Leadership & Core Values (Part 3)

Core Values Template prepared by C. Hodges Consulting, LLC

Improving the leadership element of the business foundation has been a major topic of focus for industry executives, consulting firms, and higher education institutions alike. A trend that has been further necessitated by the “Great Resignation.” The emerging theme is that future of work is “more human, not less.”1

For this week’s newsletter on Core Values as a Competitive Advantage, consider the leadership element of your business. To add context, we specifically are thinking about categories such as the:

• Strategic decision maker(s)

• Advisors & support team

• Leadership and overall team structure

• Development of leadership

This requires having a deep understanding of your leadership style if you are in a decision-making role and the organization’s culture overall.

We are working to identify the values that you embrace and act on. It is also not a situation where more is always better because “you can’t be everything for everybody.”2

For this week’s exercise:

1. Reference the table provided. The format provided is offered as an example for completing this week’s exercise. In the light blue rows, I listed some suggestions if you need some help with identifying your organization’s potential core values.

2. Take a look at the list of core values that you wrote down last week.

3. Identify the core values that relate to “Leadership.” We are saving the rest for later.

4. Note which of these core values 1) specifically support your organization in achieving your Core Purpose, 2) align with the values and needs of your Target Customers, and 3) enable you to deliver on your brand promise.

5. Focus on the core values that receive check marks all the way across.

6. Apply these core values to the ways that your business does things.

My hope is that at a minimum you take from this series something that Dr. Dave Kohl pointed out in his April 11th, 2022 Northwest Farm Credit presentation entitled “Economic Shockwaves: Challenges and Opportunities”: a shared sense of core values is an attribute of long-lived businesses.3

Wishing you a great weekend and a happy Earth Day,

Courtney

P.S. - If you pay attention to macroeconomic trends, I highly recommend following Dr. Dave Kohl’s work.

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1. Forbes article by David Michaels, "More Human, Not Less: Insights On The Future Of Work"

2. Entrepreneur article by Jim Joseph, “You Can’t Be Everything for Everybody, So Stop Trying”

3. Dr. Dave Kohl, Northwest Farm Credit, "Economic Shockwaves: Challenges and Opportunities"