2.3.10.7. Advanced Reading
These optional readings are intended for learners who want to move beyond foundational understanding and explore values through deeper psychological, strategic, and behavioral lenses. While not required for lesson completion, they provide valuable nuance — particularly for leaders operating in environments defined by growth, complexity, responsibility, and long-term uncertainty.
Each text was selected to reinforce a different dimension of values-based leadership: credibility, culture, and meaning.
The Speed of Trust — Stephen M. R. Covey
Recommended Section: Part II — “Self-Trust: The Principle of Credibility.”
This reading examines how values translate into trust — not through communication or branding,
but through consistent behavioral alignment over time. Covey demonstrates that credibility is built when leaders
can be relied upon to act according to their values, regardless of pressure or circumstance. Trust becomes a
strategic asset: it increases execution speed, reduces friction in decision-making, and strengthens team cohesion.
It’s Not About the Coffee — Howard Behar
Recommended Section: Chapter 6 — “Be Accountable: Only the Truth Sounds Like the Truth.”
This chapter explores how values become operational through accountability, honesty, and behavioral
consistency. Behar emphasizes that values mean nothing when they are used selectively — they become
meaningful only when leaders are willing to be held responsible for living them, even when doing so is
uncomfortable or inconvenient. This is especially relevant for leaders shaping culture, as it reinforces that
values are demonstrated through behavior, not declarations — and that accountability is the mechanism through
which values become visible, trusted, and scalable.
Man’s Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl
Recommended Section: Part II — “Logotherapy in a Nutshell.”
Frankl offers a philosophical and psychological exploration of values as anchors of meaning, identity,
and purpose — particularly in moments where external conditions are uncertain or restrictive. This
section reinforces that values gain significance not when they are spoken, but when they guide action through
adversity, limitation, discomfort, or suffering. It strengthens the inner dimension of leadership, reminding you
that values are not merely strategic tools for decision-making, but sources of meaning that shape
who you become as you lead.
Engage with these works slowly and thoughtfully. They are intended to challenge assumptions, deepen reflection, and strengthen value-based reasoning. As you explore them, consider three guiding questions:
Advanced understanding does not emerge from collecting more information — it emerges from the willingness to examine your own alignment. Use these readings to refine not only what you know about values, but how you live them.