As a leader and developer of senior leaders for 40 years with my company, Renaissance Leadership, I came to see how much character defines effective leaders.And how much character is driven by a person’s core values.
So, in what is likely the most consequential election of our lifetime, how can you be sure you are voting according to your fundamental principles? While so much of our politics divide us, our core values as Americans have always been remarkably similar. And when we vote from those principles, America gets solid, reliable leadership regardless of party.
Most of us know what our most important behavioral values are when we reflect on them.
Here is a quick quiz ( we used with our client-leaders )to confirm yours:
Bring to mind the person who most profoundly shaped your character during your formative years. For many, that “ most influential person “is a parent or key family member, a teacher or coach, or maybe a close friend. We all have someone who helped form our core beliefs and behavior as we grew up.
Picture that person who had the greatest impact on you…and write down the most important core principles they lived by. The ones you admired most. Perhaps you were moved by their honesty or kindness and decency. Or you liked that they were inventive or sly or rebellious. Or you admired how respectful or open or trusting they were.
All that matters is that you pick the traits you most admired. Jot them down.
Growing up, my hero was Milton Hershey, the chocolate magnate who saved my life and the lives of countless orphans ( by giving his entire fortune to needy children ). As best I can, I have tried to live by his core values of:
RESPECT and CIVILITY toward all.
SERVICE above SELF , and
COMPASSION for those in need.
These are now part of my core beliefs. I use them to select friends, clients, and presidents.
Back to your core values and guiding principles. Are you applying them as a critical screen to pick our next president and congressional leaders? Sure , other factors like policy positions and programs make a difference. But nothing drives behavior like a leader’s core values…just as it does for us. We all know that politicians can..and do..say just about anything.
But what they actually do and how they treat people is driven by what they stand for.
One more quick reality check on your core values. What key principles and core beliefs do you hope your children and grandchildren embrace? Who do you hope will teach and lead them?. Children are quite susceptible to behavior modeled by our national leaders ( If our Commander-in-Chief can say or do that, well then ……. ……. ……..). This list of values may very well resemble your first.
So, for your family, your community, and your country, what cherished values will you be voting for in this vital election? Your voice matters more than ever. And character really does count. Our shared American values are the soul of our nation.
And this fall, all is at risk.
Johnny O’Brien
Easton
The writer is President Emeritus, Milton Hershey School
