I’ve been thinking – what do my personal values mean to my company? Are they important? How do I define them? How do I use them in my business?
Last week I was wondering how I figure out what I’m passionate about and about the relationship of my passion to my business. I said that there are three aspects, unique to each of us, that give us clues into the kind of things that give us joy and upon which we can build a successful company – using what we love as the core of our business. The three aspects are our temperament, our attitudes, and our aptitudes. And today we are going to evaluate our attitudes – commonly known as our personal values.
A key to understanding our passion for life is to explore our core values and goals. They explain what we hope for and want from our lives. They help us to find meaning and purpose in life. They also help explain our interpersonal conflicts when we don’t share the same important values as others.
Defining our core values can also help us to create a corporate culture that aligns with our personal values. All businesses have a culture, but frequently it is a culture that evolves from the people working there rather than its having been consciously created by the founders. Starting well means continuing well. And being part of something we care about is the basis of starting well.
I invite you to discover, or confirm, your personal values. This resource defines 100 words. Follow the instructions to determine the things most important to you. Record them where you can find them. We’ll refer to your list in future weeks, as we learn about our temperament and our aptitudes.
If you’re interested, here’s my list of values. After doing this exercise, I think I know something more about myself than I did before.
What do you think?
Until tomorrow, GUNG Ho friends!