What do we mean when we talk about values-based leadership? Are we talking about business values, like productivity, profitability or share value? Yes. But, more.
Are we talking about the personal values of the Chairman, the CEO or the President? Things like determination, motivation or strength? Again, yes. However, more still.
When we talk about values-based leadership, we are talking about drawing leadership values from the values of followers for direction, motivation, and inspiration. People are motivated by their values. They care deeply about them. They live according to those values. Values are the natural motivators of thought and behavior.
And, therein lays the key to long-term business development, growth and ultimately, profitability.
Do you find your organization coming to the realization that the world is changing even more rapidly than you thought? And, it’s not just the tech sector.
It’s everything. Do you find that your “way of doing things” hasn’t evolved enough to keep you moving at the speed of business?
This is no time to hide in the shadows. Doubling down on what you have always done will not help you keep pace with accelerating change. This is the time to define who you are.
An organization’s values find expression in their Brand. Brand values are the foundation of corporate culture. They are the shared values that drive all stakeholder attitudes and behaviors. An organization working from shared values will be more flexible and more productive than one pursuing goals that few people care about.
How do you create a values-based culture? You know you can’t just dictate values and a new ethos. This is where our Living the Brand™ process comes in. Living the Brand™ Academy and Living the Brand Innovation Factory offer a process with follow-0n Labs, Workshops and Bootcamps to create a corporate culture that delivers predictable, sustainable results. Living the Brand™ is a five-step process to establish values for the leadership team and employees, for customers, for suppliers, and for shareholders. Living the Brand™ is about creating values for the sake of the organization and its mission… in such a way as to make positive contributions to society as a whole.
The five phases of the Living the Brand™ process are:
- Assessment – Discovery and analysis
- Promise – Defining our way
- Blue Print – Creating our building blocks
- Culturization – Engaging people
- Advantage – Leveraging our assets
You cannot impose values and culture. Culture comes from within based on shared values. Only when the entire enterprise has a hand in defining what is deeply important to them can a set of values be developed that are shared by all.
Contact Patty Lindstrom, CEO and Chief Strategist of Creative Logic (our brand building and transformation consultancy in Chicago) and Founder of Living the Brand™ Academy and Innovation Factory to see if Living the Brand™ is a good fit for your business or non-profit organization.
If you want to get a close-up look at Living the Brand™ in action, attend Brand Innovation Quest, a two-day forum delving into the interdependency of brand and innovation… not just product and service innovation, but business model innovation, as well. Watch this video of the 2018 Brand Innovation Quest event and see how the five conference tracks, Leadership, Strategy, Brand, Culture, and Innovation bring the fundamentals of values-based leadership into focus. Keep an eye out for our 2020 Quest
Values-based leadership is an organizational philosophy. Values determine behavior. Values precede ethics and precede performance. Living the Brand™ is proven to deliver excellent results over long periods of time, which can be implemented in a practical manner to establish a corporate culture that delivers predictable, sustainable results.
Open yourself up to the power of values-based leadership. And, please share this article with your network.