Values are defined as “a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.” If asked by someone, would you be able to state your values quickly? Often, institutions have a set of values explicitly stated in mission and vision statements, yet they rarely reflect or share their values personally and practically. As leaders, we all have a set of values we live by as we make decisions, both professionally and personally. Research shows that we make about 35,000 decisions every day, and these decisions are based on our value system. If we value money, we will make the business decision that leads to higher revenue. If we value our employees' well-being, we encourage healthy life rhythms to prevent burnout. Our values will determine our actions and thoughts, significantly impacting those we lead.
Cultivate Leadership Institute (CLI) is a Christian Leadership Program that focuses on helping individuals clarify their personal values. CLI engages and challenges leaders to reflect on their current Christian values and examine how they impact their decision-making skills in their work context. CLI exists to equip individuals to become mature, healthy leaders through instruction, training, and guidance. One aspect of fulfilling this mission is helping leaders recognize their core values and live in alignment with this discovery. It's a journey of personal growth and self-discovery that can inspire and motivate you as a leader through the CLI developmental process. There are three steps all leaders must take to grow and live in alignment with their value system. These include self-awareness, support, and compassion.
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is the cornerstone of a healthy value system and the first step towards living in alignment with your values. Recognizing how you think and act when you're at your best and at your worst is crucial in the developmental process. Once you are self-aware, you can identify the values you follow when you are the healthiest version of yourself. CLI incorporates numerous self-reflective exercises in class and through assignments to improve self-awareness. As you become more aware of the behaviors that support your values, making decisions that follow these values becomes more effortless.
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Support
After we know our core values, we must share them with others. Expressing our values and behaviors that align with them allows people to hold us accountable. When we keep our values to ourselves, it is easy to make leadership decisions that do not support our value system. CLI is a community that encourages growth and creates opportunities for people to share their values with others through Equip small groups and class discussions. Surrounding ourselves with other leaders in a Christian leadership development program, such as CLI, provides a helpful support system for people to live out their core values.
Compassion
The last step required to live in alignment with values is to practice compassion. Brene Brown states, “Compassion is the daily practice of recognizing and accepting our shared humanity so that we treat ourselves and others with loving-kindness, and we take action in the face of suffering.” Learning about ourselves and developing into better leaders takes time and is a life-long process. We were not created to transform overnight, and we cannot expect that from ourselves or others. We must give ourselves grace and practice compassion daily as we develop and live out our leadership values. CLI is a Christian community designed to encourage and graciously walk alongside you in your developmental journey.
