As a leader you will be questioned on what you believe in, and why. Prior to having these questions you should define the answers for yourself, so you are prepared when the questions are asked. The responses you give will define you as a leader. If your answers are firm and strong, your followers will have confidence in you. As you show your confidence in your beliefs, your followers will also feel confident in your responses towards work related issues.
To define your beliefs, you should focus on specific areas. This defining process may require deep reflection on who you are and what you stand for. The following areas are areas that your employees will question.
Religion Although religion is sometimes a touchy issue in the workplace, it will inevitably come up from time to time. You must know where you stand and what you believe in.
Family In the workforce it seems like there is a constant struggle between how much time you should spend working and how much time you should spend with your family. There is a healthy balance that must be reached by every person. Too much work and not enough family time leads to the disintegration of the family.
Money What do you believe about money? How should people spend their money? What expenditures are worthwhile and what are not? Are you risk averse? How much risk is reasonable? Who should be trusted to handle the money?
Education You must determine how you feel about education. If you feel education is important, should the company support employees that want to further their education? What type of educational support should the company give the employees? You must also decide how far you want to go with your education and where you want to focus.
Personal Accountability As a leader you are going to hear many reasons why people don’t get their jobs done. You must determine when the job was not completed due to factors outside the person’s control and when the person just didn’t follow through. You also have to understand the things for which you are and are not accountable. As you do your very best on the things within your control, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Understanding your beliefs will help you grow as a leader. Once you determine your beliefs, the challenge will be aligning your life with them so you consistently convey the same message.
How have your beliefs helped you as a leader?
Brandon W. Jones 
Right on Brandon!
I have a hard time following anyone with a sluggish attitude or someone that has clear insecurities about their beliefs. Leader has to be firm, strong and extremely confident in his/hers own footsteps.
My athletic background has helped me tremendously to be who I am today- driven, committed, respectful and ready to help others succeed. Team member by heart.
Thank you for the great post!
— Jaana Eubanks
By: Jaana Eubanks on March 16, 2011
at 5:18 PM
Welcome Jaana! Thank you for your comment. I couldn’t agree with you more. Leaders without strong beliefs are hard to follow wholeheartedly because they tend to be more indecisive. When leaders are determined to follow their beliefs, you can trust that they will also be determined in their decisions and goals. The manner in which they follow their beliefs sets the stage for how they will handle the rest of life’s challenges. Thanks, Brandon
By: Brandon W. Jones on March 16, 2011
at 5:40 PM
[…] To be a good leader, you must have conviction in what you want to do and the stance you take on different issues. In many cases, beginning leaders don’t have strong convictions because they are new to leadership. Those convictions develop over time through trial and error, or as they study examples from other leaders. Writing down your thoughts can also be very beneficial in the development of your convictions. A blog is a perfect platform for this. The following video helps explain the power of blogging when developing your convictions. […]
By: The Power of Blogging in Leadership! « Brandon W. Jones on February 19, 2012
at 4:36 PM