Purpose Beyond Profit: The Enduring Worth of Professional Values
Leading with consistency in both your personal and professional values is essential for both you, personally, and your team as a whole. Here’s why:
Elvis Presley once famously said, “Values are like fingerprints. Nobody’s are the same, but you leave ’em all over everything you do.” Often, when there’s talk of values in the modern work context, many people’s eyes glaze over. Others even dismiss values as an antiquated buzzword or hyped-up “HR-speak.” So, the question is: Do values still matter – and why?
I’d say an unequivocal “yes.” If you’re working as a consultant and are invited to take on a project for a company, the notion of values may seem to not come into play. You’re there to do a job, complete it on time and as expected, get paid, and move on. But your values will influence your actions all the way through.
Similarly, what if you’re considering accepting a position on an enterprise’s Board of Directors? Here, I’d argue, the relevance of values even becomes amplified. These are longer-term relationships and, often, there’s an added pressure of investments and equity at stake. In this scenario, if there’s misalignment between the values you hold dear as a person and those of the business you’re representing at the senior echelons, things can quickly fall apart.
It’s unlikely to end well for you, the rest of the board, or the company.
When Things Fall Apart…
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