From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership

SETTING AN EXAMPLE

As the nineteenth-century American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie once said, “The older I get, the less I listen to what people say and the more I watch what they do.” For a values-based leader, this means setting a personal example in order to influence the people around you, whether it's a small team or the entire organization. I firmly believe that 99 percent of people want to do the right thing. However, if they do not have a positive role model, they may fall short. When one person strays, others become tempted to follow, building negative peer pressure.

As a values-based leader, you must continually ask yourself, What example am I setting? Am I demonstrating a balanced life to my team? Are my actions ...