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cynical. But if your leadership flows first and foremost from inner character and integrity of ambition, then you can justly ask people to lend themselves to your organization and its mission.”
    If you are new to leadership—or new to a particular leadership position—it is the perfect time to think about the leadership style you desire to develop. (If you are an experienced leader, you can of course reevaluate the way you lead and make changes. However, you will be working against your people’s past experiences and have to overcome their expectations.) As you move forward, what should you consider? Three things:
Who Am I?
    Good leadership begins with leaders knowing who they are. In his book
It’s Your Ship
, Capt. Mike Abrashoff states,
    In a nutshell, hard experience has taught me that real leadership is about understanding yourself first, then using that to create a superb organization. Leaders must free their subordinates to fulfill their talents to the utmost. However, most obstacles that limit people’s potential are set in motion by the leader and are rooted in his or her own fears, ego needs, and unproductive habits. When leaders explore deep within their thoughts and feelings in order to understand themselves, a transformation can take shape. 1
    Successful leaders work hard to know themselves. They know their own strengths and weaknesses. They understand their temperament. They know what personal experience serves them well. They know their work habits, their daily, monthly, and seasonal rhythms. They know which kinds of people they work well with and which kinds they have to try harder with to appreciate. They have a sense of where they are going and how they want to get there. As a result, they know what they’re capable of doing and their leadership is steady.
    Knowing yourself on a pretty deep level isn’t quick or easy. It is a long and involved process. Some of it isn’t particularly fun. But it is necessary if you want to become a better leader. Self-knowledge is foundational to effective leading.
What Are My Values?
    In a speech on the value of honesty, Mark Twain once told this story: “When I was a boy, I was walking along a street and happened to spy a cart full of watermelons. I was fond of watermelon, so I sneaked quietly on the cart and snitched one. Then I ran into a nearby alley and sank my teeth into the melon. No sooner had I done so, however, than a strange feeling came over me. Without a moment’s hesitation, I made my decision. I walked back to the cart, replaced the melon—and took a ripe one.”
    Your values are the soul of your leadership, and they drive your behavior.
    With all the problems we’ve witnessed in the banking industry, the implosion of Enron, and the failures of political leaders, I believe we understand what can happen when people treat their values like watermelons on the back of a cart, trading one for another. When leaders don’t have and maintain strong core values, their actions impact many more people than just themselves.
    Your values are the soul of your leadership, and they drive yourbehavior. Before you can grow and mature as a leader, you must have a clear understanding of your values and commit to living consistently with them—since they will shape your behavior and influence the way you lead.
    As you reflect on your values, I believe you should settle what you believe in three key areas:
Ethical Values —What does it mean to do the right thing for the right reason?
Relational Values —How do you build an environment of trust and respect with others?
Success Values —What goals are worth spending your life on?
    If you answer these questions and commit yourself to living your values in these three areas, you’ll be well on your way to developing the integrity that makes you attractive to team members and makes them want to follow your leadership.
    Not long ago I came across a survey by Opinion Research Corporation for Ajilon Finance that confirms