Leading with Your Core Values

katrincharlton
Jun 15
4 min read

Updated: Aug 5

– Your Inner Compass in Times of Change

You’ve probably heard the question before:

✨ “What are your core values?”

Perhaps you wrote them down during a coaching session or scribbled them on a flipchart at an offsite: Freedom. Integrity. Growth.

Then life resumed. Deadlines, team issues, board expectations. Those words faded into the background.

This happens to almost everyone I work with — even the most senior, thoughtful leaders. I’ve been there too.

A Personal Reflection: When My Compass Was Missing

Years ago, when I left my finance career, I didn’t yet have a clear language for my values. I just knew something wasn’t right. I felt drained, stuck, like I was living someone else’s version of success.

What I now know is that I was living out of alignment with my values.

I craved freedom — to work in a way that suited my energy and rhythm.

I needed courage — to step into something new and unknown.

And I was yearning for kindness — to lead with heart, not just performance.

Had I known that at the time — really known it — I may not have changed less, but I would’ve changed with more confidence, clarity, and self-trust.

That’s the power of values: they help you lead yourself first — especially when everything around you is shifting.

What Values Really Are?

Values aren’t goals or nice words. They’re the deeply held principles that shape how you lead, relate, decide — and show up under pressure.

They tend to be stable, though their priority might shift depending on life stage or context. And they are especially powerful anchors during times of transition or uncertainty.

Why Values Matter in Leadership

When leaders are grounded in their values, it builds trust — not just within themselves, but across their teams and organisations.

👉 They create consistency, which fosters psychological safety.

👉 And they enable leaders to be authentic — not performative.

In today’s fast-changing world, people want to follow leaders who are anchored — not reactive. Leaders who can say,

“This is who I am, this is what matters, and this is how I lead.”

That kind of clarity is contagious.

As Patrick Lencioni puts it, “Core values are the deeply ingrained principles that guide all of a company’s actions; they serve as its cultural cornerstones.”

And it starts at the top — especially when change is at play.

🧠 Neuroscience Nugget: Why Living Your Values Makes You Think More Clearly

When you act in line with your values, your prefrontal cortex — the part of your brain responsible for decision-making, planning, and emotional regulation — is more engaged.

This means you think more clearly, feel more grounded, and respond rather than react.💡 Values = Clarity under pressure.

When you’re out of sync with your values, your brain can slip into threat mode — leading to clouded thinking, short-term decisions, and eventually, burnout.(Rock & Schwartz, 2006 — “The Neuroscience of Leadership”)

A Client Story: Rediscovering Growth in a Time of Transition

One of my clients — let’s call him David — was a CFO who had recently taken on a broader regional remit as part of his firm’s global expansion. The shift brought new expectations, more visibility, and a seat at the executive leadership table.

It looked like a natural next step — a sign of trust from the board. But in our first session, he said:

💬 “It all looks good on paper, but I feel flat.”

That sentence stuck with me.

The change in scope had shifted the nature of his work. He was spending more time in alignment meetings and less time doing the strategic problem-solving he loved. Through coaching, we uncovered that one of his core values — growth — had quietly faded from his daily experience.

He was performing, but not evolving. Leading, but not stretching.

Together, we explored ways to reignite that value — without needing to overhaul everything:

✅ He began mentoring a high-potential finance lead from another region.

✅ He signed up for a strategic innovation programme that challenged his thinking.

✅ And he took on a personal challenge outside of work: training for a half-marathon — not for the medal, but to stretch himself again.

Within weeks, his energy shifted. His motivation returned — not because the transition was over, but because he had reconnected with what mattered.

💬 “I didn’t need a different role,” he said. “I needed to bring more of myself into this one.”

Try This: Reconnect with Your Values

Revisit your values list. Which 3–5 feel most alive right now?
Define the behaviours. What does each one look like in action — today, this week, under pressure?
Reflect weekly. When did I live in line with my values? When did I drift?
Make them visible. Stick them on your desk. Share them with someone you trust.

Final Reflection

Your values are your inner compass. When everything else is shifting, they bring you back to who you are.

They help you steer with more clarity, more confidence — and more integrity — no matter what changes around you.

In a future blog, we’ll look at the other half of the equation: purpose. If values are the how, purpose is the why.

📩 If this resonates and you're navigating a change — internal or external — I’d be happy to have a conversation. Book a complimentary discovery call here.