Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is not only to describe one of the most fundamental components of ethical educational leadership—personal values—but also to illustrate their power. Personal values have power because they are a primary influence in each and every person’s decision-making processes. Each and every choice, judgment, or evaluation that a person makes is influenced, consciously or unconsciously, by his or her personal values. Hence, if the life of today’s educational leader is now rife with having to solve extremely difficult, complex, or ambiguous problems and/or having to choose between outcomes that are neither right nor wrong but, rather, varying degrees of better, then it follows that his or her personal values are directly active in guiding that person’s leadership. From this chapter, leaders will be able to understand how their personal values are able to influence their leadership practice. Moreover, they will know how to ensure that their personal values are positively influencing such practice.