A simple match-the-following: 14 well-known leaders, present and past, matched with a list of values.
3 documents
A responsible leader is characterised by adherence to humanistic values, and by considering those values while taking decisions and actions.
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What could be the purpose behind this activity? The purpose was to make you realize that leaders are people who hold on to strong positive values. In a way, this activity and the documents prod us to reflect, identify a priority list of values, and then pick up one positive value to live for.
Being a leader is far from easy; the actions and behaviours of leaders are under close observation by their followers as well as their opponents. Experience shows that leaders seldom lose their followers or their position because of low performance, but more often by acting against organisational or societal values (for example, integrity).
Operating in a volatile environment, with many unknowns, uncertainties, and high pressure, the leadership position involves consideration for the success as well as the reputation of the organisation. This leads to value conflicts and dilemmas often faced by leaders. A decisive factor enabling leaders to succeed in dealing with dilemmas and wicked problems is their ability to devote time for introspection and reflection, and thereby consolidate their values-base. Such a consolidated value-base is the rudder defining their path while travelling through unknown territory.
Values are socio-cultural constructs deeply rooted in one's personality. As values are developed early in childhood, individuals are often not clear about the implicit and tacit dimensions of their espoused values. Consciousness about value dilemmas, and mastering the art of dealing with them, enables a leader to act with integrity and with confidence in contexts of uncertainty. In general, everybody deals with value conflicts and attempts to align their actions and behaviour with their espoused values.
We hope you probe into yourself to do the same. If there is a need, you can write to us for a lovely workshop on the same.
Values are the essence of who we are as human beings and are anchored deep within our belief system. Values are the non-negotiables providing a framework for decision-making in contexts of insecurity and uncertainty.
A co-creation with GIZ and LBSNAA [Germany / India, 2019]. Credits: this work is created by Ram Kumar Kakani with Mohan Dhamotharan (a GIZ Consultant). The views expressed in the whole document and the puzzle are personal. We would like to acknowledge the help of two GIZ India team members, Anita Sharma and Zia-ul-Hoda.
To know who you are is to be oriented in moral space, a space in which questions arise about what is good and bad, what is worth doing and what is not, what has meaning and importance for you and what is trivial and secondary.