Greetings from Bogota, Colombia! Julie and I are here for the wedding of the son of a very good friend. The wedding included some fun parties, and Julie and I also attended a mass 😊

I had the opportunity last week to write a short article for Forbes on the essential commitments for becoming a values-based leader.

Here are four requirements:

  1. You Know What Matters Most.
  2. You’re Not Watching the Movie; You’re in the Movie.
  3. You Know Leadership Has Nothing to Do with Titles and Org Charts.
  4. You Show Respect to Everyone.

Here is a link to the article, and the full article is copy/pasted below.

4 Essential Commitments For Becoming A Values-Based Leader

The audience was full of executives whose resumes and CVs reflected their impressive credentials and years of achievement. No matter what they had accomplished, though, there was still an unanswered question. And so, in my presentation to these high achievers just a couple of weeks ago, I posed the same question I ask my MBA students each year:

How many of you truly want to be values-based leaders?

In response, heads nodded and hands were raised. Of course, they wanted to see themselves and be acknowledged by others as values-based leaders. However, desire alone is not enough, nor is it sufficient to want to appear to lead by one’s values.

The kind of leadership I’m talking about is putting values into action for the benefit of others.

There is no shortage of serious concerns in the world, from geopolitical conflict, economic uncertainty and political polarity to the rapid expansion of AI and the role of leaders to understand and mitigate that impact. Plus, there are societal issues such as poverty and illiteracy, equitable access to food and other resources, the digital divide and climate change that triggers environmental disasters such as wildfires.

In the face of such challenges, there is a spectrum of responses. At one end are those who, privately at least, breathe a sigh of relief that they and their families are not personally impacted. In the middle, there are those who wring their hands and declare how worried they are but never move beyond feeling worried.

At the other end of the spectrum are those who willingly commit to making a difference. While others look around for “those guys” who will address the problems of the world, these are the leaders who feel compelled to do whatever they can. Their mantra? “We are those guys!”

To help determine if you have what it takes, here are four essential commitments for becoming a values-based leader.

1. You Know What Matters Most.

This one is binary — either you have it or you don’t. You cannot be a values-based leader if you do not know what your values are. The best way to identify what matters most is engaging in self-reflection, which is my first principle of values-based leadership. It can be as simple as the regular exercise of stepping back, filtering out the noise and distractions, and contemplating questions such as: What do I stand for? What is most important to me? What did I say I was going to do today, and did I actually do it? How did I treat others? If I had the day to live over again, what would I do differently? These questions underscore a fundamental truth: only by being self-reflective can we know ourselves. Unless we know ourselves, we cannot lead ourselves. And if we cannot lead ourselves, we cannot lead others.

2. You’re Not Watching the Movie; You’re in the Movie.

As a values-based leader, you are not merely a spectator, watching what’s going on in the world. Instead, you are actively involved in issues and in areas where you can make a difference. This is the essence of what the late Stephen Covey referred to as the “circle of influence” where we can make an impact. The scale may differ. Some people may be able to act globally, while others focus locally. The intentionality, though, is the same: to do whatever is possible to make things better for other people. Or, as I like to say, instead of merely watching the movie, values-based leaders are willing to get in the movie.

3. You Know Leadership Has Nothing to Do with Titles and Org Charts.

Leadership is not telling people what to do; it is influencing them positively. And the best way to influence others is to relate to them. This is my three-component model: Leadership, Influence, Relate. Importantly, the starting point of relatability is not top-down. It can happen at any level, including when you’re not the boss! The more people relate to you — knowing who you are, what you stand for and what’s motivating your actions — the more likely they will notice and engage. In my experience, it comes down to trust. Without trust, the people you need to partner with — your team, your peers and the leaders above you — will simply not be invested in helping you achieve a goal.

4. You Show Respect to Everyone.

Here’s a little exercise. Think about the last time you walked into your office building. Did you greet the people at the front desk by their first names? Did you ask them about their families or their favorite sports team? And what about when you’re working late and the cleaning crew is making their rounds. Do you thank them for what they do — even spend a few minutes helping empty the trashcans? These questions aren’t meant to shame anyone. Rather, it is a reminder that values-based leadership is grounded in principles, one of which is genuine humility. This is best defined as never forgetting where you came from and never losing sight of how many people have helped you along the way. Leaders who remember the cubicle where they started out are far less likely to get caught up in their hype and, instead, will stay focused on the importance of every person.

Today, there is an urgent need for more values-based leaders who are guided by their principles. And yet, given the kind of people who appear to be getting ahead in the world, values-based leadership can seem out of step and out of date. Rather than getting caught up in what looks like a contradiction, those who aspire to values-based leadership rise to the challenge.

That was what I wanted to impart to the leaders listening to my presentation. My message was that being a values-based leader takes more than adopting a catchphrase or buying into the leadership “flavor of the month.”

Based on my more than four decades of practicing values-based leadership —sometimes succeeding, other times failing, and never giving up on the goal — I know the discipline that’s required. It is a deep commitment to one’s values as the foundation of how to live and show up in the world.