WHAT CORE VALUES DOES YOUR LEADERSHIP EXPRESS?

Hard, isn’t it? How would people know what your core values are from the way you lead them; engage them; interact with them; direct them?

You are familiar enough with the rhetoric. You have heard it often enough: when people have leaders who maintain high standards and live by their own ethics - thus leading by example - they are more likely to garner respect and admiration from their team; their team will be more engaged at work; and they are more likely to speak more highly of their organisation to their family and friends.

Regular Forbes contributor on leadership Rachel Wells reminds you (in 8 Leadership Ethics Every Leader Should Live By In 2024, in Forbes, 15 Feb 24) that as a current or aspiring leader, you have the power in your hands to make a difference. You can set the tone of your organisation. You can stand out as an ethically conscious leader. By holding yourself to a rigorous set of standards, you can change the narrative and be well-esteemed by your industry peers, employees, leadership team, and customers. It's in your hands to shape your own personal ‘brand’ as a leader who lives and works by principle, and who will not sacrifice their own moral values to "look good" nor for temporary, self-gratification.

After all, Wells asserts, You are responsible for your own conduct, as you will likely have colleagues, not only from your direct team, but across your organisation, looking to you as a role model and observing your behaviour, your work ethic, your leadership approach and your character.

So, how do the people you lead see you? For them, are you a leader who maintains high standards? Who leads by example? Are you respected and admired by those whom you lead? Do people you lead look to you as a role model?

In 2021, researcher Wei-Li Wu?highlighted her findings on the impact of ethical and moral leadership on people in the workplace in the journal, Frontiers in Psychology in this way:

Ethical leaders are moral role models in organisations; they set and communicate clear ethical standards to their followers...Since the ethical leader of a group is honest, principled and trustworthy, followers will tend to trust them in the work environment. Previous studies have shown that ethical leadership can foster the followers’ perception of trust and their sense of psychological safety in their workplace.

An ethical leader is thus considered to be honest, principled, trustworthy, and approachable; they show a concern for their followers and treat them fairly, Wu reported.

Ethics For Leaders in 2024

Wells lists eight core values she suggests you might want to adopt this year, so that you can lead ethically, consciously and authentically:

1. Consistency

Consistency is a key trait in ethical leaders, especially as relates to communication, Wells attests. Being consistent and transparent with everyone when relaying information generates confidence in you and in your judgment, and over time, develops and cements their trust in you. One discrepancy, and you could be counted out as not being trustworthy, and your followers won't know what to expect from you next, Wells cautions. Consistency builds trust over time, as people gauge your character and your integrity by repetitive actions.

2. Integrity

Integrity means walking the talk; matching your high-flown rhetoric to the actions which follow; and doing the right thing when no-one is watching. Will this particular pronouncement or action of yours gel with those whom you lead? Will they see you as being true to yourself, and to what you have previously demonstrated or said you believe is ethically correct?

One of the toughest decisions to make is to decide to do the right thing at all times, even when faced with difficult crossroads or external pressure from colleagues, clients or stakeholders, Wells claims. She goes on: Ultimately, compromising your integrity by acting in a manner that is contrary to what you have previously set as your standard will lead to your team’s losing confidence in your ability to do the right thing, and also, to do what is in their best interest.

3. Respect

Respect – respect for each other – from the leader for the led, and for the led for the leader, is a mutual expectation in the workplace, Wells suggests. Not only must you receive respect by virtue of your position in the organisational hierarchy, but you must equally demonstrate that you realise the importance of showing respect for those whom you lead, she continues. An ethical leader treats all team members with dignity, and shows them that they value their individual contributions and perspectives. They also respect their wellbeing and their time.

Respect has to be earned, of course – especially by a newly-appointed leader. Respect is deeper than superficial lip-service because you have a fancy office, a car-parking spot and a title. People respect a leader who shows respect for them and for their work-mates. Consistently acting and speaking with politeness, courtesy and good manners is the starting point for mutually respectful and supportive relationships between leaders and those whom they lead. Show them that you know them; you value them; and you care about them.

4. Accountability

Perhaps one of the toughest tasks a leader is faced with in their career is that of being willing to owning up to mistakes — a quality associated with emotional intelligence. But holding yourself accountable is not only beneficial, it's necessary, Wells attests.

Admitting you are wrong crucially shows humility. ?It also shows your team that that you are honest with yourself, and that you are not twisting the rules to suit your own agenda. It also helps you progress your own career, Wells acknowledges, because when you are self-aware enough to admit you got it wrong, you are able to identify areas of improvement, take corrective action, and thus learn from your mistakes.

5. Equity

It is essential in an ethical leader to strive to create an equitable, level 'playing field' so that all members of a team, however junior, feel that they have a voice and are recognised within decision-making processes, policies, and procedures, Wells states.

Playing favourites is dumb. People see through it in an instant, and brand you a hypocrite. Voicing your concern when the rights of others are being trampled on within your organisation is a positive, ethical thing to do. Responding appropriately when someone accuses you of not being fair is also the ethical thing to do.

6. Empathy

Leading with empathy is a highly desirable trait of leadership in 2024, says Wells, bluntly. Employees want leaders who authentically and genuinely show, by their words and actions, that they care. Practise and demonstrate empathy by putting yourself in your team member's shoes, Wells advocates, actively listening, and being sensitive to the impact of your decisions on individual members of your team.

7. Empowerment

How much do you inspire and empower your team? Wells asks, adding that a true sign of a leader is how many leaders they create out of their followers. Do you believe in Robert Greenleaf’s dictum in Servant Leadership that your primary role is to assist and support the ongoing personal and professional growth and development of all the members of your team? Are you bringing your team members up the ladder with you? Are you empowering them to be accountable and take responsibility for themselves, their words and their actions? ?Are you coaching them to be exceptional in their performance?

Your ethical duty is not to hold them back, but to help them to grow by drawing out their gifts and talents from them so that they may contribute their best work and effort as they strive with you to achieve the shared goals and objectives of your organisation.

8. An Overt Commitment to broadly-based Sustainability

Last but not least, sustainability is an initiative that should be on every leader's agenda, according to Wells, adding that in her view, through your example, through organisation-wide policies, and through daily team processes and practices, it's your responsibility to do your part towards preserving the environment and contributing towards a prosperous future for the next generation.

A commitment to sustainability is a commitment to efficient and effective use of your organisation’s resources of all kinds, not necessarily just environmental inputs. Waste is neither acceptable nor ethical any more – waste of anything, including water; energy; material resources; funds; even time. Ethical sustainable leading is a feature of a slimmed down organisation that plans carefully for every expenditure of funds, of consumption of other material resources, and even deployment of employees’ efforts and time.

Not only is sustainability good for the environment; it's good for attracting and retaining talent, Wells declares, especially talented Gen Zs and Millennials, for whom an organisation’s sustainability policies are apparently a priority when choosing their next employer.

Wells concludes by challenging you to make these eight core values a high priority for yourself this year, urging you to commit to leading with integrity, adhering to your core values and those of your organisation, while at the same time providing a consistent role model for behaviours you want to see in your team.

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