The document discusses core values that guide a leader's sustainable behavior. It defines key concepts like leadership, effective leadership, and values. It then identifies and explains several important core values, including respect for others, service, integrity, authenticity, and transparency. Respect involves listening to followers and treating them with dignity. Service means committing to the greater good without expectation of reward. Integrity is being truthful and acting with principles. Authenticity is being true to oneself. Transparency allows others to understand reasons for actions and promotes openness. These values inform leadership and help earn stakeholder approval while accomplishing objectives.

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Effective leadership does not only depend on the leader’s academic and professional
qualifications but also on the leader’s value system. Therefore, this essay is an attempt to
identify and explain the core values that guide a leader’s sustainable behaviour. The essay will
first start by defining some key concepts which are leadership, effective leadership, and values.
Thereafter, it will identify and explain the core values that guide a leader’s sustainable
behaviour. Finally, a conclusion of the essay will be drawn.
According to Gardner (2013), leadership is the process of persuasion or example by which an
individual or a leadership team induces a group to pursue objectives held by the leader or shared
by the leader and his or her followers. Rost (1993) defined leadership as a power and value-
laden relationship between leaders and followers or constituents who intend real changes that
reflect their mutual purposes and goals. According Antonakis et al. (2004), leadership can be
defined as the nature of the influencing process and its resultant outcomes that occurs between
a leader and followers and how this influencing process is explained by the leader’s
dispositional characteristics and behaviours, follower perceptions and attributions of the leader,
and the context in which the influencing process occurs. Furthermore, Cooper and Nirenberg
(2012) defined effective leadership as the successful exercise of personal influence by one or
more people that result in accomplishing organisational objectives congruent with the
organisation’s mission while earning the general approval of its stakeholders.
On the other hand, values are general principles that guide action. Values are not actions, they
are codes which underlie the sanctions or punishments for some choices of behaviour and
rewards for other (Dolan et al., 2006). Feather (1995) defined values as, abstract structures that
involve the beliefs that people hold about desirable ways of behaving or about desirable end
states. In addition, Rokeach (1973) described values as an enduring belief that a specific mode
of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or
converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence. According to Spranger (1928), values can
be defined as the constellation of likes, dislikes, viewpoints, inner inclinations, rational and
irrational judgments, prejudices, and association patterns that determine a person’s view of the
world. The importance of a value system is that once internalized it becomes, consciously or
subconsciously, a standard or criterion for guiding one’s action.
Effective leadership occurs within the context of core values. Leaders guide and facilitate
others to make a positive difference in their own lives and to contribute to a larger good. Values
inform the application of leadership qualities as the competencies of leadership are activated,

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learned, developed, and practiced within the set of core values (Grace, 2003). There are a
number of core values that guide a leader’s sustainable behaviour. However, some of the
significant core values include the following;
Respect for others is the first core value that guide a leader’s sustainable behaviour. According
to philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), it is our duty to treat others with respect all the
time (Gilbert, 2016). Beauchamp and Bowie (1988), suggested that treating others as ends
rather than as means requires that we treat other people’s decisions and values with respect;
failing to do so would signify that we were treating them as a means to our own ends. Respect
for others is a complex ethic that is similar to but goes deeper than the kind of respect that
parents teach little children (Northouse, 2012). Respect means that a leader listens to his
followers and community as a whole. It means treating others in ways that affirm their beliefs,
attitudes, and values. When a leader exhibits respect to subordinates, they can feel competent
about their work. Ethical leaders are those leaders who respect others and do not push them to
change themselves, with creative wants and desires (Kitchener, 1984).
Service is the second core value that guide a leader’s sustainable behaviour. This value refers
to one’s commitment to selfless service. Those who exhibit this value perform in the interest
of the greater good without expectation of reward and praise. Instead, they understand that
working hard, sometimes even without recognition, is a necessary ingredient for success
(Greenleaf and Spears, 2002). Many ethical theories highlight a concern for the interests of
others (ethical altruism). In the workplace, altruistic service behaviour can be observed in
activities such as mentoring, empowerment behaviours, team building, and citizenship
behaviours (Kanungo and Mendonca, 1996).
The leader’s ethical responsibility is to serve others and he or she has a duty to help others
pursue their own legitimate interests and goals. The idea behind such service is contributing to
the greater good of others. For example, in the business world, the idea of serving the greater
good is common. Every ethical leader must be willing to work on being follower centered,
must give priority in others’ interests in their work, and must act in ways that will benefit others
in practicing the principle of service. According to Beauchamp and Childress (1994), the value
of service can be developed by committing one’s self to community service initiatives. This
involves volunteering time to a charitable or non-profit organization that is dedicated to the
public good. Volunteering is a great way to cultivate this all-important leadership value.

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Integrity is another important core value that guide a leader’s sustainable behaviour. Integrity
refers to one’s personal commitment to their moral principles. This commitment is reflected in
people’s ethical ideologies, which comprise an integrated system of beliefs, values, standards
and self-definitions that define an individual’s orientation towards matters of right and wrong
(Miller and Schlenker, 2011). Without integrity, anyone is susceptible to acting outside of their
moral code and making unethical decisions. By acting with integrity, you set an important
standard for all those around you. Effective leadership demands that for someone to be a good
leader, they must be truthful. The duty of being honest comes with the role of becoming a
leader (Jaksa and Pritchard, 1988). The importance of being honest can be understood more
clearly when we consider the opposite of honesty. Dishonesty brings a lot of objectionable
outcomes which create distrust (Northouse, 2015).
When leaders are dishonest, subordinates lose faith and trust in the leader and followers may
do similar dishonest act. Being honest means more than not deceiving. For leaders in
organizations, being honest means, “Do not promise what you can’t deliver, do not
misrepresent, do not hide behind spin-doctored evasions, do not suppress obligations, do not
evade accountability, and do not accept that the “survival of the fittest” pressures of business
release any of us from the responsibility to respect another’s dignity and humanity” (Dalla,
1998). For example, a good leader can display integrity in the workplace through leading by
example. When individuals lead by example, they set the foundation for appropriate workplace
behaviour. Leading by example improves personal awareness, sensitivity to others and
accountability which are all necessary for the leader’s ethical behaviour and integrity. Everyone
will follow an ethical leader because they know they can trust him to do the right thing and
ethical leaders are always honest. It is therefore, a blatant fact that leaders stand up for what
they believe. Without exception, natural leaders know that winners refuse to cheat or weasel
their way to the top. Rather, they take the moral high ground and inspire others to act in the
same way (De Bakker and Huberts, 2007).
Authenticity is also one of the leader’s core values. It is one of the world’s most underrated
leadership values. It refers to the extent that one is true to their personality or spirit (Rok, 2009).
As such, this quality often goes hand in hand with integrity as demonstrated by consistency,
congruency, and transparency in values, beliefs, and actions; integrating values and principles
to create a purposeful life and to contribute to the growth of others. Authenticity is used to
explain when someone is true to one’s self despite persistence from external Pressures. For
example, any seasoned business executive will tell you that external pressures exist everywhere

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in the corporate world. However, it is the mark of a respectable leader when they can act
faithfully in the company’s interests regardless (Avolio and Gardner, 2005). On an individual
level, by acting authentically a good leader immediately creates attraction. It shows that the
person is not ashamed of their self, that they are proud of who they are, and that they are not
afraid to stand up for what they believe in. Personalities such as these are noticeable from a
mile away, and they help create a culture of respect (Fields, 2007).
Transparency is yet another important core value. Like honesty, transparency is crucially
important for fostering a trusting environment. Transparency refers to a state of being that
allows for others to see what is being done and why (Zhu and Avolio, 2004). When a leader
values transparency, they make sure that everybody on their team understands the true reason
why they are doing what they are doing. Transparency is the value that leads to openness and
accountability in a group or workplace. For example, in a working environment when an office
lacks these qualities, we may find that their turnover rate suffers and the quality of the talent
they attract drops significantly. Therefore, leaders can promote a culture of transparency by
encouraging others to disclose information freely and to speak their mind whenever they desire
to.
Confidence is another important core value. It is often thought that confidence is a natural-born
aspect of any leader. While confidence is necessary for those in a leadership role, this quality
can be cultivated through practice and patience. However, it is equally important not to be too
sure of one’s abilities as confidence can quickly turn to hubris and arrogance when not kept in
check. When confidence turns into hubris, this can cause resentment between a leader and their
team. Therefore, it is important for every leader to focus on exuding restrained confidence. For
example, when a leader acts with an air of confidence in a work place it makes everybody he
works with trust his judgment. But when taken too far, overconfidence can exude
presumptuousness that can turn any workplace culture sour. Therefore, developing confidence
is important because leaders need to be able to assert themselves clearly every day (Knapp and
Carter, 2007).
Humility is also another aspect of the leader’s core values. The value of humility is ultimately
what separates an effective, confidence leader from a pompous, arrogant blowhard. Humility
is the quality of being modest and humble. When leaders act with humility, they show that they
do not overestimate their own importance or their own abilities. Instead, they have an
appropriate and attractive degree of self-regard. For instance, leaders who show humility are

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those who have no problem deferring to the judgment of others, especially those who are
beneath them in the workplace hierarchy. According to Ciulla (2006), when leaders fail to act
with humility, they often exude a vain and self-important personality that usually results in
mockery from their peers. It’s simple: nobody respects arrogance. Even entrepreneurs, who do
not routinely work in a team environment, can benefit from humility. This is because poor
decisions are made when one places too much trust in their own judgment. By acknowledging
one’s limitations and vulnerabilities, one can then seek out the advice of others. Through
deliberation, better decisions can be made.
Another vital core value of a leader is empathy. For many people, empathy is the first quality
that comes to mind when they think of leadership values. This is because empathy is what
separates those who work well with others from those who cannot. Simply put, empathy refers
to one’s capacity to truly feel what another person is experiencing or feeling from their point
of view (Eubanks and Brown, 2012). Empathy is what allows a leader to connect with their
team. For example, in the business world being able to connect with the needs of others is
ultimately what determines whether a client will consider turning to your services again in the
future. Across all industries, leaders have to be able to put themselves in the shoes of their team
members. Otherwise, understanding and respect can quickly erode in the group or workplace.
According to Forte (2004), whether a leader is heading a cutthroat start-up or serving as an
executive of a Fortune 500 company, empathy is critically important. This does not imply that
a leader must acquiesce to their team’s every demand. Rather, it implies that they must keep a
cool head and a friendly, compassionate demeanour no matter the circumstance. Regardless of
context, leaders must routinely bend over backward to meet the unique needs of each of their
members.
Demonstrating justice is also one of the core values that guide a leader’s sustainable behaviour.
Leader justice has been proposed as a core element of ethical leadership (Eisenbeiss, 2012).
Johnson (2009) also emphasised justice as a central principle for ethical leaders as it results in
fair and equal treatment of others. Justice orientation can be revealed through leaders’
consistent decision making; respect for diversity; and non-discriminatory treatment for others
with regard to sexual differences, nationality, religion, political beliefs, economic or social
status. All ethical leaders are very concerned about the matter of fairness and justice. They
want to treat every individual subordinate as well as the whole community equally; if any
unequal decisions need to be made, then the decision is based on the quality or competence of
that individual (Yukl, 2010). Kishore and Santosh (2015) stated that “ethical actions should

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treat all human beings equally, or if unequally, then fairly based on some standard that is
defensible.”
It has been postulated that, for procedures to be fair they have to be applied consistently
regarding people and time; to be non-biased by third parties; and to include gathering and
employing accurate information (Leventhal, 1980). In addition, a concern with issues of
fairness is necessary for all people who are cooperating together to promote their common
interests. For example, we always have a limit on goods and resources, and there is often
competition for those limited goods and resources. The leader plays an important role in here
to distribute resources and reward or punishments. If we expect fairness from others in how
they treat us, then we should treat others fairly in our dealings with them (De Hoogh and Den
Hartog, 2009).
Lastly, excellence is a major core value for any leader. When a leader acts with excellence in
mind, they always strive to achieve the best possible outcome. If you look at the executive team
of any of the top corporate giants. For example, Google, Microsoft, or Apple. They are all
powered by the need to perform. Superior leaders are not driven by satisfactory results. They
are lead, sometimes to the brink of obsession, by the pursuit of an outstanding result (Giessner,
2012). A leader is oriented toward performance excellence. They set an inspiring example for
their team. It is a plain fact that leaders routinely go above and beyond their duties to achieve
their desired result. They do not sit on the side-lines and command or expect excellence from
others. Excellence is a value manifest by example. Team members catch on to the hard work
done by their leaders. They are inspired to join them because performance excellence becomes
the group standard. Everybody wants to make sure they match the efforts of their peers.
In conclusion, strong basic values are extremely vital to guide leadership behaviour. Such
values act as social constructs which allow leaders to make decisions about the direction in
which to lead and how to proceed. Without values, otherwise effective leadership can be
grossly destructive socially. In addition, effective leadership begins with an understanding of
and commitment to an individual’s core values. An ethical leader should know his or her core
values and should have the courage to live them in all parts of their life in service of the
common good.

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