The Leadership Myth: Why Values and Culture Come from Within, Not the Top
It’s often said that organizational culture starts with leaders. But what if that belief is limiting our potential? What if values, behaviors, and culture are less about following a leader’s example and more about who we are—our lived experiences, personal growth, and collective challenges?
In small jurisdictions like Jersey, we hear it constantly: leaders shape everything from the ground up. But should they? The idea that our values and culture come solely from the top risks bordering on cultism. It overlooks a fundamental truth: values are deeply personal. From birth, our caregivers, community, and lived experiences play a far more profound role in shaping our values than any corporate figurehead. Yes, leadership can guide, but it shouldn’t dictate our core beliefs.
A Flawed Assumption: Leadership Isn’t Everything
Leaders do influence values, but if we place all our reliance on them, what happens when we encounter bad leadership? If values were solely imparted by those in charge, we’d be in trouble. Not every leader is great—and in fact, great leaders are a rare commodity. Does that mean most of us are doomed to bad values, behaviors, and cultures? Certainly not.
Values come from within, shaped by our upbringing, our peers, and the hardships we endure. Think of those tough experiences that have made you vow never to repeat the mistakes of others. As a project manager and coach, I find my job is not to impose my values—like my commitment to brutally hard training regimes—but to adapt to the values of the organizations I work with. Governance may be uniform, but what works for a charity won’t necessarily work for a financial firm. Flexibility, not dogma, is key.
Beware the Leader Who Demands Blind Allegiance
Here’s the danger: when values, behaviors, and culture are all tied to a leader’s vision, it can lead to unhealthy conformity. You could find yourself wearing different values like a uniform, changing them depending on who’s in charge. That’s not leadership—it’s losing yourself. Great leaders don’t want followers who mimic their every move. They want individuals who cultivate their own inner compass, guided by a variety of influences.
In Jersey’s business community, from the Chamber of Commerce to the Institute of Directors, we often hear about leadership’s role in culture. But leadership is a two-way street. Leaders are shaped by the people they lead just as much as the reverse. In times of populism, we see more clearly than ever that the crowd can shape the leader. So why give away your power by adopting someone else’s values wholesale?
Forge Your Own Path
The article I’m responding to argues that values guide behavior, behavior shapes culture, and so on. And I agree—for the most part. But let’s not overstate leadership’s role. It’s your responsibility to forge your own path, to cultivate your own set of values. Learn from leaders, yes, but don’t become a passive recipient of their beliefs.
Good leadership isn’t about creating clones; it’s about empowering others to be their best, unique selves. As a member of Jersey’s dynamic business ecosystem, be curious, be challenging. Question everything, even the leaders you admire most. In the end, the values that shape your life and work should come from the sum of your experiences—not just from those in positions of authority.
A Final Thought
Values, behaviors, and culture are too important to outsource entirely to leadership. While great leaders can inspire, the responsibility for cultivating these traits ultimately lies with each of us. Let’s not blindly follow. Instead, let’s build something authentic, rooted in our unique journeys and collective wisdom.
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