VALUES > EXCELLENCE > VALUE: The Framework for Being & for Business - Amlesh Ranjan

“Life is a sum of all your choices”. Nobel laureate philosopher, Albert Camus beautifully captured the essence of our time between the two dates in our lives. To start with, what gets chosen for us and then what we keep choosing for ourselves, creates Us, Our Reality & The Destiny.

And, Life operates in one continuum- personal, social and professional run in uniformity and not as separate compartments. Whoever we are in whichever space and situation, we are largely the same and hence, whatever is apt or, applicable in one sphere, stays valid in another. Our sameness holds true for Being as well as for Business.

We, each one of us, have our own definition of happiness and success in life- Sense of Purpose, Quest for Meaning, Loving relationships, Health & Wellbeing, Riches & Possessions, Accomplishments & Progress, Name & Fame, …… the list is endless and hence, it will be helpful if we have a framework for our lives. Michael Dell, the American Billionaire & Philanthropist said, “You don't have to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream”

It is so true, a ‘framework’, is important because on one hand, it gives shape, structure and strength to our plans, dreams, aspirations and on the other, provides the rules, beliefs, ideas for the decisions to do something or, not to do something. Values>Excellence>Value has been my chosen ‘framework’, I invite you to have a look at the same.

VALUES

Mahatma Gandhi, who embodied the highest levels of values, said, “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”.  

Our Values are at the core of our Life and Career. In fact, our foundations are laid on the Values that we inherit and imbibe, right from our birth. Being Values oriented means that -

• We truly and honestly care for every individual in our personal, professional and social life
• We operate with highest levels of Integrity & Solidarity towards the organization and society
• We are completely adherent towards just and fair norms to conduct our roles & responsibilities
• We do not compromise on ethics due to any adverse influence or, succumb to undue pressures
• We do not chase happiness, success, accomplishment or, riches by any dubious / wrong means

As supreme enablers, Values - Generate Respect; Tell Right; Create Trust; Promote Collaboration; Help Decisions; Build Differentiation; Generate Value; Simplify Issues. Values are actually highly facilitative un-complicators, helpful in making things reasonably smooth and relatively easy. 

“Values are the true North for our thoughts and actions, the universal laws for our Being & Business.”

EXCELLENCE

Excellence has been at the core of our evolution as the mother nature has always been transforming itself to its higher and better versions. Therefore, continuous endeavor to excel is physiological and is inherent in each one of us. Vince Lombardi, the successful Coach and Author, wrote, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor”. So, it is about our life and hence, its entirely up to us to choose our thoughts and actions to excel irrespective of the situation.

Sharing a quote attributed to Gautam Buddha, “Excellence can be obtained if you care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible. It’s about going beyond in every sphere of our life with a desire, decision and dedication to excel. As, Aristotle said, “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny”. 

And our first commitment is always to ourselves and that is the beginning of excellence. When we strive towards becoming and being our better selves, excellence happens. When we be and do our best for everyone in our personal, social and professional environment, we attain excellence. When we go beyond and strive higher & harder in any responsibility or, task, excellence is an obvious outcome.

We often confuse Efficiency, Effectiveness & Excellence as one while that is not really the case. Efficiency denotes quantity of efforts; Effectiveness requires that the efforts are well directed and done in a focused way while Excellence means that the focused efforts are being done with the due involvement and quality. Be, with the family or, on the job, if we are fully present with our total self, we rise and so do all around us, excelling, together.     

VALUE

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the Japanese Educationist and Reformer wrote in his book, ‘Open Your Mind, Open Your Life – A Book of Eastern Wisdom’- “Humans cannot create matter. We can, however, create value. Creating value is, in fact, the essence of our humanity. When we praise people for their strength of character, we are actually acknowledging their ability to create value”.

If you think deeply, in every single role that we are playing at any stage or, any sphere of our life, we are expected to add, enhance, create, co-create value for self and others. Value addition/creation can take many forms – emotional, social, knowledge, skill, scientific, economic, well-being, environmental… and not just individuals but the groups and the organizations are in constant endeavor towards preserving or, enhancing the existing value or, creating / cocreating new value.

We are continuously striving for success in our life and career and we keep looking for ways and means for the same. Albert Einstein guided us so well, when he said, “Strive not to be a success, rather to be of Value”. Our Value consciousness is the key, first for our happiness and internal growth and then for our success and progress. When we contribute, not only the desired value but go beyond to keep creating / co-creating the new, the right value, not just success happens, happiness and harmony too follows.

While, I have written Values > Excellence > Value from individual’s perspectives but it is even more applicable to the families, groups and organizations where collective accountabilities to uphold the values, strive towards excellence and onus to create and sustain value is at a much higher level.

Values > Excellence > Value is the framework for Being & Business as, our Values act as the Inspiring Compass, Guiding and Motivating us towards Excellence by doing the Right things, the Right Way at the Right Time, for the Right Reasons for creating the Desired and Everlasting Value.

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Views expressed are personal. Also on Medium as a blogpost.