What Do You Value?

If you were to walk into my home on any given day you would start picking up on some clues about what makes my family tick.  Whether it’s the tennis rackets or gym bags indicating a value of fitness, or the stacks of books on shelves throughout the house suggesting a hunger for growth and knowledge, or the bowl of fruit on the counter representing our preference for healthy eating, our family values begin to surface pretty quickly. 

Values are funny things because they exist whether they are defined in writing or not.  They are simply the things that individuals and/or groups of people begin to define themselves by.  Within a short time of being in someone’s home or hanging out at an office, you quickly know the values of that environment.

In turn, I think leaders lead from certain values that they esteem most.  I thought I would share mine with you, and I would love to hear what values you, well… value.

Accountability – it’s critical for strong teams; be accountable up, down and throughout the organization and you’ll succeed

Communication – or as I like to say “use your blinker”; communication is a powerhouse; when you give it, you usually receive it in return; the most powerful teams communicate well

Development (of yourself & others) - good leaders are constantly looking for ways to grow themselves and their teams; great leaders are relentless about developing the people they lead and creating ways to further their growth

Generosity - give, love, empower; don’t hold back; believe the best in others; live generously

Responsibility – “to whom much is given, much is required”; don’t take for granted what you’ve been blessed with; take responsibility for the blessing of influence

Now, let me clarify… I am not actually good at most of these.  In fact, I stink at many of them.  But I intentionally value them because I want to see them developed in my life and in the lives of those I lead.

How about you?  What do you value as a leader?