Core values matter…. they’re not seasonal; they are not branding; they are commitments made in integrity to ourselves and to God.
It is easy for Business Owners to get lost in the latest trend of “what sells”. On the internet we look to Google to tell us what people are looking for, what matters most to the majority. Often leaders use their core values as a rallying point for their employees. Some marketers believe that your website should clearly display the truths that your company stands on. Others, focused on political correctness, suggest that we stay away from being too vocal about what matters most.
What does matter? Many years ago I went through a personal epiphany, my ah-ha moment. On the heals of a personal crisisI challenged myself to “know what you believe”. On this journey, I began to learn about and collect the core values that mattered most to me. I learned that it is my personal mission to help others discover and activate personal significance in their lives. Now, as a PathÔ Workshop Facilitator (Creating your Mission Statement for Work & for Life by Laurie Beth Jones), I help my clients discover their personal mission by identifying their core values. You Matter!
Walk in it! Core values in hand, I then challenged myself to “walk in it”. Years of daily choices were tested. Saying “no” became easier because I understood what my “yes” meant.
Make it personal! Whatever your role in life, core values are personal and require ownership. I recently answered a question for a CEO in my Ask Coach Maggie column on Strategy Magazine. Frustrated that his employees couldn’t even remember the Corporate Core Values, I suggested to him that he help his team apply the core values to their individual job responsibilities. Make it personal to them; it’s about ownership.
Mind your business partners! The more I learn about the power of walking in our purpose the more I realize how important it is to protect it. Align yourself with others who share your values.
“Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation, for ’tis better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington
Stated or unstated, your core values show up in your actions.
What do we want our actions to say about our values?
Maggie Sabatier-Smith
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