Value Based Leadership – An Agenda

Value Based Leadership – An Agenda

The Allan Gray Chair

Presentation by Michael Lissack

from the research agenda for the Allan Gray Chair

The focus should be on corporate decision making, the vision, the shared dream of where to go, the real value added that the company creates in the economy.


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The basis and drivers are values, purpose and meaning. It is a management style that is value driven and that gives true meaning and space to each and everyone's need for personal development, improvement, development and ultimately learning. It further considers that the personal development of each employee provides the driving force, and the energy, for the success of the company


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from Coherence in the Midst of Complexity (Letiche and Lissack)


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My approach


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We cannot make a meaningful difference if we only further explore areas well covered by others – -- kinds of leadership -- styles of leadership -- lists of values Or by turning “value based” into a cliché, as in: we succeed because we are “value based”


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Leadership and values are NOT teleology purpose goal and intent are not the same as action To identify a leader and his/her values is but a first step – the student of leadership needs to understand what the leader did when, why and how when faced with decision making


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Most of the existing literature has focused on -- categorizing leadership -- retrospective examples of claimed leadership -- lists of values and their “proclamation” to the organization in the form of missions and visions This is explanation by category and label and not by mechanism – there is little “how” in the literature


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Not:

Lam Research Corporation

Values Based Leadership Lam Research Corporation

Values Based Leadership

Steve Newberry President and Chief Executive Officer

Steve Newberry President and Chief Executive Officer


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Not:


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Instead we need to focus on the interaction between values and the activities of : Leading and Following


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Example


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Example


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Example


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My Research Focus: Coherence

Coherence in leadership is found in the languaging and embodiment of values by leaders


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If Leaders are to deal with challenges such as development, poverty alleviation, social responsibility, diversity, and sustainability, they require effective followers. These issues are too big for leaders alone. The interactions between leaders and followers are captured by the stories which get told and which become the “guidebook” which is mentally consulted as situations / opportunities / challenges arise Lofty goals can usually only be accomplished through team work

The lever in value based leadership is mindset The leader’s/followers’ mindsets will greatly determine how a situation/opportunity/challenge is perceived and the language used during and afterward to describe how it was handled To develop a values based mindset is to develop a values based leader


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Critical Questions:

How do I look at the world?

What values am I enacting/embodying?

What boundaries am I drawing to determine relevance?

What time frame am I considering?

What languaging and embodiment choices am I making?


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First Steps:

Survey of Managers

Create a Network of Like Minded Schools/Researchers

Organize questioning encounters


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Goal:

Find the stories which can illustrate from real life

the role of those critical questions

Those stories become the raw material with which to

empower the students


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We should look to capture examples of:

When leaders perceived that values led to or emanated from a decision When followers perceived that expressed or enacted values helped them to be effective followers


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We should also look to capture examples of: When leaders perceived that values shaped how they viewed the world When followers perceived values demanded that they step up and change something


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Next Steps:

Videos of relevant stories

Organize a 2013 Conference

Develop teaching materials

Promulgate What Has Been Learned


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Goal:

Transform the raw material (stories) into an effective

learning program

Adapt that learning program to the varied constituencies

of the UCT/GSB and of the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation


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Purpose Driven: The critical lever in value based leadership is mindset Mindset development requires access to stories which the listener can relate to, place themselves in, and store as examples and reference points Our purpose is to develop the resources which can embody such development and thereby empower others


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Empowering both Leaders and Followers:

Value based choices Value driven behavior Value centered stories

Values as decision making resources

Moving Forward

The Allan Gray Chair in Value Based Leadership

Presentation by Michael Lissack

Documents

Value Based Leadership – An Agenda