Effective leaders have a strong moral compass that guides how they conduct themselves and how they lead – or follow. In the book, The Universe Next Door, James Sire describes worldview as a “commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart.”
Discovering one’s own worldview is a significant step toward self-awareness. Self-understanding is the foundation of leadership. It means being true to your beliefs.
As a leader, one should be empathetic and open-minded. As a business owner, learning about the values and leadership styles of each member of our team has proven invaluable in developing our products and services. Our values guide how we approach our work and how we communicate with our clients.
Values vs. ethics
Values and morals guide individual decisions. Ethics guide decisions and acceptable behavior in an organization.
In the book Cowboy Ethics former Wall Street investor James Owen wrote a code of ethics called the Code of the West, based on the integrity and character of working cowboys – icons of the Old West. He said cowboys lived by “rules of the range” that had “more to do with character, principles and values – not as you talked about them, but as they were reflected in your actions.”
“Cowboys embraced (the rules of the range) not as a matter of religious or intellectual belief, but as a matter of day-to-day survival.”
Owen presented Cowboy Ethics as especially relevant to Wall Street, because clients need to be able to trust investors, and the survival of investment firms depends on trust. He said everyone needs to live by a code or creed.
The Cowboy Code of Ethics fits me.
Live each day with courage…Take pride in your work…
At one point in my career, I enjoyed meetings in downtown Denver. Today, my mind and spirit are fueled by a different view.
This is literally my worldview, as a rancher’s wife. For me, the beauty and magic of God’s creation, the cycle of life and death, the consequences of right and wrong, and the heritage of generations…are all reflected in the prairie, where God reveals Himself to us daily.
Do you have a personal or business code of ethics?
