Connecting to Admired Leadership
Your Admiration for Others Reveals Your Core Values
Episode Summary
A conversation with Admired Leadership Executive Coaches, Ben Stringfellow and Mallory Stacey from CRA | Admired Leadership, exploring how leaders can identify and articulate their core values through examining who they admire. Building on a Field Note that challenges the conventional approach of simply listing virtues, this session provides practical strategies for discovering authentic values that can guide decision-making and shape leadership behavior. The discussion emphasizes the difference between abstract virtues and actionable values while offering concrete methods for translating admiration into personal leadership development.
Episode Notes
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Key Highlights
- Values vs. virtues distinction: Values should be specific, actionable, and behavioral (like "I include every voice in meetings") rather than abstract virtues (like "inclusion") that don't provide clear guidance for decision-making
- The admiration approach: Instead of asking "What are your values?" ask "Who do you admire and what specifically do you admire about them?" This cuts through the noise of aspirational lists and reveals authentic priorities
- Focus on attributes, not whole persons: Rather than putting leaders on pedestals, identify specific behaviors or qualities you admire - collecting "points of reference" from multiple people to build your own leadership approach
- Making values actionable: Test your values by examining where they show up in daily decisions - who you hire, how you spend time, what you fund, how you give feedback, and who gets airtime in meetings
- Organizational vs. individual values: In team settings, use inclusive language ("What do we value?") and let organizational strategy be the equalizer when individual values conflict
Notable Quotes
- "Values should be specific and actionable and behavioral. Virtues are sort of that aspirational list of descriptors, but what we want to strive for are practical manifestations that show up in how we lead day-to-day."
- "It's really hard to put that lens on yourself and say, here's everything that I value. But a great indicator is discerning what people value or admire in others as a starting point."
- "I think about it as collecting points of reference. Pretty much everybody's got something you can admire - not a person as much as pieces and parts of lots of people."
- "The great equalizer is the organizational vision and strategy. When values are in tension, the question shouldn't be personal preference as much as what does the organization need."
- "If I've said this is important to me, would somebody else be able to observe that and say, yeah, that's important to you?"
Featured Speakers
- Ben Stringfellow is an Executive Coach and Partner at CRA | Admired Leadership, known for his expertise in organizational communication and strategic leadership development. Despite being one of the firm's busiest members, he's recognized for always making time to support colleagues and clients with thoughtful guidance and practical insights.
- Mallory Stacey is an Executive Coach at CRA | Admired Leadership, filling in as host for this session. She brings expertise in leadership coaching and team development, with a focus on helping leaders translate abstract concepts into actionable behaviors.
Resources Mentioned