The Values-Driven Leader: When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough

Meet Sam, a leader who embodies a deep commitment to values such as integrity, empathy, and team empowerment. Sam truly believed in fostering a positive and supportive work environment, going out of their way to help team members and promote a culture of respect. And Sam’s intentions were always in the right place, striving to lead by example and create a space where everyone felt valued and heard.

However, despite Sam’s strong values and heartfelt efforts, the results were often less than ideal. Team projects frequently missed deadlines, and despite numerous attempts to address issues collaboratively, performance continued to lag. The problem wasn’t a lack of will—it was a lack of the necessary skills to effectively manage and guide the team. Sam had the right mindset but struggled with practical leadership techniques and strategic planning.

While Sam’s leadership was rooted in admirable values, the lack of essential skills hindered their impact. This scenario perfectly fits what I call the "Value-Driven Learner" quadrant, where strong principles guide leaders but may still need to develop the skills to translate their values into effective leadership.

Recap and Focus for Today

If you missed the first article in this series of four, I strongly recommend going back to read it, as it provides valuable context for what we’ll discuss today. In that article, I introduced the Leadership Matrix, a tool designed to dissect different leadership styles and their impact. To briefly recap, the matrix identifies four quadrants based on a leader’s values and skills:

1. A$$ CLOWNS: Leaders who lack both essential skills and values, often causing more harm than good.
2. Value-Driven Learners: Leaders who possess strong values but may struggle with essential skills, striving to align their actions with their principles.
3. Dick-Taters: Leaders who have high skills but lack ethical values, using their abilities in manipulative or coercive ways.
4. Ethical Leaders: Leaders who excel in both skills and values, embodying effective and ethical leadership.

Today in the second article of this series, I’ll be focusing on the top left corner of the matrix—the "Value-Driven Learner." This quadrant represents leaders who are driven by strong values but might struggle with the practical skills needed to fully realize their leadership potential. Understanding this quadrant will help us explore how leaders like Sam can bridge the gap between intention and impact by developing the necessary skills to complement their values.

Characteristics and Challenges of the Value-Driven Learner

Value-Driven Learners are those leaders who embody the principles they preach. They are often the ones you look to for fairness, empathy, and a genuine concern for the well-being of their team. They inspire trust through their actions and are steadfast in upholding their values, even when it's not the easiest path. However, their strong ethical compass can sometimes be a double-edged sword, especially when they lack the skills necessary to navigate the challenges (there can be lots of them!) of leadership effectively. While their intentions create a supportive atmosphere, these leaders often face challenges that can hinder their overall impact.

Common Challenges of Value-Driven Learners

• Lack of Essential Leadership Skills: While their ethical foundation is solid, Value-Driven Learners often struggle with the practical aspects of leadership, such as strategic planning, performance management, and conflict resolution. Without these skills, they may find it challenging to steer their team towards concrete goals, resulting in missed deadlines and unfulfilled objectives.
• Overemphasis on Values Without Actionable Steps: Value-Driven Learners can sometimes focus so much on their principles that they neglect to develop clear, actionable strategies. Their desire to do what feels ethically right can lead to indecision or an overcomplicated approach, ultimately stalling progress and leaving their team uncertain about the next steps.
• Difficulty in Providing Constructive Feedback: Their commitment to being supportive and inclusive can make it difficult for them to have tough conversations. Value-Driven Learners might avoid giving direct, constructive feedback to avoid hurting feelings or damaging relationships. While this stems from a place of empathy, it can result in a lack of accountability and missed opportunities for growth, both for themselves and their team.
• Struggles with Prioritization: In their quest to ensure everyone feels heard and valued, these leaders can struggle with making tough decisions, particularly when those decisions may not align with everyone’s desires. They may overextend themselves in an attempt to accommodate everyone, which can lead to a lack of clear priorities and a team that feels directionless.

Impact on the Team and Organization

Even with their best intentions, Value-Driven Learners can inadvertently create an environment that lacks direction and accountability. Their reluctance to enforce structure or address underperformance can leave their team in a state of uncertainty. This paradox, where strong values coexist with a lack of effective leadership practices, can result in a team that appreciates the positive atmosphere but also feels frustrated by the absence of clear direction or consistent progress.

• Inconsistent Performance: The team's output may suffer due to the leader’s difficulty in setting clear expectations and following through on goals. This can lead to inconsistent performance, where the team is engaged and motivated but not necessarily achieving its full potential.
• Unclear Boundaries: By avoiding tough conversations and decisions, Value-Driven Learners might inadvertently blur the lines of what is acceptable within the team. This can result in a lack of clarity about roles, responsibilities, and standards, which can erode trust over time.
• Missed Opportunities for Growth: Without constructive feedback and structured guidance, team members may not be pushed out of their comfort zones. This can limit both individual and collective growth, preventing the team from reaching higher levels of performance.

The good news for Value-Driven Learners is that the gap between intention and impact can be bridged. Their strong values lay the foundation for effective leadership; what’s needed is the development of the skills that will help them translate those values into actions that drive positive outcomes. The journey for a Value-Driven Learner is not about sacrificing their ethical stance but about learning to use it more effectively.

Are You a Value-Driven Learner? A Self-Assessment

Before diving into skill-building, it's crucial to determine if you fall into the Value-Driven Learner quadrant. Self-reflection is an essential part of this process, but it’s not enough on its own. To get a full picture, you need to gather data from different sources, including objective metrics and feedback from others. This comprehensive approach helps you move beyond just your perception of yourself and provides a more accurate understanding of your leadership style.

Here’s a checklist based on the work of Aubrey and James Daniels in their book Measure of Leader . It will help you to assess if you might be a Value-Driven Learner:

• Team Feedback: Have you sought feedback from your team about your leadership style? Do they describe you as supportive and ethical but sometimes unclear or indecisive in your direction? Consistent feedback indicating a positive atmosphere but lacking clarity around expectations can be a sign that you're well-intentioned but might be lacking in certain leadership skills.
• Mass: How many of your team members are actively responding to you as a leader? If you notice that only a few people are truly engaged or aligned with your direction, this might indicate that while you’re valued, your influence isn’t reaching the entire team.
• Velocity: How quickly do team members respond to your direction or initiatives? If you notice delays or hesitation, this could suggest that while your values are clear, your ability to communicate urgency or set actionable steps might need development.
• Direction: Are your team members moving towards the established goals? High values without the right skills can sometimes lead to a lack of clear direction. If your team is busy but not necessarily moving toward specific goals, it may be a sign that your leadership could benefit from more strategic planning skills.
• Vision: Do your team members maintain focus on the vision over time? If they seem to lose sight of the bigger picture or get distracted easily, it might indicate that while you’ve inspired them with your values, you may need to work on reinforcing that vision consistently.
• Values: Are the behaviors of your team ethical? While you may embody strong values, observe whether these values are reflected in your team’s behavior. If you find gaps, it might mean you’re struggling to translate your values into everyday practices for the team.
• Persistence: Are team members continuously striving toward their goals? If you notice that enthusiasm wanes over time or that follow-through is inconsistent, it could indicate a need for stronger performance management and motivation strategies in your leadership toolkit.
• Teamwork: How often do your team members cooperate and collaborate with each other? If cooperation is sporadic or limited, it may suggest that while you value harmony, you need to build more effective team structures and processes to encourage ongoing collaboration.
• Trust: Are your team members comfortable admitting mistakes? High values often create an environment of trust, but if you find that people are still hesitant to speak up or admit errors, you might need to work on building a more psychologically safe space that balances support with accountability.
• Respect: Do your team members support and reinforce each other rather than punish? If they are more likely to criticize than to offer support, it may indicate that while you’ve set a value-driven tone, you need to develop skills around fostering a culture of positive reinforcement and mutual respect.

If you resonate with several of these points, it’s likely that you are a Value-Driven Learner. This isn’t a bad place to be—it means you have a solid foundation of values guiding your actions. The next step is to build on that foundation by developing the skills necessary to enhance your impact as a leader. Everything comes back to behavior - your behavior and the impact of your behavior on the behavior of others. When you pinpoint the right behavior in the right ways, you will get the right results.

Building Skills as a Value-Driven Learner

If you find yourself in the Value-Driven Learner quadrant and want to become a more effective leader, the good news is that you have a strong foundation in your values. Now, it’s time to build the skills that will help you turn those values into impactful actions. Developing these skills is essential to bridging the gap between intention and outcomes, and there are several ways to start this journey.

• Engage in Leadership Training: Seek out workshops, seminars, or courses that focus on building key leadership skills such as strategic planning, performance management, and conflict resolution. Practical, hands-on training can equip you with the tools needed to lead more effectively.
• Find a Mentor or Coach: Working with a mentor or leadership coach can provide personalized guidance and feedback. They can help you identify areas for growth and offer strategies tailored to your specific needs, offering a path to becoming a more skilled leader.
• Practice Constructive Feedback: Start honing your ability to provide direct and constructive feedback. Begin with smaller, less challenging situations to build your confidence. This practice can significantly improve your team’s performance and your leadership effectiveness.
• Read and Learn: Invest time in reading leadership books that focus on both values and skills. My book, Positional Authority Ain't Leadership , unpacks the DNA of leadership, offering insights and practical strategies that can help you enhance your leadership repertoire. And there are books for educational and athletic leaders , too!

Listen, nobody is perfect. We can all be a better version of ourselves tomorrow than we are today. Developing these skills takes time and effort, but with your strong values as a guide, you’re already on the right path. By actively working to build these skills, you can evolve into an Ethical Leader, where high values and high skills come together to create a leadership style that drives meaningful, positive change.

The Dangerous Territory of the Dick-Tater

We've explored the Value-Driven Learner quadrant—leaders who possess strong values but need to develop their skills to become more effective. These leaders have a solid foundation, and with the right focus, they can evolve into highly effective, ethical leaders. However, the next quadrant we’re going to dig into in my next article poses a much greater challenge: the Dick-Tater.

I've seen Dick-Taters firsthand. They are particularly dangerous leaders because they possess high levels of skill but lack the values to guide those skills ethically. To the uninitiated, they can present as friendly and look like real difference makers. They say all the right words - publicly. They have the strategic mindset, the planning capabilities, and the tactical know-how to drive results, but they do so at a significant cost to their team and the organization. This quadrant represents leaders who may achieve goals through manipulation, coercion, and a disregard for the well-being of those they lead. Their focus is often on power and control rather than on fostering an environment of trust and growth.

In many cases, Dick-Taters can create an illusion of success because they often deliver results—at least in the short term. However, the damage they inflict on team morale, organizational culture, and ethical standards can have long-lasting and far-reaching consequences. They can stifle innovation, breed fear, and cause high turnover, leading to an unstable and unhealthy work environment.

Interested in Bringing Science-based Leadership to Your Organization?

If you’re interested in bringing science-based leadership to your organization, I offer a range of training programs designed to transform the way you lead. Ask about my IMPACT Leadership Training and Deliberate Coaching Training , both grounded in the principles of behavior science. These programs provide actionable strategies to develop ethical, effective leaders who can drive positive change. Let’s work together to build a culture of leadership that not only achieves results but also empowers your team to thrive.

About the Author

Specializing in human performance, coaching, and organizational leadership, Dr. Paul "Paulie" Gavoni is a behavior scientist and educator who has worked across education and human services for almost three decades. In this capacity, he has served the needs of children and adults through various positions, including COO, Vice President, Director of School Improvement, Leadership Director, Professor, Assistant Principal, School Turnaround Manager, Clinical Coordinator, Therapist, District Behavior Analyst, and Director of Progam Development and Public Relations at PCMA . Dr. Gavoni is passionate about applying Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), or the science of human behavior, to make a positive difference in establishing safe, productive, and engaging environments that bring out the best in faculty and staff so they can bring out the best in the learners they serve. He is an active board member of the Opioid Awareness Foundation and World Behavior Analysis Day Alliance .

Known for his authenticity and practical approaches, Dr. Gavoni is the host of the Top 1.5% globally ranked Crisis in Education Podcast and a sought-out speaker at various Educational and Behavior Analytic Conferences Internationally. He a the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling co-author of The Scientific Laws of Life & Leadership: Behavioral Karma; Quick Wins! Accelerating School Transformation through Science, Engagement, and Leadership; Deliberate Coaching: A Toolbox for Accelerating Teacher Performance; and MMA Science: A Training, Coaching, and Belt Ranking Guide. Dr. Gavoni is proud to introduce OBM and Applied Behavior Analysis to worldwide audiences through his numerous publications and his work with PCMA to create productive, safe, and positive cultures.

Beyond his work in education and human services, Dr. Gavoni is also a former Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion and a highly respected striking coach in combat sports. Coach “Paulie Gloves,” as he is known in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) community, has trained world champions and UFC vets using technologies rooted in the behavioral sciences. Coach Paulie has been featured in the books Beast: Blood, Struggle, and Dreams a the Heart of Mixed Martial Arts , A Fighter’s Way, and the featured article Ring to Cage: How four former boxers help mold MMA’s finest . He is also an author who has written extensively for various online magazines such as Scifighting, Last Word on Sports, and Bloody Elbow, where his Fight Science series continues to bring behavioral science to MMA. Finally, Paulie was also a featured fighter in FX’s highest-rated show at the time, The Toughman, and as an MMA coach in the Lifetime reality series Leave it to Geege .