Living Our Core Values: A Daily Leadership Practice

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We often forget that a title doesn't make a leader — that our ability to lead really stems from our choices, behavior and everyday actions. 

Influential leaders don't just talk about their personal and organizational core values — they live them and lean on them daily. Identifying, embracing and living our core values is essential to our leadership and self-discovery journey. 

One way to truly integrate our core values into our daily leadership practice is to ask ourselves action-oriented questions. This practice encourages reflection, internal discussion, and, most importantly, action.

The first step in living and implementing our core values is to clearly identify what they are. Whether it's integrity, empathy, courage, innovation, community or growth, knowing your personal and organizational core values gives you and your team a foundation to build upon. 

While reflection is essential for ensuring we live up to the values we say we stand for, we often neglect this vital component of leadership's inner work. Rather than asking simple yes or no questions, which can be limiting and ineffective, design questions that provoke deeper thought, make you a little uncomfortable, and encourage actionable insights. 

As we think about our core values, here are some "action-oriented" questions inspired by Drew Dudley, author of "This Is Day One." 

• Impact – What did I do today to acknowledge someone else's leadership?

• Courage – What did I do today with no guarantee that it would work, but I did it anyway?

• Empowerment – What did I do today that will enable someone else to get closer to his or her goals?

• Growth – What did I do today to help someone learn what he or she needs to know?

• Elevate – What did I do today to make potentially troubling situations better? Your goal is to "elevate, not escalate."

• Self-respect – What did I do today to pour into myself with compassion as I pour into others?

These questions serve multiple purposes. They provoke thought, help us become more in tune with ourselves, and inspire us to move forward with greater action and resiliency.

Integrating any new practice and habit into our routine requires us to be consistent and to smart small. Set aside a few minutes today to reflect on these or similar questions. Answer them honestly and each time with less fear. Then, stack the days.

Over time, this leadership reflection practice will become a transformational mirror, helping us see ourselves more clearly, stay truer to who we say we are, and align with our core values for sustained positive impact.

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