Clarity is often mistaken for certainty.

It’s easy to imagine clear leaders as those who know exactly what to do, as if they can see the path ahead and move forward without hesitation. In real life, the moments that matter rarely feel like that. They actually arrive with incomplete information, competing demands, and face real consequences.

When you see the word leader here, include yourself—regardless of any positions you hold. My vision, after all, is for a world with eight billion leaders.

What distinguishes clarity in key moments is not knowing the outcome.
It is knowing what matters.

This is where values hold central importance.

Values are not abstract ideas we carry around in our heads. They are nudges that arise in moments of choice, often before we have language for them. We recognize them in the quiet sense that this matters more than that, even when we can’t always explain why.

A value pulls at our attention, emotions or physical body when something meaningful is at stake. It may feel like a persistent, distracting thought. It may feel like mental anxiety, physical tension or more. As personal as values are to each of us, their embodiment is equally personal.

You may feel it when a decision asks you to trade trade one thing for another: perhaps speed for care, honesty for comfort, or alignment for approval. Something arises internally. That signal is the beginning of clarity and the opening of your compass.

Values are a personal compass. They do not remove uncertainty or guarantee a particular outcome, just like a compass doesn’t tell you what mountains or rivers lie ahead. They shape action in a way that loosens our fixation on “right” results, because some ways of acting carry inherent value—according to what matters most to us.

Moving in alignment with values may sometimes lead somewhere unexpected. But because of how we arrive there, that destination often carries a sense of ownership and coherence. Even when outcomes include difficulty or disappointment, they remain more bearable. Happiness is not guaranteed, but contentment and fulfillment remain possible.

In real leadership moments, many things can feel important at once. Without values, decisions are easily shaped by urgency or the desire to avoid discomfort. With clear values, we can greet the moment in a different way. We begin to sense what deserves protection, what can wait, and what costs are worth bearing, even when they are high.

This is why values become most visible under pressure.

When time is short or stakes are high, we often act before we can explain ourselves. What we choose in those moments reveals the values already operating beneath the surface. These moments are not simply successes or failures; they are moments of clarity that demonstrate what is actually guiding us.

Values clarity arises through reflection which cannot be forced. We may not always like what we discover! In many ways, values are simply there—like the color of our eyes or the shape of our body. In the short term, we don’t control them. What we can do is notice them. It is only later that we can intentionally cultivate values that reflect our chosen direction of growth. Coaching is one of many tools that can support this process.

Living from values does not mean acting rigidly. Two people may hold the same value and respond differently to the same situation. The value shapes the quality of the decision, not the form it must take.

This is why values cannot be imposed or outsourced. They only function when they are personally known and internally referenced. When values are unclear, leadership feels reactive. When they are clear, even difficult decisions carry coherence.

Clarity, in this sense, is not the absence of uncertain outcomes.
It is the awareness of direction.

This is the role values play in First Person Leadership.

From the basis of present moment awareness, all actions can follow the guidance of our compass.