What do you stand for? A leadership exercise we all need today
There’s one thing that unites us above all else:
Our humanity.
Regardless of religion, political affiliation, and birthplace, we are united by our humanity.
We all laugh, cry, bleed and experience the emotions of fear, joy, desire, and worry.
We all have loved ones, neighbors we cherish, and families - chosen and otherwise.
Today I’m offering an exercise to anchor you and your leadership, in service of helping us all be the human AND leader our people, communities, and country need right now.
Why now?
Because this week, people you work with are fighting silent battles:
Fear over the immigration status of loved ones
Uncertainty over their civil rights
Anxiety for elderly parents and grandparents and their healthcare
Alarm for their law enforcement family members & loss of veteran benefits
And much more…
We, as leaders, have an opportunity to impact the lives of those we interact with.
Core qualities of fantastic leaders we should lean into:
Pull people in and make them feel valued
Hear and see people for who they are and their unique gifts
Amplify all voices to co-create the best solutions
Remain steadfast and committed to what is right
Inspire confidence for the road ahead
To help us all lead more confidently and proudly, we need to re-anchor ourselves to how we want to show up when people need us most.
Identify What You Value
Start by thinking about what you hold most dear.
What words come to mind? Write them down.
When you are at your best, what qualities, characteristics, and/or conditions are present?
What words come to mind? Write them down.
When you’ve felt wronged, what was at the core of why it was upsetting? (These are values not being honored.)
What words come to mind? Write them down.
When I pause and reflect on these 3 questions, I start to identify words like:
Motherhood
Integrity
Kindness
Respect
Independence
Whatever your words, can you look at them and feel your essence captured?
Do these words capture what you stand for?
If this feels overwhelming, leverage this list of values for inspiration.
Identify Actions
Brene Brown has an incredible exercise she calls Taking Values From BS to Behavior. And you can download the worksheet here.
I have a slightly different take on how to identify actions:
What actions do I take that contribute to me living this value?
What actions do I take that risk diminishing this value?
When am I at risk for sacrificing this value of mine?
When I live my values fully, what impact do I have on myself and others?
When we’re more clear on our actions that grow and diminish our values, we’re more able to feel fully connected to ourselves, enabling us to more authentically lead others.
Pressure Testing Values & Actions
Anchoring to your values creates a pathway for your BEING. How you want to BE when you show up.
And we need to pair that with thoughtful DOING.
Pressure test your BEING and DOING with a few sample scenarios:
Example 1: In a team meeting, a more vocal team member interrupts a more soft spoken person.
What do your values call you to DO in that moment? How will you BE?
Example 2: A team member brings a proposed solution to you in your 1:1, and viability is low.
What do your values call you to DO in that moment? How will you BE?
Example 3: A leadership team member asks you to take on a project that would put your team well over capacity.
What do your values call you to DO in that moment? How will you BE?
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Here’s to leading and impacting in ways that honor our values and maximize human centered leadership!
I’d love to hear from you. Comment below…what resonated with you today? How do you want to lead yourself and your people? What values do you want to honor more in your leadership?
