The article “Moral Person and Moral Manager: How Executives Develop a Reputation for Ethical Leadership” argues that a leader values control their strategy and ultimately the results they receive. Values shape what leaders notice, what is seen as good, and what is bad. Lichtenstein shows that value creation depends on alignment. This is the alignment between a leader’s values and the existing culture. When these two pieces fit, strategy works better and faster. When they clash, plans are bound to fail. Hiring and making leaders shouldn’t be based on their resume, but on the values they will lead with.

What I found interesting were the problems associated with misalignment. I’ve seen this on small teams, members that have differing visions of the project would clash and progress would slow down. Once the differences were figured out, progress resumed and the goal was more clear. The same pattern appears on a larger scale with companies, leaders that know their team values adjust for this so progress isn’t inhibited.

Leaders should make values visible with open talks and hiring. They should also lay out expectations and goals for their team. This lowers resistance and builds trust. It makes performance steady, not lucky.
Treviño, L. K., Hartman, L. P., & Brown, M. (2000). Moral person and moral manager: How executives develop a reputation for ethical leadership. California Management Review, 42(4), 128–142. https://doi.org/10.2307/41166057