Defining your core values

One of my core values is diversity of everything.

Brad Feld

The idea of our core values is thrown around a lot. Companies will share what their core values are. Politicians talk about theirs. Although many of us don’t take time to do that. I have at times been slow to say no to things that are outside of my core values. In high school and college, I made some decisions that I needed to get out of quickly. Once I started to establish my core values I am able to say no to the wrong things and yes to the right things.

Alignment

Moving into our professional lives we need to identify work that fits those core values. For instance, if you find yourself working at a company that asks you to do something that violates your morals or the law. This can be a big question of alignment. Lucky for me I have never run into a major misalignment like that. Without core values, we don’t know if we are getting off track.

I did have a smaller scale alignment issue. I once worked for a company that let a team member treat his teammates poorly. This helped me understand it was time to move on. It was the final step in helping me see how I wanted to be treated and my teammate too. Define your core values and then you will be better equipped.

Clear Communications

The value of clear communication can be obvious but deserves being mentioned. Honest clear communication can seem old-fashioned. People have ulterior motives and try to appear honest but their communication seems incongruent. Communicate your intent and be honest with those you work. Don’t play games with your co-workers or team.

Ownership

Take ownership of your career and professional life. Coaching my son’s basketball team I often find myself stating that we need to beat the other team and the referees. Similar to our work life we can find every setback is caused by our boss or company. Your career is your career. No one else is responsible for it.

Craftsmanship

Working as a software developer for a few years I spoke to a co-worker. He mentioned a book called The Pragmatic Programmer. In the book, they compare software development to a carpenter or craftsmen. They discuss how we need to learn to use all our tools. As a developer, I had learned a few tools at the time. After reading that book though, I realized how much I needed to learn. To be a true craftsman takes time and experience. In software development, we do need experience too.

Recognition

We all want to be recognized for our contribution. There are many ways to show thanks for the work our team does. First, as a software developer I felt, on the whole, we were not recognized enough. What we do is really behind the scenes. As a leader, I try to acknowledge each team members work. It can be best if we can recognize the team. Individually it can get tricky as people may resent that.

Customer-Centric

Technology professionals can get confused on what is the most important thing. Many of us got into technology because of wait for it! We like technology! Geeking out on technology is not a bad thing. It can be problematic when we think it is the only thing. The customer is the most important thing. Everyone in business needs to develop customer empathy. See their frustrations and why they need us. Focus on the right thing.

Dogfooding

Some of the best products in the world were designed by someone who needed them. I recently read an article about a mother who designed a device to keep her child’s things together. People who use a product can understand the need and the problem it solves. When a company uses its own product that is called, “eating your own dogfood.” Beware of companies who don’t. They have lost that customer-centric approach. See the previous point!

Results Over Politics

In my professional career, I have tried to avoid the drama and politics. Honestly, I thought that naively would work for most places. I have worked with a few people that liked to play games. They would pit people against each other. Some leaders seem to think this type of competition will bring out someone’s best. This type of drama can wreck a team and drive people to leave. As a leader, I try to focus on results and admit when I make a mistake.

Originally posted on MyITCareerCoach.com