The Case for Values-Based Leadership: Maximizing People and Profitability | 3
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development of people in their personal or
professional lives to unleash their power and
potential so they can impact the greater good,
you are taking on the role of a leader. You are
continuously influencing others around you, your
children, your family members, your colleagues
and co-workers, your boss. And if you take a
moment to reflect, your foundation for effective
influencing is based on your personal values,
beliefs that you hold, what is critical to being a
person of worth, a person who uses power wisely,
and for the benefit of others.
Bottom-Line Results: Better Than Great
People want to feel connected to their companies,
not only at the intellectual level but also at the
emotional level. When a company's vision is
inspiring, seeks the greater good, and the leaders
actively seek to connect others to that vision and
demonstrate how shared values can guide every
action, then a strong bond — a strong identity — is
formed, and people are motivated to give their best.
"All of this is very nice," you might be thinking,
"but if it doesn't get bottom-line results, it will
never sell." You'll be pleased to know that there
is a clear ROI for using power wisely for values-
based leadership. Many companies are on
the journey, increasingly so. American Express
conducts feedback reviews on their leaders based
on how they demonstrate the company's values
in their everyday actions. Other companies have
even transformed their leadership paradigm
from "values-based" into "servant-led." Southwest
Airlines, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, TD Industries,
Men's Warehouse, and Toro are examples
of "servant-led" companies that consistently
produce positive bottom-line results. In fact,
these companies outperform S&P 500 companies
(10.3%) and Jim Collins' "Good to Great"
companies (17.5%). Their ROI is 24.2%.*
The term "servant leadership" was first coined by
Robert Greenleaf, the director of management
research, development and education at AT&T
for 38 years. Retiring in 1964, he founded the
Center for Applied Ethics (now the "Robert K.
Greenleaf Center") to promote research and
public understanding of leadership excellence.
Greenleaf's key message was: "The great leader is
seen as servant first, and that simple fact is the key
to his greatness." By combining two seemingly
contradictory terms, "servant" and "leader,"
Greenleaf asks us to reconsider the very nature of
leadership. Increasingly, this message is reaching
American corporate leaders and is the foundation
for changing their corporate culture.
The Leader Within You
"Anybody can be great because everyone
can serve," said Martin Luther King. So values
based leadership is not about your formal
position or your place on the organizational
chart. It is not limited to your job description,
it is not a communication "style." It is, however,
a way of seeing, a way of putting on a special
lens that helps you lead toward something, a
vision of a positive future that inspires hope for
a better world, and an intention to be aware
and responsive to the needs of others. It is the
contribution you make each day. A commitment
to making a difference one action at a time,
one person at a time. It is also a competency
developed over time; it becomes part of who you
are and is practiced throughout the life.
