & processes, these skills and behaviors are other vital elements to consider.