ABSTRACT
Value driven leading depends upon managerial leaders using a cognitive framework to guide their decision making. This framework involves four dimensions to align integrity and values with the institution’s mission while accounting for organizational responsibilities to contribute to a long-term policy or culture and to build resource and power bases. These four dimensions are: 1) understanding one’s values and mission commitment; 2) managing the meaning of incidents; 3) building for long-term norms and policy; 4) securing power and resources for resilient outcomes. Individuals alone or with teams can practice addressing each dimension. Recursive thinking helps ensure that judgments align purpose, meaning, direction, capability and durability. Internalized as professional intuition, this framework helps individuals with the daily flow of decisions. Value driven leading takes on critical importance in the political space among partners and collaborators where organizational interests can diverge. The four dimensions draw upon an awareness of the role of ethics in organizations, the leadership responsibility of managers, the array of ethical resources for a leader and the active obligation to seek out, prevent and tackle ethical slippage and corruption. Practicing this frame uses values and character as motivations and guides to judgment.
