Learning Leadership

Chapter 7You Have to Know What's Important to You

Think about a historical leader that you admire, someone you could imagine following willingly. We've asked people around the world to answer this question, and all the individuals they identify are ones with strong beliefs about matters of principle. They all had unwavering commitment to a clear set of values. Similarly, the personal-best leadership cases we collected are, at their core, stories of individuals who remained true to deeply held values.

For Becky Schaar, technical program manager at Google, her personal-best reflection revealed the need to understand “what you deeply believe because people won't follow you, or even pay much attention to you, if you don't have strong beliefs.” Olivia Lai, associate product strategist at Moody's Analytics (Hong Kong), recognized that “becoming a leader is a process of internal self-discovery. In order for me to become a leader and become an even better leader, it's important that I first define my values and principles. If I don't know what my own values are and determine expectations for myself, how can I set expectations for others?” Michael Gibler, when promoted to assistant manager at Seattle's Ultrazone, quickly grasped that to earn the respect of others, he needed to “be clear about my values.” Nevzat Mert Topcu, who launched a Turkish magazine about computer games, told us that if you want to lead others, you have to get in touch with your core values: “You have to be honest ...