Measuring the return on values-based leadership.

• Author: Kristie, James
• Position: Book it: Best bets for board reading - Becoming the Best: Build a World-Class Organization Through Values-Based Leadership - Brief article - Book review

From Becoming the Best by Harry M. Jansen Kraemer Jr. Copyright [c] 2015 by the author. Published by John Wiley & Sons Inc. (www.wiley.com/business).

If we want to assure ourselves that values-based leadership really does make a difference --elevating performance at every level, from the newest team member to the senior leadership team--we need to examine one measure: shareholder value.

If we really believe that the five bests--best self, best team, best partner, best investment, and best citizen--will improve financial performance, then the proof is in the total shareholder return they generate. Otherwise, the bests are only interesting concepts or nice things to do, but they cannot stand up to the measures that determine investment performance or create financial stability for an organization. It's like going to the doctor for your annual physical. You may be happy to report that you are walking more, eating leafy green vegetables, and drinking plenty of water, but if you're 25 pounds overweight, your cholesterol is 30 points higher, and your blood pressure is soaring, then what you're doing is not very effective!

The five bests...