In their book The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner (1995) claim: Values help us determine what to do and what not to do. They’re the deep-seated, pervasive standards that influence every aspect of our lives: our moral judgments, our responses to others, our commitments to personal and organizational goals…Options that run counter to our value system are seldom acted upon; and if they are, it’s done with a sense of compliance rather than commitment. Values constitute our personal “bottom line". (p. 212) The following exercise seeks to bring to the forefront the silent power and influence of values on “every aspect of our lives.” In relation to 'values:' What are the 3 top values that you have chosen for yourself? Briefly explain what these values mean to you in terms of behaviours. Recall a time when you acted out of compliance: i. What were you saying to yourself when you "caught" yourself talking to yourself (your internal conversations)? ii. How did you feel at those times? Recall a time when you acted out of commitment: i. What were you saying to yourself when you "caught" yourself talking to yourself (your internal conversations)? ii. How did you feel at those times? Given both of your examples above, when did you feel more like a leader? Why?