Achieving Success as a Values-Led CEO
In today’s business world, it isn’t easy to achieve lasting success without having solid values at the core of your brand, employees, and vision. If you can infuse these principles into everything you do, from how you interact with other people to spending money on development resources, your company will be well-positioned to weather even the most challenging economic storms and generate long-term stability and growth.
Let’s explore a few areas that will place you back in your confidence and courage and remind you how to continue leading from your values.
Remember what got you here
When you’re getting ahead in your career and leading teams, it can be easy to lose sight of what made you great in the first place. It could be an effective leadership style or an entrepreneurial edge that got you noticed. Whatever it is, consider that special something. Take time every few months to remind yourself of it—and harness its power to take your success to another level! In other words: Remember why you’re successful! And then use those values to propel you forward again. After all, if it worked once, why not try it again?
Get clear on what drives you
What drives you? Is it your love of challenge, professional development, or both? What are your values? Answering these questions is often more complicated than it seems. But how can you expect to lead others effectively if you don’t know where you’re headed yourself? If there’s one thing that all CEOs have in common, it’s a unique leadership style. Part of leadership is knowing how and when to adapt that style to different situations. Without self-awareness, even brilliant leaders struggle with company communication and success. So while developing your business and core values will help you clarify where your interests lie, it’s equally important to understand how those interests translate into what you do (and don’t do) for your employees.
Focus on your relationships
Communicating effectively, professionally and sincerely with others (at all levels of your organisation) is vital to being an effective leader. Whether you’re managing clients, employees or vendors, it is imperative that you establish solid relationships that drive trust, understanding and loyalty. Be honest about your capabilities; admit when you’re wrong; strive to be humble and listen attentively when others speak—these are just some of the many valuable traits you should develop and rely on to achieve success as a values-led CEO.
Be unapologetically authentic
It’s all too easy to become boxed in by our self-imposed limitations, particularly in business. Having tough conversations with those closest to you, communicating effectively with your staff and getting over yourself enough to develop professionally will only make you stronger. In becoming more aware of what is most important to you, your decisions will be driven by your values. There will always be times when difficult situations arise that leave us feeling vulnerable; however, it’s essential that we can be unapologetically authentic and present ourselves authentically on both an internal and external level. When we take charge of our personal development, success follows suit for us and those around us. We lead better lives because we are not just leading businesses – we are leading lives!
Give back where possible
Being a conscious leader isn’t just about making sure your professional communication is ethical and well-executed. The concept of values-led leadership also encompasses creating an atmosphere where people feel they’re contributing to their self-development and something greater than themselves. This can be achieved in different ways, and there’s no right or wrong way to achieve it—but one good way is through giving back wherever possible. Working with charities, other businesses or even just in your personal life, give yourself an outlet for community spirit if you haven’t already got one. You don’t need to attend every event on offer either; if you already have plenty going on at work or home, that’s fine too!
Stop doing things that don’t work for you
We’re all creatures of habit, which is excellent when making habits that work for us. But if your communication style is at odds with how your company communicates, you might want to consider modifying your behaviour to be more successful. Leadership communication is about so much more than talking and how loud you can yell. It’s about what you communicate and what gets communicated to your employees (and sometimes customers) through whatever medium happens to be at hand at any given moment. The better able you get those messages across effectively, the easier it will be for them to understand their role in your organisation and follow through accordingly.
Trust your intuition
This should be regarded as the most important area of all. Trusting your gut instinct is an important part of being an effective leader. Your intuition (along with other instincts like empathy and optimism) is driven by your values, so be sure you are being true to yourself and aligning with what really matters to you. Once you know what you stand for, trust in it and lead from that space. Being conscious of when you’re making decisions based on values or interests will help you make more informed choices about how to engage with others, both at work and in life.
