the inherent value of core values

I've run a few marathons in the past, but I was never what anyone would consider "competitive." My 6+ hours finishing time never gave the leaders anything to worry about. However, I could not help but be fascinated by what it must feel like to be that kind of runner. I've paced my bicycle trips, and realized that I bike as fast as elite runners run, and I honestly can't fathom being able to run that fast. When no one's around in an airport, I'll run on the moving walkway just to try to feel what it feels like to run like that.

The other unfathomable bit about being an elite runner: I can't imagine what it must feel like to be running down the street, and no one's in front of you. Every once in a blue moon, you hear of a runner at the head of the pack who took a wrong turn. Race organizers try to prevent that from happening, but as a leader, how do you have the confidence that you're going the right way? How do you know that there are thousands of people behind you, following you? Turning back to look is not an option -- you have to just believe that you're doing the right thing, moving in the right direction. You just hope that if you're not, you don't get too far before figuring it out.

Sometimes leadership is like that.

The role of a leader has changed a lot in the past few decades. We work much more collaboratively than before, to get buy-in, rather than the old autocratic style. However, in times of crisis, a leader may not have that luxury. If you think back on times of personal or professional crisis, you may realize that you were like that elite runner, acting decisively. In the back of your mind you hoped you were making the right decision, but you knew that above all you needed to rise to the challenge -- to act.

Moving boldly like this means you're probably outside of your comfort zone. You're doing something because it's important, because it feels right. For that, you rely on your core values. I used to think core values exercises at companies were nothing but HR fluff, but a few recent experiences have shown me that organizations without defined core values will fluctuate with each new leader. It's a lot like traveling without a strategy. I can take care of individual opportunities that present themselves, but how can I be sure that I'm moving in the right direction?

Core values are the things you believe in so strongly, that you’re willing to follow them even if they will cause you to lose your job, or drive your company out of business. Our values give us strength and wisdom to make crisis decisions. Yes, we want to rely on rationality, but there will always be more data to analyze. In a crisis, you may have no choice but to be that runner out front, praying he's going in the right direction, and running as hard as he can. Knowing you're doing the right thing, because it's in alignment with your values, will keep you from stumbling.

Perhaps more concretely, you must have a firm grasp on your core values in order to have good governance in your organization. However, I've been hearing about core values for the past decade, and had always dismissed them as fluff. Why? Because organizations adopted core values, but didn't actually live them. If you say you stand for integrity, but don't see that integrity governs the relationships that the company has with employees and customers, that disconnect will be painfully obvious, and the exercise fruitless.