In order to be an effective leader, you need to know what your values are. Many people try to lead without any defined values, and this can lead to a lack of clarity and direction. If you don’t know where you’re going, and what you stand for, how can your team be expected to follow?

Values help you make decisions when outcomes may not be clear, and prioritize what you work on and how you work. Additionally, self-awareness is crucial in every leader’s training and development, and learning to be self-aware must be a continuous process. Leadership values help shape the profile of an individual’s leadership style. Leadership is not about title or position; people choose to be led by individuals who inspire them to go beyond their own goals and who add value to their life. In this blog post, we will discuss how to find your core values and use them to establish yourself as a leader in your organization.

Finding your core values can be tough, but it’s worth the effort. The first step is to think about the best leaders you’ve ever worked with and what made them great. Have you had a manager who inspired you? Or worked with a peer who helped you get better every day? When you think about these people who have helped you, chances are, they stuck to their convictions and led from their values.

Once you have a good idea of what makes a strong leader, you can start thinking about what values are important to you. Some common personal values include integrity, honesty, and respect. But there are many others to choose from, so take some time to think about what’s important to you. Look through common values and narrow down what is most important to you. Keeping your own experiences in mind, which of the following qualities resonate most with your work and leadership style?

In order to identify what you value most as a leader, it is critical to reflect upon your previous career experiences. Think back on those moments when things went well and you were proud or happy.

You can begin the process by asking yourself:

When have I been most proud of myself in my career?

What has made me the happiest at work?

When have I felt the most satisfied with my job?

Which events or projects have I been a part of that have made an impact on my organization?

Are there any common themes in your answers to these questions? These may emerge as your priorities.

Once you’ve narrowed it down, make a list of your top five or six values and keep them in mind as you move forward in your career.

Now that you know what your core values are, how do you use them? One great way is to develop a personal mission statement. This statement should encapsulate what you stand for and the goals you hope to achieve. It can be a great tool for keeping yourself on track and inspiring others around you.

Additionally, once you have identified your values, it is important to start living and leading by them. This means that you need to be authentic in how you communicate and behave. You also need to hold yourself and others accountable to these values. People will respect you more if they know what your core beliefs are and see that you stand behind them.

Let your values inform a decision you make today or a reaction you have at your next meeting. Figure out how to live by these ideals; chances are they are already influencing your work, but creating this additional focus will get you one step closer to being a great leader. Leading with your values can help you build a successful career and leave a lasting impression on those around you.