The Pulse of Higher Ed

Perspectives on Online and Professional Education
from UPCEA’s Research and Consulting Experts

Leading with Values-Based Influence in Higher Education

A person (Vickie Cook) smiling

By Vickie Cook

Why Values-Based Influence Matters Now 

Higher education is undergoing seismic shifts—demographic changes, budget constraints, AI disruption, and questions of relevance. In this environment, how we lead and why we lead matters as much as what we do as leaders. Leaders who operate from a strong internal compass—those grounded in values—offer clarity, stability, and hope. 

Values-based influence is not about hierarchy or control. It’s about leading with integrity, building credibility through consistency, and aligning actions with deeply held beliefs. And it works—because people follow authenticity before they follow authority.   

What Is Values-Based Influence? 

Values-based influence is the ability to lead by example, inspire others through shared values, and foster a culture rooted in purpose and trust. This model of leadership prioritizes: 

  • Integrity over image 
  • Collaboration over compliance 
  • Consistency over charisma 

It is about becoming the kind of leader others choose to follow—not because they have to, but because they believe in the direction you are leading. 

How to Identify Values-Based Influence 

Recognizing and strengthening values-based influence begins with a few key strategies: 

1. Conduct a Values Audit 

Review strategic plans, communications, and decision-making patterns. More importantly, listen. What stories are being told in meetings? What behaviors are recognized and rewarded? These are reflections of your unit’s real values.  Align the values that are identified with the strategic plans being made. 

2. Recognize Informal Leaders 

Look beyond titles. Identify those who consistently demonstrate ethical behavior, inspire peers, or provide a moral compass during conflict. These individuals are often quiet influencers who uphold the culture and keep teams anchored in purpose. 

3. Facilitate Values Mapping 

Hold intentional conversations to map where individuals see values showing up—or falling short—in daily work. This can help uncover disconnects and foster ownership of cultural alignment. 

4. Align Practices to Principles 

Are your hiring, recognition, and budget decisions aligned with your values? If not, adjust. Systems either reinforce or erode culture.  Systems that erode culture have an oversized negative impact on an organization. 

Aspire to Lead with a Values-Based Identity 

To become a values-based leader, commit to personal and professional alignment: 

Clarify Your Leadership Values 

Define your non-negotiables—those values you refuse to compromise. Whether that’s equity, transparency, or courage, write them down, keep them on your phone, refer to them in moments of tension and conflict. Know yourself and be determined in values-based leadership. 

Model the Culture You Want to Create 

Your behavior sets the tone. If you seek a culture of collaboration, invite voices into decision-making. Build distributed leadership patterns.  If you value innovation, create safe spaces for experimentation and learning from failure. Build an entrepreneurial foundation. 

Empower Others to Lead from Their Values 

Mentor your team in reflecting on their personal values and encourage them to act from that space. Distributed, values-based leadership creates resilience and engagement. 

The Impact on Your Unit—and Beyond 

When leadership becomes rooted in shared values, the results are powerful: 

  • Greater trust across teams 
  • Deeper engagement from faculty and staff 
  • Stronger alignment with mission and strategic goals 
  • A healthier, more inclusive workplace culture 

Values-based leadership transforms institutions not from the top down, but from the inside out. 

Final Thought 

Values-based influence is not about perfection. It is about taking a bold, courageous stand to lead authentically, a commitment to mission and values alignment, and the discipline to act with integrity. In the shifting landscape of higher education that we are experiencing today, the leaders who thrive will be those who inspire not just through ideas, but through who they are. 

Additional Resources 

 

Vickie Cook is the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Retention Management and a Research Professor of Education at the University of Illinois Springfield, as well as a Strategic Advisor for UPCEA Research and Consulting.  To learn more about UPCEA Research and Consulting, please contact [email protected]

Learn more about UPCEA's expert consultants

Do you need help with your PCO unit or campus? We can help. Contact UPCEA Research and Consulting for a brief consult. Email [email protected] or call us at 202-659-3130.

Trusted by the nation's top colleges and universities, UPCEA Research and Consulting provides the best value in the industry today. UPCEA's industry experts have years of experience in Online and Professional Continuing education - put them to work for you!

UPCEA Research and Consulting offers a variety of custom research and consulting options through an outcomes-focused pricing model. Find the option(s) that best suit your institution.

Learn more about UPCEA Research & Consulting


The UPCEA Difference

Unmatched Experience: For more than 100 years, UPCEA consultants have exclusively served the needs of online and professional continuing education programs. UPCEA consultants leverage their extensive industry expertise to expedite solutions, anticipate upcoming shifts, and offer distinct best practices, effectively aiding clients in achieving their goals.

Cost Effectiveness: As a nonprofit, member-serving organization, we provide unmatched value, allowing you to maximize limited research and consulting budgets.

Action in Motion: Our cadre of experienced, skilled authorities and expert practitioners propels you forward, translating research and consulting into impactful implementation, a distinctive hallmark of UPCEA. Our team of current and former institutional leaders will support you, turning research and consulting into action.

Mission Alignment: Like you, our mission is to enhance and expand educational opportunities and outcomes for adult and other non-traditional learners. We share your values and work in partnership with you to advance access and excellence in education.

Other UPCEA Updates + Blogs

Leading with Values-Based Influence in Higher Education

Why Values-Based Influence Matters Now  Higher education is undergoing seismic shifts—demographic changes, budget constraints, AI disruption, and questions of relevance. In this environment, how we lead and why we lead matters as much as what we do as leaders. Leaders who operate from a strong internal compass—those grounded in values—offer clarity, stability, and hope.  Values-based…

Read More

Accreditation + Skill-Based Learning Addressed in New Executive Orders | Policy Matters (April 2025)

Major Updates Accreditation, Foreign Support, Skill-Based Learning Addressed in New Trump Executive Orders The Trump administration has continued issuing an unprecedented number of executive orders with recent directives directly impacting colleges and universities, addressing topics like accreditation reform, foreign influence, skills-based learning (including alternative credentials), and support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Two…

Read More

Online education booms in an era of lifelong learning (WorkingNation)

‘Strictly online institutions tend to serve working-age or older adults requiring flexible schedules constructed around family obligations and work. “Folks arrive at higher ed for a multitude of reasons,” says Julie Uranis, senior vice president of online and strategic initiatives for UPCEA (the Online and Professional Education Association), a resource for online university programs. “Online learning gives them…

Read More

Your Lifelong Learning Journey’s “Breadcrumbs” – How to Tell Your Story

As avid backcountry hikers, years ago my family decided it would be prudent to buy a GPS, even though we had a rescue dog with an incredible sense of direction. While many out-and-back or even loop hikes didn’t require high-powered digital GPS coordinates to find our way back to our vehicle, we did appreciate launching…

Read More

Key Findings from 2024 UPCEA Marketing Survey

As more and more institutions face internal and external pressures to identify and cultivate new revenue streams, many are turning to online and professional continuing education to attract new learners and address fiscal shortfalls. While this continued increase in supply undoubtedly benefits the student, it makes an already saturated market even more competitive. UPCEA’s 2024…

Read More

UPCEA Announces Retirement of Chief Research Officer Jim Fong, Reinforces Strength of Research and Consulting Division

Washington, D.C. – April 7, 2025 – UPCEA, the leading association for online and professional education, today announced the upcoming retirement of Jim Fong, its founding Chief Research Officer, after years of transformative leadership in the field of higher education research and consulting.  Fong first became involved with UPCEA as a volunteer leader while at…

Read More

The Nation's Top Universities Choose UPCEA Research and Consulting

Informed decisions. Ideas that work. The data you need. Trusted by the top universities in the nation.