On Values

On Values

“They deem me mad because I will not sell my days for gold; and

I deem them mad because they think my days have a price.”

~Kahlil Gibran

What is the value of a meaningful life?

We are used to assess values using external factors, such as supply and demand, in other words, income and social prestige. However, when it comes to putting a price tag on your life, what your most valuable assets are can be very different from others.

What is the value of a meaningful life to you?

Defining your values should be The First Step in Strategically planning Your Life.

But each situation is different. Different organizations require different types of leaders with different values.

So, how can you make choices to reflect who you are as a person who tells others what your values are?

In my experience, hard choices are hard not because there is no best option. It is because we are not self-aware enough to know which choice is best for us. In other words, your values are uniquely yours.

It’s like finding soulmate. When it clicks, you feel centered and grounded no matter what is being thrown your way. You are in the presence of peace.

How do you shape your values? What is your currency? How can your life be profitable?

It may be helpful first to ask what kind of currency you are using to measure your values, for example: Is it currency of time for enjoyment or material possession, is it freedom of choice or a controllable course of life? Is it inner peace & contentment or fellowship & closeness with family? These assets are of course not mutually exclusive, but even finding fair distribution among these assets requires much self- awareness in creating a life worth living.

Here is who I am. Here is what I stand for. When we create reasons for the choices we made, we become authors of our own lives. We are no longer choosing based on reasons that are given to us, but for reasons that are created by us- On par with self-awareness, I believe this is the most important question we should ask ourselves: Who am I to be?

Drifters allow the world to write the stories of their lives, such as mechanism of rewards and punishments, i.e. fear and degree of resistance, how you make hard choices show you who you are.

In Leadership, what is the relationship between leadership & values?

Leadership Principles are Values translated into practice- Your internal Hokulea becomes the guiding star of your organization and its people.

If you have shared values, you have trust. It is like sharing a religion where everyone knows what each other stands for.

Values help you to set standards for leading others. In other words, it helps to shape your leadership principles.

IBM CEO Sam Palmisano: He rounded up all the IBM employees in deciding what IBM’s values should be. In this way, he reinvented the IBM culture.

This morning on Hawaii Public Radio, I learned that 75% of sexual harassment at work is not reported internally. What does this tell us about corporate cultures? As leaders, can we create values that provide safety for everyone at work?

Values help you to set limits on Ethical Boundaries

For example: Infosys founder Narayana Murthy: refused to bribe. In spite of this, he is able to create a successful global corporation that based in India.

The importance of having an internal moral compass is expressed by the example of the Chairman of Huntsman Corp.: On the verge of bankruptcy, Jon Huntsman leaned on the strength of his internal compass, repaid every debt including bondholders’ and refused to declare bankruptcy.

Lastly, our focus on authentic leadership can be clearly seen in the example of David Gergen, Senior advisor for Richard Nixon. The Watergate scandal almost ruined his career but it also taught him the value of authentic leadership.

Align your values with everything you do. Life is short. You only live once.

Reference: Discovering Your true north by Bill George 2015