Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a successful leader? Do you want to take your career to the next level? Check out our practical guide to developing the 8 core leadership values that every successful leader has.
Successful leaders have winning personalities that lead by example. Companies that are led by true leaders are often the ones that stay competitive in the long run. This is because they have a culture of trust and respect that attracts top talent.
Every day we hear from disgruntled employees. They that are not contented with the toxic workplace culture. People that are stuck in. When companies have unsatisfied employees, they end up resenting their jobs. Leaving at the first opportunity that comes to them. In other words, ineffective leadership causes unproductive workplace environments.
They create a shining example for their employees to emulate and establish trust and cooperation between their team members.
If you want to know how to develop these all-important values, you first need to know what they are. After speaking with countless senior managers and corporate executives, we put together a list of the top 8 leadership values for business success. By developing these critical personal values, we believe that anybody can become a successful leader.
Integrity
Integrity ranks first on our list of the top leadership values. This is because every single successful executive we spoke to mentioned how crucial integrity is for long-term success.
Integrity refers to one’s personal commitment to their moral principles. Without integrity, anyone is susceptible to acting outside of their moral code and making unethical decisions. When it comes to maintaining one’s reputation in business, ethics is everything. By acting with integrity, you set an important standard for all those around you.
It is a blatant fact that leaders stand up for what they believe. Without exception, natural leaders know that winners refuse to cheat or weasel their way to the top. Rather, they take the moral high ground and inspire others to act in the same way. In our books, nothing commands respect like a leader with integrity.
This value refers to one’s commitment to selfless service. Those who exhibit this value perform in the interest of the greater good without expectation of reward and praise. Instead, they understand that working hard, sometimes even without recognition, is a necessary ingredient for success.
Since no business success is a solo effort, it is important to sacrifice some personal glory to benefit the team. After all, it takes a full team’s effort to make a lasting impact in any market.
The value of service can be developed by committing one’s self to community service initiatives. This involves volunteering time to a charitable or non-profit organization that is dedicated to the public good. Volunteering is a great way to cultivate this all-important leadership value.
Authenticity
It is one of the world’s most underrated leadership values. It refers to the extent that one is true to their personality or “spirit”, so to speak. As such, this quality often goes hand in hand with integrity.
Any seasoned business executive will tell you that external pressures exist everywhere in the corporate world. However, it is the mark of a respectable leader when they can act faithfully in the company’s interests regardless. Authenticity also encourages growth in the company.
On an individual level, acting authentically immediately creates attraction. It shows that the person is not ashamed of their self, that they are proud of who they are, and that they are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in. Personalities such as these are noticeable from a mile away, and they help create a culture of respect in the workplace.
It is often thought that confidence is a natural-born aspect of any business leader. However, we think that this could not be further from the truth. While confidence is necessary for those in a leadership role, we find that this quality can be cultivated through practice and patience.
Developing confidence is important because leaders need to be able to assert themselves clearly every day.
However, it is equally important not to be too sure of one’s abilities as confidence can quickly turn to hubris and arrogance when not kept in check. When confidence turns into hubris, this can cause resentment between a leader and their team.
Every leader needs to focus on exuding restrained confidence. Acting with an air of confidence makes everybody you work with trust your judgment. But when taken too far, overconfidence can exude presumptuousness that can turn any workplace culture sour.
Transparency
Like honesty, transparency is crucially important for fostering a trusting office environment. Transparency refers to a state of being that allows for others to see what is being done and why. When a leader values transparency, they make sure that everybody on their team understands the true reason why they are doing what they are doing.
Transparency is the value that leads to openness and accountability in the workplace. When an office lacks these qualities, we find that their turnover rate suffers and the quality of the talent they attract drops significantly. Leaders can promote a culture of transparency by encouraging others to disclose information freely and to speak their mind whenever they desire to.
For many of us, empathy is the first quality that comes to mind when we think of leadership values. This is because empathy is what separates those who work well with others from those who cannot. Simply put, empathy refers to one’s capacity to truly feel what another person is experiencing or feeling from their point of view.
Across all industries, leaders have to be able to put themselves in the shoes of their team members. Otherwise, understanding and respect can quickly erode in the workplace.
Whether a leader is heading a cutthroat startup or serving as an executive of a Fortune 500 company, empathy is critically important. This does not imply that a leader must acquiesce to their team’s every demand. Rather, it implies that they must keep a cool head and a friendly, compassionate demeanor no matter the circumstance.
Regardless of context, leaders must routinely bend over backward to meet the unique needs of each of their employees and clients. Being able to connect with the needs of others is ultimately what determines whether a client will consider turning to your services again in the future.
The value of humility is ultimately what separates an effective, confidence leader from a pompous, arrogant blowhard. Humility is the quality of being modest and humble. When leaders act with humility, they show that they do not overestimate their own importance or their own abilities. Instead, they have an appropriate and attractive degree of self-regard.
Especially those who are “beneath” them in the workplace hierarchy. When leaders fail to act with humility, they often exude a vain and self-important personality that usually results in mockery from their peers. It’s simple: nobody respects arrogance.
Even entrepreneurs, who do not routinely work in a team environment, can benefit from humility. This is because poor decisions are made when one places too much trust in their own judgment. By acknowledging one’s limitations and vulnerabilities, one can then seek out the advice of others. Through deliberation, better business decisions can be made.
Lastly, excellence is a major value for any business leader. While not typically thought of as a “value”, after speaking with numerous senior executives we quickly understood that the pursuit of extraordinary results is not just a habit but a personal value. When a leader acts with excellence in mind, they always strive to achieve the best possible outcome.
If you look at the executive team of any of the top corporate giants. For example, Google, Microsoft, or Apple. They are all powered by the need to perform. Superior leaders are not driven by satisfactory results. They are lead, sometimes to the brink of obsession, by the pursuit of an outstanding result.
They set an inspiring example for their team. It is a plain fact that leaders in the business world routinely go above and beyond their duties in the workplace to achieve their desired result. They do not sit on the sidelines and command or expect excellence from others.
Excellence is a value manifest by example. Team members catch on to the hard work done by their leaders. They are inspired to join them. Performance excellence becomes the workplace standard. Everybody wants to make sure they match the efforts of their peers.
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