Management & Leadership Capstone Project: Minimum 9 pages (Double space)

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership Volume 12 Issue 1 Winter/Spring 2019

Article 8

January 2019

Connecting Values to Leader and Leadership Development Joanne L. Smikle Saybrook University, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Smikle, Joanne L. (2019) "Connecting Values to Leader and Leadership Development," The Journal of Values-Based Leadership: Vol. 12 : Iss. 1 , Article 8. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.22543/0733.121.1248 Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol12/iss1/8

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Connecting Values to Leader and Leadership Development

Introduction The shortcoming of many leadership development and leader development efforts in the

public, private, and nonprofit sectors is the failure to inculcate values into the developmental

process. Much emphasis is placed on the skills and competencies sought. Insufficient

attention is put on the values – both individual and organizational – which influence the

leader. There are individual values that are embedded and should be recognized and

identified as they will consciously or unconsciously impact mental models and decisions. By

the same token, organizational values should be explored in order to clarify and strengthen

them. In both situations - individual and organizational ethical standards - leadership and

leader development can be greatly enhanced by focusing on values.

This article explores methods for integrating values into leader and leadership development.

It begins by making the distinction between leader development and leadership development.

It then moves to explicating the importance of incorporating individual values into the

developmental process. Next, the focus shifts to clarifying the role of organizational values in

these efforts. Finally, there a brief exploration of developmental readiness is presented.

Clarity About What Is Meant By “Values” Classic definitions of values include the contention that they are enduring personal

characteristics that are acquired through processes of social analysis (Rokeach, 1973;

Williams, 1968). Keeney (1994) enhances the classic conception of values by stating that

values are “principles for evaluating the desirability of any possible alternatives or

consequences.” Keeney adds to our understanding of values by stating that they serve to

define all that a person cares about in a decision situation. This is not to suggest that values

are fixed once they are embedded. They evolve and change with time. People evolve with

experience and discover facets of the self as a result of that evolution (Ibarra, 2015).

Distinguishing Between Leader Development and Leadership Development It is asserted that leader development concerns itself with the development of the individual,

as an individual. It focuses on how leaders grow, evolve, and cultivate their capabilities.

MCauley and Van Velsor (2005) posit that it expands a person’s capacity in many realms. The

implication is that leader development enables a person to be more than possibly envisioned

or expected. While Day (2001) contends that this form of evolving is based on developing

one’s abilities in relation to a formal role, I contend that leader development expands the

person beyond his or her fixed position or stated title.

JOANNE SMIKLE

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

Abstract This article explores values, leaders, and leadership development. It presents the distinction between a leader and leadership development, and offers insights into the role of values in both. Finally, a concise discussion of developmental readiness at the individual and organizational levels is presented.

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Leadership development addresses the skills and competencies that leaders in an

organizational context must demonstrate. This display must be congruent with the

organization’s objectives. Just as leader development focuses on expanding the individual’s

ability, leadership development focuses on expanding leaders’ ability within the context of

their work. It involves broadening the organization’s ability to generate the leadership required

to accomplish its work (McCauley & Van Velsor, 2005). The objective is to enable individuals

to build their strengths and use them within the organization to meet its goals (Day, 2001).

The important distinction is that while leader development focuses on the individual,

leadership development places the individual in a broader social and organizational

environment (Hart et al., 2008).

Clarity about the context of both leader and leadership development is essential when

formulating a clear approach. Context includes the organizational climate and culture, levels

of understanding of organizational goals, intentions, and desire for personal growth.

Additional elements of context include available feedback mechanisms. These may include

360° evaluations, formal and informal coaching opportunities, mentoring, and other methods

for gathering data about the self.

Values in Leader Development What difference do values make in both types of development? With respect to leader

development, surfacing and exploring values is critical because it provides leaders with an

awareness from which to operate more intentionally. Understanding that “leaders are defined

by their values and their character,” it becomes essential that they develop clarity on what

those values are so that they can be intentionally asserted (George, 2003). According to Bruno

and Lay (2008), values enable leaders to perceive not only appropriate ends, but also the

means to those ends. They contend that an internalized value system becomes, consciously

or subconsciously, a guide for actions. It is argued that personal values, ethics, and morals

influence choices and behavior (Grojean et al., 2004).

If one agrees with these assertions about the power of values to guide behaviors, decision-

making and action, then one would most probably agree that values must be exposed and

explored throughout the leader development processes. The exploration of values can lead to

what Stanley (2008) coins “congruent leadership.” This form of leadership is evident when

activities of the leader are driven by the leader’s values and beliefs. Stanley (2008) enhances

our understanding of congruent leadership by stating that it is rooted in values, beliefs, and

principles that determine where a leader stands. I would add that these three factors may

also have great influence on where a leader is going.

The surfacing of individual leader values is the beginning of a developmental process that is

focused on understanding their importance. It should be noted that values exploration is a

more pointed activity than simply guiding leaders in theoretically exploring nebulous concepts.

In fact, according to Stanley (2008), “the leader’s power and influence is derived from being

able to articulate and display his/her values, beliefs, and principles.” As a result, any process

that seeks to discover values must provide enough depth and substance for the leader to

become very clear on the roots and manifestations of the values guiding their actions. The

process should include in-depth reflection, the exploration of the individual’s life story, and

dialogue about the things that surface through this in-depth exploration. Journaling may be a

useful tool during values exploration.

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How does the process of exploring values as a component of leader development begin? The

process is initialized by helping the leader develop the capacity to reflect. Alvesson, Blom and

Sveningsson (2017) assert that being reflective entails a willingness to consider what might

be wrong with accepted, established ideas and beliefs – even with one’s own ideas and

beliefs. This is not to say that developing reflective capacity is necessarily easy. Leaders can

become trapped in what Alvesson, Blom, and Sveningsson (2017) call “functional stupidity.”

This is the compliance with norms without asking whether it is the right thing to do. Other

barriers to reflection include accepting a narrow definition of one’s roles, an overly strong

orientation towards consensus, and limited time devoted to introspection. Developing a deep

understanding of one’s values requires reflexive practice. This is the careful consideration of

issues, the capacity to explore the self from multiple angles, and the willingness to switch

positions to explore issues from a variety of angles. While this is not easy work, it is the work

required to begin thoughtfully unearthing and clarifying one’s values.

The process of values exploration in leader development can be enhanced by delving into

early experiences. Murphy and Johnson (2011) put forth a lifespan approach in understanding

leader development. This approach brings forth the early experiences that, consciously or

subconsciously, shape the leader. They hold that early experiences can influence identity.

Avolio (2011) asks leaders to consider their own life streams and the impact that parents and

others had on their ability to develop the efficacy to influence others. I further contend that

early experiences profoundly impact the leader’s values. Life’s defining moments must be

explored in the leader development process. Identifying many significant aspects of the life

story, including pivot points that caused the leader to change directions or make life-course

corrections, can enable core values to surface for examination.

Values in Leadership Development In addressing the role of values in leadership development, it is crucial to recognize that

leadership development concerns the leader’s ability to carve out a role in the organization;

exploring values will entail identifying a clear organizational context. Contextual factors

moderate the leader’s identity, future development, and effectiveness (Murphy & Johnson,

2011). The context of the organization includes its norms, culture, climate, and accepted

leadership styles. The organization’s context also includes its explicit and implicit values.

There are clearly stated values which may or may not be consistent with the values that exist

on the subterranean level. It is often the implicit values that are the most powerful in guiding

behavior in the organization. Both must be sufficiently identified to gain a true understanding

of organizational context.

The surfacing of organizational values allows for those in the leadership development process

to explore alignment between their own values and those of the organization. This can be a

moment of truth. It is entirely possible that the individual’s values and those of the

organization are incongruent. Ultimately the goal is for leaders to create alignment between

their values and that of the organization, as well as the organizational practices that they

undertake (Reave, 2005.) When those values include philanthropy, environmental protection,

and civic engagement, leadership then impacts larger communities.

Just as reflection is important in leader development, it is vital in leadership development. The reflection alluded to earlier requires leaders to reflect on their actions. The leadership

development process introduces a segment called “reflection-in-action” (Hedberg, 2017).

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Whereas the reflection conducted in leader development can provide a template for the

future, this form of “reflection while doing” allows the leader to transform actions in the midst

of their occurrence thereby creating pathways for maximizing their impact in specific roles.

These reflective procedures have the potential to stabilize the leader’s attention, focus

directed energy on information processing, and raise awareness (Hedberg, 2017). This

intentional movement away from automatic responses provides the leader with the

opportunity to use a contemplative approach to enacting their roles. Further, using reflective

practice to examine one’s position is useful in crises because it allows developing leaders to

gain perspective and cope with stress (Reave, 2005). This practice is a useful tool as

developing leaders continue to emerge in new roles that present taxing demands. It enables

them to cultivate the self-discipline required to continuously question their values and how

they incorporate them into their work.

The thorough exploration of values as a component of the leadership development process

enables leaders to write (and rewrite, as this is an iterative, generative process) the script that

they want to use to define themselves and their respective positions within the organization

(Avolio, 2011). Leadership development creates space for leaders to be authors of their own

roles rather than adopting a predetermined script. They build the strength to be creators and

co-creators of organizational systems.

Surfacing values in leadership development allows leaders to consider key systemic questions

(Avolio, 2011). These questions include: What systems will we transform? What systems will

we transition? What systems will we abolish? Selecting and developing people who are able

to use their positions to address fundamental systems change is critical as organizations

emerge and pursue their futures. This requires that potential leaders be committed to

learning. They must not bluff or freeze when they are uncertain; they must use those

unfamiliar and often uncomfortable moments to actively seek knowledge (Meadows, 2008).

This orientation towards learning fosters the development of what Thomas (2008) calls a

“personal learning strategy.” This strategy revolves around having a leadership development

framework that builds heightened awareness of the person’s aspirations, motivations, values,

and learning style.

Developmental Readiness Whether undertaking leader development or leadership development, it is important that the

organization create a framework for deciding who is ready to embark upon a developmental

journey. While this is an area in need of further research as a clear methodology is not readily

apparent (Avolio & Hannah, 2008), the next several lines explore the concept of

developmental readiness and its relationship to values. The term, as it is articulated by Avolio

(2011), implies that a person is oriented towards or has the motivation to lead and learn. This

means that they want to influence others and understand that their own learning is a

component of them being able to have an effect on individuals or organizational systems.

Beginning with the individual’s developmental readiness, Avolio and Hannah (2008), contend

that the person must have self-awareness. They hold that this awareness promotes

developmental readiness. I contend that an unstated though essential component of that

awareness is values clarity. Entering a developmental process with some degree of self-

knowledge regarding one’s values provides the person with a foundation upon which to begin

delving more deeply into the self and the roles enacted as a leader. Self-concept clarity,

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another component of developmental readiness, addresses the leader’s confidence in him or

herself (Avolio & Hannah, 2008). A level of clarity in this arena enables leaders to face new

experiences with some degree of surety. Also implicit in this is that the leaders will be

confident in their ability to learn. A learning goal orientation is another of the components of

developmental readiness (Avolio, 2011). This is a shift from a focus on task accomplishment

to a focus on intellectual curiosity, learning, and growth.

Concerning organizational readiness, I believe that organizational values must be identified

and made explicit before beginning any developmental activity. Just as self-awareness is

essential for developmentally-ready individuals, organizational awareness is also keenly

important. This awareness can happen through climate studies, organizational culture

analyses, and other discussions that make the invisible visible. Exploring organizational

values before embarking on the design of developmental experiences enhances the likelihood

of alignment.

Avolio and Hannah (2008) hold that it is important to enhance the organization’s climate to

support development. They advocate for the creation of environments that are strengths-

based and promote optimism and inquiry into possibilities for the future. They further hold

that this creates a climate where individuals can discover their potential. Creating this type of

organization calls for a cascade of positive interactions between leaders and followers. It is

this interaction that creates a positive culture and climate.

Summary With respect to leader development where the focus is on the individual, the process of values

exploration is linked to building reflective practice. This practice is an inward exploration which

occurs while shaping leaders. It becomes more action- oriented when developing leadership.

It provides a context for assessing and recalibrating while leading. In both cases, reflective

practice is essential.

Leader development and leadership development are enhanced by focusing on values. This

important exploration enables clarity and authenticity to emerge in developmentally ready

leaders. Just as leaders must be developmentally ready, so too must the organizations in

which they will function. Organizational values must be made clear before beginning the work

to design developmental interventions.

The facets of developmental readiness include individual readiness as evidenced through

self-awareness, self-concept clarity, and an inclination towards learning. Organizational

readiness is often found in cultures that focus on strengths. It is also evident when

organization’s have identified key elements of their climate and culture. Just as individuals

must have clear self-concepts, so must organizations.

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Avolio, B. J. (2011). Full range leadership development. SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA.

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About the Author

Joanne L. Smikle is on the faculty of the Department of Leadership and Management at

Saybrook University. She has extensive experience consulting with organizations interested in

enhancing organizational effectiveness through developing leadership competence and

strategic clarity. A scholar-practitioner, Joanne is inquisitive about leadership and organization

development.

Joanne L. Smikle can be contacted at [email protected]