Leader Values-Needed and Student Values-Held: Dilemmas for Leader Educators 261A second conclusion derived from the subsequent literature review was that in order to get
students to rethink their values, this educator would need to approach class work with
concepts of adult learning in mind. Adult learners demonstrate several characteristics
(Brookfield, 1986; Cross, 1981; Knowles, 1978). Possessing a wide experience base, there is
a desire to self-direct their learning, a time perspective for learning oriented to the present,
and a problem-centered focus on learning. The most definitive of these characteristics is the
experience the adult learner brings to the classroom. Primarily interested in material they can
use for real problems, and responding to intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivations, adults
need to see results for their efforts; that is, unless the new information or insight is something
that can be used, it seems not worthwhile. Taking values inventories and reflecting on the
inventories is one method to focus on self-understanding relative to theories of leadership
practice; however, this educator would have to go into greater depth beyond reflection for
values change. After analysis and reflection on personal inventory results, case studies were
used and analyzed in the classroom. After case decisions were made, discussions ensued
about the values demonstrated in the various decisions. Students were asked to visit their
inventory results to see how the case-decision values matched or did not match their values-
held. Further probing seemed to allow for a greater depth of class reflection and discussion.
When working with adults, in order to affect their value systems, one ought to accept and
build incrementally on a person’s existing value system: moving from the known to the
unknown (Beck, 1993), suggestive of Dewey’s (1922) notion of emerging from and
incorporating what came before. To this end, with this third conclusion, this educator
attempted to help the students expand their understanding of their values connected to, for
example, leadership philosophies. The future leaders in this course traditionally had written
“philosophy of leadership” statements that are “works-in-progress” honed throughout the
semester. Originally, the assignment was rather informal, that is, the students submitted the
first statement on the second night of class, and resubmitted the last night of class. Recently,
this instructor has spent more time discussing the tweaking of the philosophy statements. The
students submitted the statements each few weeks with an attempt to winnow the word count
in the statement. The goal of this instructor was to get the statement short enough that their
beliefs are at their fingertips, easily stated and remembered. Each few weeks, however, a new
leadership theory was added to the class, so the students were consistently challenged with
possible additions to their existing “working” philosophy statements.
Because adults usually prefer a problem-oriented approach to learning, an educator should
proceed by dialogue rather than lecturing or imposition, and values learning must be in the
context of specific problems (Beck, 1993), which is a fourth conclusion made from this study.
Because “a major means of adult values education is through action to improve bad social
structures (or maintain good ones)” (Beck, p. 334), cases or real life case-in-point problems
(Heifetz, 2004; Parks, 2005) should be used in class. While general discussion of values is
important, it must involve extensive consideration of examples, of value theory and principles
and concrete issues. “There must be an ideal that acts as a framework that fosters plural,
conditional, incompatible, and incommensurable values without advocating some specific
value. The arena within which is played out all positive human interaction is freedom, the
freedom to make defining decisions” (Rebore, 2004, p. 259). To increase student
understanding and to translate the “talk” of leadership into practice, this educator has recently
begun to research student understanding of the relationship of the “walk” of leadership with
the “talk.” Currently, students are developing “Talk/Walk” matrices that indicate how they
will demonstrate the relationship between the beliefs held in their philosophies to the practice
of leading others, and how those beliefs and practices are connected to values-held. The