Critical Decision-making: The Role of Values and Core Purpose
I’ve been a leader for most of my life. Whether it be Boy Scouts or my school sports teams growing up, or professional roles in business and community organizations as an adult. I’ve gravitated toward leadership positions with a strong drive to excel at everything I put my mind and attention to. So, recently, when I made the difficult choice to step back from the board of an organization, I took time the time to reflect on my values and core purpose to guide and inform me throughout the decision-making process.
Many leaders consider themselves principled-based leaders, but sometimes lack the self and situational awareness to consider those values that they hold dear, and they are unclear how their values connect with their “why” or core purpose as leaders. Often, we have competing values, such as a desire to help others but your company or role is focused on profit and the bottom-line, or you value achievement and competition yet you also value affiliation and social interactions. Choosing the right path can create anxiety and doubt when evaluating less than clear-cut options. My advice to my clients is always to become more self-aware of your values, beliefs and references, how they relate to your core purpose, and how these guide your actions and behaviors.
CORE PURPOSE: My core purpose is to serve others while improving the conditions around me. Being a leadership coach and advisor is directly connected to this purpose. It is one of the reasons I chose to join this organization and decided to serve on the board in the first place. This organization has a rich history of community service and has been impactful in addressing many challenges that the world faces. The service aspect was my “why”, and I wanted to shape the vision and strategy and use my energy and experience to inspire the board to achieve even greater success. What I training my attention on was the distinct adaptation of the purpose and values of the local organization, its leaders and its members.
VALUES: One of my ultimate values is that of Altruism. My desire to serve others and improve things. I see someone or something underperforming, and I instinctively look for opportunities to lean in on the unique gifts and strengths and address any gaps which have the potential to drive significant growth or deliver other tangible benefits to the stakeholders. Make improvements, large and small; strive for excellence, not perfection. I have long ago recognized that not everyone likes change, but as the world becomes more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, the need for change cannot and should not be ignored. Consider Jim Collins’ famous book “Good to Great” or Clayton Christensen’s tome on the “Innovator’s Dilemma” to find examples of where failure to recognize the need for change has been fatal. I’m not at all suggesting that this organization will “fail” anytime soon. What I am saying is that my ultimate value of altruism and improving everything in my orbit was more important to me than the value of tradition, custom and institutionalized behavior valued by others.
Another ultimate value for me is that of Achievement which includes a have vision and strategy as well as forward movement that inspires those in the organization and other stakeholders. While I do like to have fun, appreciate excitemetn, and variety typically associated with hedonism, I see this as secondary importance. Questions I asked my clients are “what’s your vision”, and why should someone want to follow you?” If you don’t have some sort of vision, you’re a follower (or at least you will be until you’re able create one yourself or adopt someone else’s). Many organizations are stuck with leaders that have no vision, or they don’t believe in it strongly enough to take the actions necessary to implement it. For me, that vision and strategy must be compelling, or I will have a difficult time committing myself fully.
I value Security. Having clear rules of engagement and high moral and ethical standards for personal and professional conduct. This may have come from growing up in a large family where my older sisters would constantly change the rules of whatever game we were playing to help them gain the advantage. I value objective and fact-based decision-making. And, while I certainly have empathy and compassion for individuals that may not see the need for change or resist it, I believe that leaders need to be able to separate personal emotions from taking decisions which are in the best interest of the organization or team they are accountable to.
Finally, I value Integrity. I want to be seen as a person of integrity. I strive to have my behavior and conduct aligned with my core purpose and values. For many leaders, when they act in a manner inconsistent with their mission or values, it causes them to feel stress and disingenuous. Each decision becomes exponentially more difficult as they have no North Star to guide them, and every decision becomes a factor of emotions and events of the day. This disconnect is also seen by others. Leadership, peers and employees who lose trust become less committed to joining that leader on their next project or initiative.
In my coaching work, I assist leaders gain greater self and situational awareness. I partner with my clients to help them understand and focus on their core purpose and the connection that purpose has to their values, beliefs, and references. Through this heightened understanding and clarity, my clients can make better decisions and set specific and meaningful goals that empower their leadership.
John Burt