Reflect and act on these Questions this week

First read through Part 1- 6 about how to Lead with Governing Values.

I present you with the following questions and exercises to reflect over, as seeds for your own exploration and development.
1. Think of 2-3 persons who have influenced you positively, people you admire. It may be a manager, teacher, parent, relative, friend, sports leader, historic figure, etc.
a) What do you most admire about these persons? Write out the names of the 2-3 persons you are thinking of and 2-3 words that describe what you most admire about each person.
b) Which of these persons characteristics would you like to develop?

2. Imagine you have been selected as the leader of the year. You are invited to a meeting where representatives from industry and politics will honor you for your efforts. Several people will praise your results and character. Write down the words you would most like to hear. Which descriptions would make you proud?
What weakness are you hoping they have not noticed?

3. If you were to write a tribute about yourself, what would it say?

4. What principles, ethical/moral qualities do you want to characterize your life and leadership?

5. What are your organizations core values?

Part 6

Wise leaders understand their role to create the arena for their employee’s success. The arena makes it possible to interact in a winning way in relation to its surroundings. We as individuals are unique and at the same time complementary and need a supportive leadership to develop fully.

Some leaders create leadership by enthusiasm when facing a task with themselves at the center. Others lead by providing a clear picture of the situation and opportunities. Others still have a more orderly manner to lead his or her group further to the development, step by step. A wise leader provides a sense of continuity for the group and defines limits that all have to comply with, mainly the leader him/herself.

Solomon says: “Whatever you do, do well.”

We all possess a greater potential within us. The question is where we find the situation and the persons that can attract this greater betterment that we carry within us. How I can create my future and how I can lift my surroundings will be the key questions for my leadership.

Wise leaders realize that there is only one way to go. It is to deepen one’s own awareness of and confidence in the future. The example and responsibility that lay before us as leaders are to always operate for the good, a better future, and a better world. This is a deep conviction of the values that possess a weight and validity beyond one’s own self, and which gives life qualities and larger dimensions.

To summarize this week

• Empower your team/co-workers to participate in the development of the group’s common guiding principles. Ask question and discuss: What do we want to stand for? What do we consider as truly important? How do we want to interact with each other and others in order to provide value?
• Set aside time for your own reflection on what you value and what you want to stand for in your life and leadership.
• Deal with your environment with dignity and respect.
• Bear the image of your group’s development.
• Know and honor your commitments and promises to the entire group.
• Have the highest demands of yourself.
• Know and feel the consequences of your decisions.
• Know that what the leader spends time and attention to counts.
• Serve as a good examples when it comes to relationships, attitudes, and work habits…
• Always operate for the good, a better future, and a better world.

About “The Key Leadership Principles”

This weeks Key Leadership Principle is “Lead with Governing Values”.
I will write one thought for every day during this week and then give you the opportunity to reflect on some important questions on how to Lead with Governing Values the following week.

This is the format I will use to inspire your learning, releasing your talent and potential. My hope is that you will come along with your thoughts along the way.

I wish you the best in your life and leadership,

Per Winblad

Part 5

We expect our leaders to set a good example and act in an exemplary and positive way. Effective leaders live as they learn through acting in accordance with vision and values. As the saying goes: Our actions say more than words. That our words and deeds are aligned constitutes the basis for credibility of leadership.

Solomon says: “It is far better not to say you’ll do something than to say you will and then not do it.”

Wise leaders set a good example by acting in accordance with higher values. Those values permeate confidence in their behavior ranging from creating good relations to completing the task fully. Quality and creativity are the key words.

What the leader spends time on and attention to counts. Wise leaders deliberately devote time to the group’s viability and development. Supporting both the group and the individual becomes the norm in that it gives higher priority and greater focus. When the environment sees that words and deeds are consistent, it creates credibility. And it is through being credible that a leader can bring a long-term commitment in the group.

About “The Key Leadership Principles”

This weeks Key Leadership Principle is “Lead with Governing Values”.
I will write one thought for every day during this week and then give you the opportunity to reflect on some important questions on how to Lead with Governing Values the following week.

This is the format I will use to inspire your learning, releasing your talent and potential. My hope is that you will come along with your thoughts along the way.

I wish you the best in your life and leadership,

Per Winblad

Part 4

The human nature is such that we tend to seek the fastest and easiest way to take us to where we want to go. We seek to find immediate rewards and gratification and let our feelings reign supreme instead of values and principles. We want to do what feels right, not what would be the right thing to do. Doing what feels right or doing what is morally right is a big difference.
At the same time, something inside us says that it is only through self-discipline and building character that we can approach and handle various situations in life successfully. Self-discipline means the ability to live with uncertainty and to be able to desist from immediate satisfaction in the present to see and experience success in the future.

Solomon says: “A man’s conscience is the Lord’s searchlight exposing his hidden motives.”

Unlike animals, we humans have a conscience, a moral compass alerting us when we act against our inner convictions, standards and values. Morality is what separates us from other animals and transcends instinct and learned responses. This notion of right and wrong elevates us above all other creatures. When we neglect our inner convictions, we lose energy and self-respect. By developing an inner standard for our conduct and actions, we build the foundation for our strength as an individual.

About “The Key Leadership Principles”

This weeks Key Leadership Principle is “Lead with Governing Values”.
I will write one thought for every day during this week and then give you the opportunity to reflect on some important questions on how to Lead with Governing Values the following week.

This is the format I will use to inspire your learning, releasing your talent and potential. My hope is that you will come along with your thoughts along the way.

I wish you the best in your life and leadership,

Per Winblad

Part 3

The essence of effective leadership is to lead ourselves wisely and align our action with our principles at all times. As leaders we seek support to develop our guiding principles and shape our character. We let the aspects of ourselves that constitute something higher and better motivate us. We understand that we are the creative force in our life and that it all begins within ourselves. We build greater trust by being trustworthy, dependable, and consistent. We develop good and working relationships by listening, being understanding and empathetic. We shape competent and motivated co-workers by being leaders who empower, delegate responsibilities and give feedback to encourage development.

Solomon says: “Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty.”

The law of sowing and reaping has proved to be universal and evergreen. We sow, care for the seed, water it, and let nature work to eventually rejoice in the result of this joint effort. In this same way, we build relationships, a functional family, a company, or a country. We rejoice and know our important role in contributing to a better world.

About “The Key Leadership Principles”

This weeks Key Leadership Principle is “Lead with Governing Values”.
I will write one thought for every day during this week and then give you the opportunity to reflect on some important questions on how to Lead with Governing Values the following week.

This is the format I will use to inspire your learning, releasing your talent and potential. My hope is that you will come along with your thoughts along the way.

I wish you the best in your life and leadership,

Per Winblad

Part 2

From early on in our lives we develop a value system influenced by our cultural surroundings, family, teachers, friends, and our own personal experiences. These values become our “eyeglasses” through which we see the world. They comprise the foundation our thoughts, feelings, attitudes and actions, and literally shape our reality. They are the map or the blueprints of our world and are discernable in our behaviors, and ultimately in our relationships with others.

Values render us capable to make competent decisions and to take action. They help us determine what is important to us in life and what we want to stand for and work like a compass showing us the right way in our work as we prepare for the future. They are the basis for our life and leadership.

About “The Key Leadership Principles”

This weeks Key Leadership Principle is “Lead with Governing Values”.
I will write one thought for every day during this week and then give you the opportunity to reflect on some important questions on how to Lead with Governing Values the following week.

This is the format I will use to inspire your learning, releasing your talent and potential. My hope is that you will come along with your thoughts along the way.

I wish you the best in your life and leadership,

Per Winblad

Part 1

Wise leaders create governing values for themselves and the organizations they lead. These values form the foundation for the culture in the organization and function as a guiding light for the coworkers helping them make right decisions and work towards common goals.

These values are best reflected in time-tested principles, witch are deep, fundamental truths with a universal application. These truths address laws in the human dimension that are as firm as the law of gravitation is in the physical dimension. If you drop an object from the roof of a building you know it will fall to the ground. And you know it will happen every time you do it. The law of gravity is there and has always been there and we don´t question it. In the same way these truths are not only a set of values, but they are the foundations of human effectiveness and interaction. When leaders align with universal principles such as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, honesty, compassion, excellence and perseverance they create the conditions for long-lasting success.

Solomon says: “Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed.”

Leaders have to be clever and competent, but they must also have sound values and a powerful sense of integrity. In good times as well as bad times the most effective leaders stay true to a set of values that are there own. They do what is right and tell the truth in all walks of life. That doesen´t say they are perfect and the struggle to be true to them self and their values is a life-long journey. It’s not just in the major decisions that this quality is needed but integrity in little things is equally important. There are no degrees of integrity. You either have it or you don’t.

We value honesty more than any other virtue and we appreciate people who represent a strong value system. If we are to follow someone, whether it is in business, school, or politics, we want to feel faith and confidence in that person.

About “The Key Leadership Principles”

This weeks Key Leadership Principle is “Lead with Governing Values”.
I will write one thought for every day during this week and then give you the opportunity to reflect on some important questions on how to Lead with Governing Values the following week.

This is the format I will use to inspire your learning, releasing your talent and potential. My hope is that you will come along with your thoughts along the way.

I wish you the best in your life and leadership,

Per Winblad