· In what ways does having more clarity about your values help you become a better leader?
· What is the difference between being deeply committed to a value and imposing your will on others? Why does a leader need to know the difference?
· What does “find your voice” mean in terms of leadership? Give examples.
· What value do you think is most important for a leader to have?
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· In what ways does having more clarity about your values help you become a better leader?
Having clarity about your values helps you become a better leader because you must know your true self and what is important to you to be able to lead others and set an example (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). It allows you to discover who you are, which is essential because leading others begins with leading yourself (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Your values guide the decisions you make and how you interact with others (Kouzes & Posner, 2017).
· What is the difference between being deeply committed to a value and imposing your will on others? Why does a leader need to know the difference?
A leader needs to know the difference between being committed to a value and imposing your will on others. Being a leader is not just about the leader’s values, but the values of others as well (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). A leader and their constituents may not have all the same values, but what is essential is to communicate which values they have in common to conclude the expectation for the organization (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Having those conversations about shared values allows people to find significance in their work (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). You are only going to achieve your goals when everyone agrees and commits to the shared values (Dye, 2017).
· What does “find your voice” mean in terms of leadership? Give examples.
Finding your voice means discovering what is important to you and what makes you who you are (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). You must determine your values and what you are passionate about to strengthen your leadership skills (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Having confidence in who you are leads you to be an effective leader (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). You find your voice by allowing your values to direct you and sharing your values with others (Kouzes & Posner, 2017).
· What value do you think is most important for a leader to have?
Credibility is an important value for a leader to have because credibility is the foundation of leadership (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). People are only going to follow a leader if they are trustworthy, knowledgeable, and passionate about their work (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). When your actions are consistent with your words, people are going to be more committed to an organization and feel a strong sense of belonging (Kouzes & Posner, 2017).
Dye, C.F. (2017). Leadership in healthcare. (3rd ed.). Health Administration Press.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
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In what ways does having more clarity about your values help you become a better leader?
Having more clarity about values, helps one become a better leader because those values will provide a basis for how the leader will carry their team (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). When a leader is certain about which values are important to them, they can perform and make decisions more consistently. By having a leader who is consistent and continuously acts on the values they hold, satisfaction among constituents will increase and a more cohesive team dynamic will occur. Additionally, when a leader clarifies their values and shares the values with their team, it shows team members what their leader will expect of them and what they can expect from their leader (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Once a leader has identified which values are most important to them, they must then “find their voice” to effectively share these values with their team members.
· What is the difference between being deeply committed to a value and imposing your will on others? Why does a leader need to know the difference?
In terms of leadership, “find your voice” means developing a leadership style which is unique to the individual and fully encompasses their own values (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). To be effective, a leader must be passionate about the values they incorporate into their leadership style, rather than choosing to mimic another leader’s successful style (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). If a leader simply chooses to base their leadership style off one they have seen previously, it is likely they will not be as successful because it will be clear to their constituents that the leader does not truly believe in what they are saying or doing (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). However, once the leader has found their voice and is able to lead in a way that is true to them and their beliefs, their team will enthusiastically follow along and be encouraged to clarify and share their own values. An example of a leader finding their voice, is one who values teamwork and creates teambuilding events for members to participate in. This leader has found their voice because they have identified a value they want to prioritize and demonstrated the importance of the value to their team by implementing a way for the value to be upheld.
· What does “find your voice” mean in terms of leadership? Give examples.
While it is important for a leader to clarify and uphold their values when leading a team, it is also important for them to understand that not everyone is going to prioritize the same values. For this reason, it is important for leaders to openly communicate with their constituents to gain an understanding of what values they hold and to identify any shared values (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Even though there may be differences in the values that each party holds, it is still possible for the leader to remain deeply committed to their own values. Being committed to a value means the leader can still behave and make decisions based on the values which they are passionate about while also encouraging and supporting the values of their constituents. On the other hand, a leader imposes their will on others when they expect all team members to uphold the same values as them without attempting to understand everyone’s passions and priorities. This is different than a leader who is simply committed to their values, and an effective leader must know the difference because when team members feel forced to adhere to values they are not passionate about, satisfaction, enthusiasm, and willingness to work hard will decline (Kouzes & Posner, 2017).
· What value do you think is most important for a leader to have?
There are several values a good leader should prioritize and uphold, but one of the most important values is collaboration. When a leader values collaboration it tells the team members that everyone’s ideas are important no matter where they stand in the hierarchy. This will lead to everyone feeling confident in their ability to share their thoughts and opinions when working to solve a problem or improve the organization. Additionally, by valuing collaboration, the leader and team-members will consistently be open minded when ideas are being shared. This is important because willingness to hear everyone’s ideas will help to create a solution which is beneficial to the entire team and most appropriate to address the problem being discussed.
References
Kouzes J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2017). The leadership challenge (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
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· What is the difference between being deeply committed to a value and imposing your will on others? Why does a leader need to know the difference?
Having more clarity about your values helps you become a better leader because leaders need to identify their true selves and find what principles are important to them (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Identifying your true self is important because a leader who is not true to themselves cannot lead themselves and you must be able to lead yourself before you lead others (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). The values and principles the leaders identify help guide their decisions and actions in the organization (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Leaders who are clear and clarify their values deliver five times greater returns for their companies compared to leaders who have not clarified their values (Kouzes & Posner, 2017).
· What is the difference between being deeply committed to a value and imposing your will on others? Why does a leader need to know the difference?
Leaders who are passionate and express their commitment to their values must realize they are not only speaking for themselves but speaking for the entire organization (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). A Leader must have an understanding not everyone shares the same values, and they cannot impose their values or will on others in the organization (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Leaders must find shared values between themselves and their peers in the organization, shared values are the foundation for constructing productive and authentic working relationships (Kouzes & Posner, 2017).
· What does “find your voice” mean in terms of leadership? Give examples.
“Finding your voice” in terms of leadership refers to identifying your genuine expression of who you are and being able to express your leadership philosophy in your own words to others (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). If a leader is unable to find their voice, there will be an inconsistency in their actions and words (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). For example, Raymond in Chapter 3 in The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations discussed being demoted from his management position because he was mimicking the words and actions of another leader. Raymond never found his voice which leads to others lacking commitment to you because they don’t know who you are or what you believe in (Kouzes & Posner, 2017).
· What value do you think is most important for a leader to have?
I think credibility is the most important value for a leader to have. Credibility is the foundation of an organization. For a leader to be credible their words must match their actions (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). When others trust and see you as a credible leader, their work ethic and commitment levels to the organization increase (Kouzes & Posner, 2017).
References
Kouzes J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2017). The leadership challenge (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
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· In what ways does having more clarity about your values help you become a better leader?
It is important as a leader to know your own values because it helps you build confidence, guides your decisions and helps strengthen your influence. As a leader, people depend on you for bringing up changes and the more you know yourself the easier and faster you can make decisions. It is important to be confident in your values as that is how people will follow you through. Knowing your values impacts your performance and helps build a culture of trust on the decisions you make.
· What is the difference between being deeply committed to a value and imposing your will on others? Why does a leader need to know the difference?
When you are committed to a value, you will work for it and make others follow through. When you impose a will on others, that will make them feel obligated to follow and it will not be successful. People’s understanding of a value is not there if the leader does not imply it himself. A good leader is an example to his followers and does not impose his wills, instead becomes a role model in order to be successful.
· What does “find your voice” mean in terms of leadership? Give examples.
Find your voice means to find and know your own values. It is important to establish your goals and know your limitations. We are all governed by a set of values and knowing them helps in being a successful leader. Stepping out of the comfort zone is part of finding your voice since it will make us try new behaviors and create new skills. An example I can give is policy changes in healthcare, which are never easy but in order to be successful the leader has to explain the reasoning behind this change, raise the voice about the importance of implying the new policy and follow up with the staff to see how it is working.
· What value do you think is most important for a leader to have?
I think the most important value for a leader to have is being trustworthy. Dye (2017) explains that leading with character gives the wise leader clear-cut advantages; makes it easy to follow; their word and behavior match; they are open to reflective “backtalk” and they are willing to admit errors. Being a leader is not easy but if the people you lead trust you, they will follow and practice what you preach. The success of a lead is when they have clear ideas and are open to criticism. Taking into consideration your team’s perspective is extremely important as you become inclusive and learn from them.
References
Dye, C.F. (2017). Leadership in healthcare. (3rd ed.). Health Administration Press.
