Rooted in What Matters: Grounded in Values

"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." - Mahatma Gandhi

Recently, I read a quote from Adam Grant about gauging the values of others by seeing who they respect. It influenced me to think about values, especially as it appears values are waning in society. It caused me to reflect on what I teach my Organizational Behaviour students about the foundation of values. It dawned on me that our values help to ground us.

I recall when I was completing undergraduate studies at UWI learning about values. We were told about the importance of alignment between personal values and organizational values. At the time, I really didn’t get it. However, as I matured in my career I realized the importance of value alignment.

What are values?

Values serve as a guide to individual behaviour and decision-making. They are described as basic convictions on how to conduct yourself or how to live your life ‘properly’. They tend to be stable and lay the foundation for understanding attitudes and motivation. Our values impact the way we see the world around us and determine what is right or wrong. Milton Rokeach states that there are two categories of values: terminal and instrumental.

Terminal versus Instrumental Values

Terminal values describe goals that you would like to achieve during your lifetime. Examples of terminal values include happiness, wisdom, equality, and freedom. They act as an "anchor" or "North Star," helping you to orient your life choices and priorities. These are the values we may come back to when we need clarity as we make decisions.

Instrumental values reflect what needs to be completed to achieve your lifetime goals. For example, honesty, courage, independence, and ambition. It guides your day-to-day behaviour providing a consistent framework for how to act in various situations, thus "grounding" one's conduct.

Understanding your values

Milton Rokeach developed a value survey to help individuals understand their values and develop self-awareness. I appreciate the Rokeach survey which highlights what may be needed based on values to accomplish lifetime goals. For example, as highlighted in the table below which is an excerpt of Rokeach’s terminal and instrumental values, if in the long term I want to have a comfortable life, I need to be ambitious and work hard to get there. Another example highlighted in the table is that if I want an exciting life, I will need to be open-minded, as only then may I be welcoming to what lies ahead.

Conclusion

Having a clear understanding of both our terminal and instrumental values, can help us feel more "grounded" in our identity, decision-making processes, and overall life direction. The reality is that the world is constantly changing. Therefore, it is our values that serve as an unwavering anchor, grounding us in who we are and what we stand for. Our values provide a stable foundation from which we can grow, adapt and make decisions that align with our authentic selves. By regularly reflecting on and aligning with our values, we can ensure that our actions today are paving the way for the future we envision for ourselves.

Food for thought:

What are your terminal and instrumental values? Are they in alignment with your personal and professional life? How can you use this understanding to ground yourself more firmly in your values moving forward?

Yolande Hylton is the Managing Director of Hylton Insights, an HR Consultancy Firm with a mandate to guide businesses from the transactional to the transformational HR realm, thereby enhancing individual and organizational performance. For inquiries or to learn more, you can reach out to [email protected] or visit www.hyltoninsights.com