Values

The idea of “values” is tossed around frequently in the workplace.  Unfortunately folks often roll their eyes, sigh, and shake there heads when the topic comes up.  Why is that?

As is often the case, taking a look at Mr. Webster’s good book can help us to gain some insight in to what’s behind the word.  In fact, the answer jumps out at you as soon as you perform the search:  when you search for “values” you end up directed to “value”.  How ironic, that when we are searching for something that is difficult to intrinsically quantify we end up with a phrase that is all about assigning a tangible amount!  That irony actually leads you to EXACTLY the heart of the matter — values ARE a reflection of what IS valued by an individual or an organization.

Back to the original “why is that?”.  In my opinion, it’s because there is a disconnect between what folks see and what folks are told.  People are pre-programmed with a wonderful BS detector that flags up inconsistencies in this area almost immediately.  Further, that same “sensor” can cause internal discomfort when we get off track.

Are the things that you value consistent with your values?

As always, thanks for the time.