PLN 42: How to Live Your Values as a Leader
Time to Read: 4 mins
Family!
That was the first word out of āMarcusāsā mouth when we sat down to explore his values.
He didn't even have to think about it. It was the value he talked about during leadership meetings, the first value listed on his company's mission page, and the thing he'd tell you defined him if you asked over casual conversation.
During our first week working together, he canceled dinner with his wife and kids twice. Both times for a sales call that could've waited until the next morning.
And when one of his managers asked to leave early for a family commitment, Marcus made an offhand comment about "dedication" that the whole team heardā¦ and remembered. š
He wasn't lying about his value. He believed it completely. He just wasn't leading from it.
And that gap, between the values you voice and the actions you practice, is a dangerous place. Itās where authenticity crumbles and trust erodes.
"Operationalizing" is one of those words that sounds like it belongs in a dissertation and not in a Leader Development Newsletter. But itās important, so let me give you the plain version: a value is operationalized when it shows up in your decisions, not just your descriptions. It often costs you something, and you choose it anyway.
Until then, it's a preference you haven't been tested on yet. And preferences don't hold up under pressure the way values do.
I see this at the individual level constantly. But I've also watched it play out at the organizational level.
A few years back, I worked with a company whose top stated value was integrity. It was printed on the wall of their headquarters in six-inch letters, as a reminder to all.
At the same time, their CEO was involved in an extra-marital affair with an employee. Everyone knew and nobody was supposed to talk about it, so of courseā¦ everyone did.
Oh, the irony. š¤¦š»āāļø
What really struck me, though, was that it didnāt have a blatantly obvious impact on the company. Instead, it had a quiet, more insidious one.
Because, suddenly, the 6-inch letters on the wall became an inside joke, and nobody took it seriously. And once that value was diminished, all the others held less weight as well.
There's research behind why this happens. Cornell professor Tony Simons calls it "behavioral integrity," which is really just an academic name for whether your words align with your actions.
His work found that when employees perceive a gap between what a leader says and what they do, trust plummets. And as it does, employee performance, their willingness to embrace change, and their intent to stay sinks with it.
Which means the values you claim but don't operationalize aren't neutral. They're a costly mistake.
The good news is, it works the other way too.
When you consistently act in alignment with your values, youāre building personal credibility while simultaneously modeling a standard. As you do, your team calibrates their own standards accordingly.
A rising tide lifts all boats. But someone has to make the tide rise in the first place. Aligning your actions and values, out loud for all to see, is a great way to do so.
Inner Leader. Outer Impact.
š” Practionable Takeaway
Pick one value that defines you as a leader. Donāt overthink it; just name the first one that comes to mind
Thenā¦
1ļøā£ Name the last time it was actually tested. A time when honoring it would've cost you something like time, comfort, a sale, being liked, etc. A real cost.
2ļøā£ Be honest about what you chose. When tested, did you choose the value? Or were you swayed by something else, like convenience, ego, competition, etc.
3ļøā£ Name a moment coming up this week where that same value will likely get tested again. Decide, right now, what honoring it will look like when the test comes.
That's the whole exercise. Just one value, tested on purpose, before life tests it for you.
š„ Want to Go Deeper?
If you answered fast when I asked what your top value was, that's a good start.
And I'd love to know what that value was. Hit reply and let me know!
But I have a question... can you concretely define it? Rank it against your other values? Tell me the difference between the version you say out loud and the version you live under pressure?
Most of us canāt, and thatās why I designed an exercise around it. This is the same worksheet I use with my 1:1 clients, and it's part of my āSelf-Leadership Edgeā program too.
You can access it here >> Values Exercise
To Your Success,
Laura šš§”
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