Leadership is an Expression of Core Values

How you lead and who you follow are expressions of your core values. Lets dive into this….

I was named one of the most influential women worldwide in project management after writing, “Cheetah Project Management.” Starting a career as an officer in the Air Force provided leadership training for that environment. But, it wasn’t until the PM recognition that the term “thought leader” started appearing in how people introduced me that I even considered the “Leader” label for who I was.  Leader was always what someone else labeled me rather than something I sought to become. Today rather than “thought leader,” with  Social Media people pursue being called an “influencer,” except this also has negative consequences of being a “poser” (someone without much substance).  Being a bit older, I prefer the idea of a “thought leader,” and being labeled as such by others, not myself.

Not self-identifying as a leader, I wonder what responsibilities do I have to use my talents to fix the leadership gap we’ve been facing for the past 15 years?  My exploration of this question started in earnest at the end of the last decade when our society had a cataclysmic awakening of what we were no longer willing to accept from people in positions of power. Because of our highly interconnected technologies, its become more transparent the unacceptable exploitation of others by those who by hook or crook rise to be in charge.  This is likely one of the many reasons for the “great resignation” and the proliferation of quiet quitting that has happened of late. Poor leadership role models are cited as one of the reasons for the leadership gap as who wants to be like any of these folks?

We need new ways to develop new leadership skills as the past approaches gave us what we now have. And it’s clearly not working for the vast majority of us.  We especially need more leadership around what it means to lead a virtual workforce.

So I felt called to focus my attention on the development of people’s leadership skills using some of the same accelerated learning and project management skills that had created such amazing results for so many Cheetah students with being able to pass the PMP® exam after four days and their follow on career advancement over 23 years. (Many Cheetah students credit their virtual Cheetah experience with passing the PMP exam as the turning point where they developed the skills that helped their career take off).

All leadership is situational – we get called to be leaders in some situations and not others (this is one of the keys here to making leadership more attractive to more people). Even when we don’t want that responsibility, we can usually muster up the effort to do what is ours to do when it’s ours to do it, especially when it’s not a life sentence to the heavy costs of leadership. The interest in “rising to the occasion” increases when charged up about poor leadership performance. When this happens, it is an opening to do some soul-searching and find out where you can do better as a leader because you know better.

It’s time to think about:

1. In what situations am I more compelled to step up to a leadership role than others?
2. Who am I showing up as in these situations? 
3. What core values am I expressing in these situations?
4. Is it a reflection of the best version of me? 
5. What is the best version of me, anyhow?
6. What is my Why? (My underlying core belief, purpose, or passion that is my guiding vision for showing up the way I do?)

This is where we do a deep dive into Cheetah’s  Certified Virtual Leader program. Establishing those areas where you are drawn to step into a leadership role and how to show up there as the best versions of yourself.

For example,

1. There are three areas where I am drawn to step into a leadership role – learning (and Teaching), compassionate engagement with others, and results-driven systems (and process) design.
2. In these situations, I am more of a servant and visionary leader where I elevate those around me to become the best versions of themselves through my role modeling and guidance.
3. I express the following core values
   1. • Teacher in me – Learning from awareness to knowledge to skill to mastery
      • Humanist in me – Best friend level enthusiastic engagement with others (friendly, warm, welcoming, effective, efficient, and inclusive)
      • Engineer in me – Robust design that generates consistent results Cheetah FAST
4. I know this is just one reflection of who I am as I have other roles in life as well with my family, friends, and other interests.
5. The best version of me does have elements of these core values – it also has kindness, caring, creativity, persistence, and resilience.
6. My why is I want to enjoy a world where I focus on how people are inherently good and capable of greatness. Where I can do my part by enabling them to joyfully and skillfully pursue their passions.

This is one part of how we create Certified Virtual Leaders.  Cheetah students stake out where they are going to place their leadership focus.  

Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, CCL, CAC, PMI-ACP, RYT

Chief Cheetah, Cheetah Learning

Find Out More About Cheetah’s Certified Virtual  Leader Program