100 Posts in 100 Days
Yesterday, I posted about living into my core value of integrity, which reminded me of this post from 2019 about leading a group of individuals in a process to identify their core values and write a personal leadership & coaching statement. My leadership statement and my thinking about writing and share it have grown since that original post and that is the inspiration for today’s blog.
Why Have a Personal Leadership Statement?
In the 2019 post, I wrote:
“My mission statement is a beacon and a filter, providing a guiding light for the kind of leader and educator I want to be and reminding me of what is most important so I can let go of the things that are less important. It is an anchor, keeping me grounded and there for me in moments of uncertainty or challenge. It is also a mirror, helping me to reflect on my behavior and interactions and hold myself accountable for the things I do and say.”
All of those things remain true. And I hope that they were true for the individuals who had attended the professional learning session where spent time writing them.
What I didn’t write about in 2019 is the value of my leadership statement when crafted in a team environment. My early versions were done in the company of others and with feedback from them. My more recent versions have been crafted not just in the company of others, but with colleagues that I have extended relationships with. It has added new, valuable dimensions.
One new dimension is that my colleagues know me in a more professionally intimate way. And, it’s reciprocal. By virtue of working on our statements together, I also know them better. Behind our published statements are a number of drafts and personal stories that didn’t make the final versions. The storytelling, feedback, and writing processes we used created bonds and relationships that help us be more empathetic and more effective team members.
Seeing and feeling the value of sharing my statement with my immediate team members has motivated me to share my values, beliefs, and behaviors more broadly. One way I do this is by posting my statement in my office, right at the entrance/exit. I rarely call attention to it with another person, but anyone who is observant and curious will know what I stand for.
The work of writing my leadership statement has also helped me become more articulate and confident about my leadership values and beliefs. I find that I speak them more frequently in a variety of settings: with faculty, with students, and with families. I’ve also used them when working with educational partners and professional organizations.
Resources for Writing your Own Leadership Statement
In 2019, some of the inspiration and resources I shared for thinking about your own leadership statement included Simon Sinek’s book Start with Why and his well-viewed TED talk. I also noted that Elena Aguilar’s team at Bright Morning has a process and a list to help identify your core values. More recently, Brene Brown has shared an exercise for identifying your core values and determining the kinds of behaviors that exemplify them.
Regardless of what resource or process you might undertake to write your version of a leadership statement, I suggest taking your time. Your core values make you who you are and guide who you want to be. Taking processes or lists like the ones I listed as resources and looking at them for 2-3 minutes before declaring “these are my core values” may not fully encompass who you are and what you stand for.
Which leads me to an opinion I have about core values. Core values are your fundamental beliefs and guiding principles. I’ve often heard people refer to “my core values at work” and “my core values in my personal life.” I certainly understand where they are coming from. But, I believe, if we are bringing our true, authentic selves to our work, we have 1 set of core values. Imagine if I said that my core value of integrity is a “work” value. Would I be saying that integrity isn’t a core value for me in my personal life? That just seems strange. If your core values include things like family, faith, or relationships, they have an influence on who you are. Period. Who you are at home and who you are at work. Your behaviors in each setting might be different and contextualized, but your values are your values.
The Evolution of My Leadership Statement
That 2019 post has a link to my leadership statement at that time. Every year since that draft, I’ve reflected upon and updated my statement at least annually. My general vision and core values have remained fairly constant over time. Much has remained constant and much has become more clear and nuanced. In the next couple of weeks, I plan to update my statement again. In the meantime, here is the 2021 version that hung in my office this last school year.