Values

Values #

Values are immensely important in helping you be effective leaders. Values by definition describe what we value. You are successful if you attain what you value. Thus without a clear understanding of what your values, you are unlikely to have the impact you desire.

As leaders, we have to consider both our individual values as well as collective values. For instance, you could be a minimalist in your personal life, but if you work for an organisation, you would often have to accept being inefficient in the interest of improved productivity.

You also have to consider values related to the specific areas you will affect with your actions. Think of Newton for instance: he was a stout follower of the Scientific method when it came to physics, but when it came to religion he seemed happy to accept and propose dogma.

For effective technology leadership, I suggest to understand the values related to:

  • The people you serve: The most direct impact you have is as a leader is on the people you work with directly or affect indirectly. Thus you should have a good understanding of the values you wish to guide your actions and the actions of the people you influence.
  • The technology you create (or destroy): As technology leader, you shape the world by creating, changing and destroying technologies. Technology can be extremely powerful, thus you should carefully consider what kind of impact you would like to have in the sphere technology.
  • The organisation structures you shape: The context of work you create by establishing organisation structures and processes has a significant impact on the efficiency of the organisation and the well-being of the people working in it.
  • You: A leader often comes last but you must not loose track of what is important to you personally. If your personal values do not align with what is required to be good at your job as a leader, it is difficult to be successful and easy to burn out .

In this chapter, I will provide some guidance on how to define your values and what values could help you be a more effective leader.

References and Further Reading #