Define Your Personal Core Values: 5 Steps
If your company has core values , shouldn't you? Establishing your own personal guidelines can remove risk and accelerate success.
Most concede the power of core values in business. Jim Collins made a great
case in Built to Last. But it's difficult
to accurately create or accept core values for your company if your own
personal core values are unclear. Many
claim to understand their own values, but I maintain you don't really know them
until you have:
1. Articulated them
clearly in writing.
2. Tested them through
daily decision-making.
Much
like company core values, your personal core values are there to guide behavior
and choice. Get them right and you'll be swift and focused in your
decision-making, with clear direction. Get them wrong or leave them ambiguous,
and you'll constantly wonder how you got into this mess.
Although
your personal core values may not exactly match anyone else's, they still help
you determine your surrounding culture. Most smart
people consciously or unconsciously use personal core values to
select friendships, relationships and business partnerships. Your core values
also help you wisely manage your personal resources such as time and money.
Simply
put, I use my personal core values as decision guidelines that keep me true to
myself, and out of trouble. Here are mine with brief descriptions:
Truth
Some
people are skilled liars. I
am not. I function best when people are direct and honest. I make it clear in
conversation and in writing that truth
is necessary in my world, no matter how painful. This is probably
why I thrive as a New Yorker.
Diligence
I
am a contact management freak. I focus on punctuality, returning phone calls and e-mails within
the hour or at least the day whenever possible. I hear screaming in my head if
I have left anyone hanging. I also make sure my statements are substantiated,
hence the reason you'll rarely see me speak in absolutes without doing my
homework.
Consistency
Since
people pay attention to my writing and talks, credibility is critical, and I have a lot
to live up to. Hypocrisy is deadly in my world and this core value reminds me
to integrate humor, the Awesome Experience, ROAR! and
all my other lessons into my life and
work, every single day.
Creativity
You
would think a writer, marketer, and theater graduate wouldn't need creativity
as a core value. But when it's been a long month of travel, it's 3 a.m. and the
column, speech, or book chapter is pending, I have to remind myself that I need
to take that extra step to make my material compelling so I can intrigue,
entertain, and connect with my audience.
Impact
Like
most entrepreneurs, I see potential everywhere. This value reminds me to
disregard when my brain is saying: "I can do that!" and instead ask
the question: "Should I do that?" The criteria are simple: Maximum
results for minimum effort. Each shiny new opportunity gets evaluated this way.
Some
of my personal traits like passion, integrity, and energy don't qualify in my
mind as core values because I follow these instinctively without
consideration. They are unnecessary in my decision making process. I refer to
them as my Table
Stakes.
Now
it's your turn to identify your values.
Personal Core Values
Exercise:
Grab
a notebook. It's time to do some writing. Give yourself quiet space, no
distractions, and at least an hour to reflect on each section.
Step 1--Think through and
describe the following in detail:
1. What have been your
three greatest accomplishments?
2. What have been your
three greatest moments of efficiency?
3. What are any common
rules or themes that you can identify?
Step 2--Think through and
describe the following in detail:
1. What have been your
three greatest failures?
2. What have been your
three greatest moments of inefficiency?
3. What are any common
rules or themes that you can identify?
Step 3--Identify three or
four brief sentences of advice you would give to yourself based upon these
commonalities.
Step 4--Next try and reduce
them to a few words. For example: If your advice is: "Don't overindulge in
food and booze at parties and get in trouble," reduce that down to Keep
Control Through Moderation, or even Moderation.
Step 5--Now comes the fun.
You need to test the value. Think of a situation where following your core
value hurts you rather than helps you. For example you might think Innovation sounds good
until you realize that your life thrives on stability rather than constant
change. You have to think it through carefully. If you can't identify a
legitimate case where the value steers you wrong, you probably have a good core
value.
Know
that this process requires focused time and thought. I recommend doing it with
someone you trust. Then you'll get honest feedback and you can help each other.
It may require several discussions over weeks or even months. Your values may
adjust and develop over time just as you do, so embrace the change.
As
Mahatma Ghandi said, "Your beliefs become your
thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your
actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values
become your destiny."
By: Kevin Daum
Source: Inc.
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