Leadership
Living Your Values
People follow when they connect with the mission.
Santa Claus has a remarkable following. His name is spoken by adults and children around the world. Many believe in him as a person, others as an idea. Regardless of the person and history of St. Nicholas, most people believe in his current mission and the heart embedded in it. Bringing joy to the world by giving gifts to all who need one Santa Claus embodies his values.
Knowing your center is one of our first steps in becoming a leader others want to follow.
Finding something in common
Several years ago, our family took an extended vacation. We enjoyed spending time together and thought about how we could have more meaningful connections every week. One idea we came up with was to have a weekly family fun night. Our ideas included playing a game, going to dinner, or watching. I suspect you all probably did something like this as a child or are doing it now if you have children.
Movie night
On one of our first nights doing this, we selected the Rise of the Guardians movie for us all to watch together. There is an important self-leadership concept contained in the movie that I have captured for you in the clip below. Santa askes Jack Frost the question, “What is your center?”
What is your center?
I submit to you that each of us must ask and know the answers to this question before we expect people to follow us. To the one thinking, “Is this really necessary?”
My response is, “Yes, I think it is. And here’s why.”
It is because people want to know who you are and where you stand. Once they do they are able to buy into your vision.
Let us encourage each other to take time and think about our values and how to align our behaviors to them. Our teams are counting on us.
Actions to consider:
- Make a list of your values.
- Prioritize your list down to 3–5 to be your core values.
- Evaluate recent decisions to determine how they align with what we think is most important.
Shepherding: The art of becoming the leader others want to follow.
