The Importance of Leading with a Values Approach

I am often asked by students and executives what is the best approach to strengthen, value, and respect the team to generate positive change. It should be no surprise that my response is always focused on becoming a values based leader.

In a recent article I wrote for Forbes Magazine, I discussed five things all leaders can and should do in moving into a new position:

1. Self Reflection to relate to other others
2. The bigger, the company, the more a balanced perspective matters
3. Set meaningful priorities
4. Promote collaboration. Not internal competition.
5. Don’t make changes just for the sake of change

In the article, I use the example of the recent CEO change at Walt Disney. Here is a link to the article and the entire article is shown below.

Here’s wishing everyone a productive week!!

Why Disney’s New CEO’s Succession Success Depends on the Team

It’s one of the most difficult leadership transitions: following in the footsteps of a long-time leader. This is the challenge facing Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, former head of Disney Experiences, who recently replaced Bob Iger. Disney is still recovering from a failed succession in 2022 that brought Iger back as CEO for a second time. That means D’Amaro’s success will depend more on how well he unifies his leadership team than on his personal performance alone.

By adopting a values-based leadership approach, D’Amaro must connect with and engage the team around him, especially rivals who competed for the CEO position. Top of that list is Dana Walden, a contender for the CEO position who was subsequently promoted to President and Chief Creative Officer of Disney, reporting to D’Amaro. As Variety observed, “She’s also part consiglieri and part Hollywood concierge to D’Amaro, who has no profile to speak of in the creative community that is still the essential storytelling fuel for Disney’s operations.”

No CEO—especially at Disney’s scale—can operate effectively without relying on the expertise of others. This is a major takeaway for any leader at any level, whether you have been promoted to lead a team, division, business unit, or the entire company. The people you worked with before will become even more important now that they work for you.

D’Amaro, who reportedly was chosen as CEO from four finalists, clearly proved his leadership during his time as Chair of Disney Experiences, the company’s largest and fastest growing business segment. D’Amaro led the largest expansion in this business unit’s history, spanning resorts, cruise ships, theme parks, attractions, and technology. Now, as CEO, he must seek input from leaders across the enterprise, coalescing his team around the top priorities.

There is a temptation among new leaders to prove to the board, investors, and the people reporting to them that they really were the best choice to lead. This approach is not only counterproductive but also alienates highly capable leaders across the company. When talented people feel shut out and ignored, they usually end up leaving. That’s a considerable loss of talent for the new CEO and the company.

1. Self-Reflection to Relate to Others. Values-based leadership is grounded in who you are, your values, what you stand for, and your priorities. Self-reflection, which is a foundational principle of values-based leadership, enables you to hold yourself accountable for the consistency of your behavior and interactions with others. As a new leader, if you want to positively influence people, you must first relate to them. For a leader like D’Amaro, who must wrap his arms around a global enterprise, regular self-reflection could seem like one more thing on an endless to-do list. However, as I have found in my 40 years in the corporate world, including as chair and CEO of a $12 billion health care company, self-reflection is essential to leadership.
2. The Bigger the Company the More a Balanced Perspective Matters. With a company the size and scope of Disney, challenges and even crises will occur. This is another reason why D’Amaro needs to rely on a strong team with deep insights into the entire enterprise, as well as the parts of the business being affected. This is the essence of developing a balanced perspective, the second of my values-based leadership principles. The leader needs to listen to a variety of opinions, particularly those who offer different viewpoints. That said, gathering feedback cannot come at the expense of expediency. As CEO, I always gave my team deadlines for providing feedback on urgent matters. When the time was up, I had to make a decision based on the best available information. Waiting for more data can seriously undermine effectiveness.
3. Set Meaningful Priorities. Amid today’s rapid pace of change and mounting uncertainties—from escalating geopolitical tensions to economic uncertainty and changes in trade policies—it can be easy for a new leader to become distracted. With so much going on, leaders can default to identifying multiple “No. 1 priorities” followed by several others that are deemed almost as urgent. Having too many top priorities, however, creates confusion. (Plus, there’s the simple fact that there can only be one No. 1 priority, followed by No. 2 and so forth.) It takes discipline to identify two or three of the biggest priorities that will have the largest impact on the organization and then consistently focus on them. As the leader sets meaningful priorities, people know where to put their energy and focus.
4. Promote Collaboration, Not Internal Competition. Many organizations set up succession as a “survivor” competition, with the best and brightest vying for the job. One person wins and the others lose, which means unsuccessful candidates will probably leave the organization within a matter of months. It’s time for true self-confidence, another of my values-based leadership principles. When you know your strengths as well as your weaknesses, you can purposefully identify team members who are strong in areas where you have less experience or lack innate talent. Developing a collaborative team is also key to succession, which is one of the most important responsibilities of the CEO and the board. New roles and stretch assignments will help talented colleagues progress in their careers, while increasing the bench strength of the company’s internal talent.
5. Don’t Make Changes for the Sake of Change. As the new leader, you know that everyone is going to be watching for indications of what you are going to change. In an ideal world, if you have been promoted from within, you were working closely with your predecessor to grow the company. Therefore, your strategy probably will be perceived as a natural continuation of the plans already in place. Of course, you may decide to accelerate some areas and reprioritize others. However, this is not just change for the sake of change; rather there is a logical rationale. This is a case for having genuine humility, a values-based principle that emphasizes respect for others. For example, when I became CEO, following long-time leader Vernon Loucks, I expressed tremendous respect for him and gratitude for his confidence in me. However, there were several changes that I believed were important to implement. “I want to be open in explaining why there will be changes,” I told the board and my team. “I want to seek your input. I’m not trying to be right—but to do the right thing.”

As the new leader, you are part of a continuum. The more you demonstrate that leadership is not about you, but about making the team and the organization successful, the more people will follow you.