All leaders must identify and set their core values before accepting a leadership position, before developing an organization or before joining a company culture.

Leaders with strong core values induce an ethical and healthy workplace.

However, when leaders lack character, they create conflict, mistreat employees, belittle customers, focus on results rather than build healthy relationships, allow sabotage and aggressive below the belt office politics. Subsequently, they then create a toxic environment.

Wondering how to identify and strengthen your core values?

What are core values?

Core values are principles that build your character and that define who you are deep down.

They are fundamental beliefs that guide you in life and at work, that drive your behavior and that gather things about you that you truly care about.

Core values are based on your culture, your systems of beliefs and what you learnt from your childhood.

In addition, core values guide leaders in any environment and in every situation.

They are principles by which leaders and organizations operate. They are transmitted to employees via the corporate culture, are shared from one generation to another.

At Journey To Leadership‘s, we believe in:

1. Leadership. We want to lead by example, lead with character, motivate people to achieve a unique vision and teach people how to lead with integrity.
2. Living to learn. We do not assume that we know everything, we give ourselves the opportunities to explore and to ask questions that challenge the status quo.
3. Creativity & Innovation. We welcome change, embrace innovative ideas, love taking risks and bringing new products to make the world a better place.
4. Purpose & Ambition. We invite people to aim high, to walk in their purpose and to stay focused.
5. Candor. We encourage transparency, authenticity and speaking truth to power. We reward people for speaking up and for speaking the truth.
6. Patience. We promote patience, being slow to anger and seeking understanding.
7. Fairness. We do not discriminate, we are equal opportunity leaders, we believe in making fair decisions and treating everyone equally. 
8. Diversity. We are culturally sensitive, respect diversity and believe that difference is good.

Why define your core leadership values?

Core values must be carefully chosen, based on our personal needs and wants.

Core values make life more satisfying and more meaningful, they are a lifetime commitment. Core values must help you:

• define your code of conduct,
• outline your purpose,
• shape your vision and move towards your goals,
• set boundaries and build healthy relationships,
• make the right decisions for yourself,
• communicate and lead effectively,
• prioritize and focus on the vital few,
• hire and retain the right employees,
• increase your mental stability.

Consolidating your leadership values requires hard work, determination, daily practice and self-discipline. In general, core values are hard to maintain but are worth the struggle.

How to identify your core leadership values?

Core values make life more satisfying and more meaningful, they are a lifetime commitment To identify your core leadership or organizational values:

1. Find out how you would describe yourself.
2. Examine if you are satisfied with the current state of your life and what you love or hate the most.
3. Identify your strengths, weaknesses and blind spots.
4. Think about what you would do if you were financially free and had no cares in the world.
5. Analyze which workplace you thrive best and feel your best in.
6. Evaluate your greatest accomplishments.
7. Observe where and with whom you wish to spend your time.
8. Identify what you cannot live without.
9. Understand the lessons you have learnt from your failures.

To strengthen your core leadership values?

1. List your core values, write them down and give examples of your core values in action. Everyone has a list of at least 5 values that they hold on to, that facilitate their responsibilities and ease their problems.
2. Remind yourself daily of your core values through a vision board or positive affirmations.
3. Align all your decisions with your core leadership values. When your values don’t align with your decisions, you start feeling uncomfortable, emotionally triggered and in conflict with yourself.
4. Communicate your core values to your employees. A company without core values is a toxic environment.
5. Put your values to the test in life, at work and within your organization. Core values often show themselves when we face adversity. If someone tells you or forces you to believe that life is unfair and you wholeheartedly rebel against that thought, then your core value is definitely fairness.
6. Empower other people to find their own core values.

Last Words Of Advice!

Leaders must be convinced of their vision and committed to their core values.

However, some core values are harder to apply than others. They demand more effort than others. So, don’t give up!

Hope that I’ve helped you get it together on your way to leadership!

Don’t forget to like, share and leave a comment below.

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journeytoleadershipblog

Journey To Leadership retains and shares the tips for the workplace.
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