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One thing that stuck out this year was... getting back to basics and a session that highlighted, what I refer to as, core values. Getting back to basics is certainly not anything new. I used in coaching little league baseball, street hockey and at work... just get back to the basics. Getting back to basics is easy, especially when you exercise a set of core values to work or play by. Several years ago, I assembled a set of core values I expected my staff to work and live by. I hope not only to share them with you here, but hope you take them, tweak them for your own situation and share them with others. I think the world we live, work and play in would be a better place if we did.
Our Core Values
Our philosophy is based on how we react to the winds that blow upon us…
and then upon setting the sail to better thinking
Work Passionately
We must understand and believe work is a calling. You must use the unique gifts and talents you were given and have obtained so that they are to be used to their fullest extent possible. Our goal is to align people with positions where they are qualified and where they can use their strengths with passion. We will make changes as often as necessary to match skills with needs. Other than the formal annual performance ratings, our work is measured by two things:Work Passionately
- Motives: "Whatever you do, do your work heartily as if it is for those which we care and love for most." By believing our attitude is to be one of serving the one we care about most through serving our customers, our coworkers, and our management. This means the mere outward appearance of service is not enough. We are to do our best no matter who is looking on.
- Quality: "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men." We believe the quality of our work matters, not merely our attitude. We are to create things of the same high quality as any master craftsman would.
Practice Good Stewardship
We are entrusted with a stewardship responsibility to use our resources well. We are faithful and diligent to increase the value of management's investment in us and return great value for what they put in. Customers and coworkers have also trusted us with their success and growth, and we shall go out of our way to exceed the expectations they have for us. In exchange for our efforts, we are given the reward of further responsibility and growth.
Practice Humility
We are a group of people with very diverse talents, and we all have limitations that we can't overcome without help. We all understand we need each others' help in order to be successful. None of us is self-sufficient. We owe even our personal successes to the actions of others, whether it is a customer willing to wait, a manager willing to hire, or a skill we have been given. This eliminates arrogance and gives us a right understanding of our strengths and weaknesses.
Exercise Self-Control
We have the ability to control our actions. We use discretion in determining what our options are and wisdom in choosing the right words or actions. We choose our words and our actions carefully as people of deep personal character.
Accept Responsibility
We accept criticism graciously as a means of growth. When the problem is our fault, we admit it and roll up our sleeves to make things right. Many problems are not our fault, but determining blame doesn't help us fix the problem. We take personal responsibility even if we didn't cause the problem because it is more important to fix the problem than it is to determine who to blame.
Acknowledge the Contribution of Others
Our successes are the last leg in a relay race involving many people within our workplace. When we succeed, we make sure to acknowledge the people and events that contributed to our success. We share the podium because we would not have succeeded without others.
Treat Each Person with Respect
Each person, whether a customer or coworker, deserves to be treated as a person, not merely an object. We don't use people. We don't manipulate people in order to get things we want. We treat people as having inherent worth and dignity, whether they are in the same position as we are or not, and whether they are a new person with entry level skills or the person leading our division. We use our strengths as a means of serving others, not as an excuse for disrespect.
Work as a Team
Our customers don't know who is individually responsible when something goes right or goes wrong. The contribution of each person is required in order to benefit our customers and succeed as an organization. Each person's work is only as good as its contribution to the whole. We have to work as a team to succeed. Responding to or taking calls for help from our customers is each persons paramount responsibility, regardless of position.
Uphold Management & Leadership
Managers are to set an example for others by upholding the core values. They are also to serve others by helping them to succeed, both personally and organizationally. Because of this, we take managers seriously, both in whom we choose and in the respect we show toward to them. Our managers are to be respected for the position of responsibility they hold. We don't try to go around our managers or team leaders, or undermine them in order to get things done the way we want. We uphold the structures of accountability and confidentiality that ensure our concerns are heard without undermining our managers' authority. Management is a position some hold. Leadership is an action all can take.
Act with Integrity
We have been chosen for our positions because of our integrity as well as our skills and abilities. We take the trust we have been given seriously and ensure that personal information stays personal and confidential company data stays confidential. This holds true whether we are dealing with our co-workers, our customers, our partners, or others.
Benefit the Customer
We are here to serve our customers, not the other way around. It's our job to understand our customers' needs and help them reach their goals. The answer is not always "no". Look for possibilities and opportunities to meet customers needs while also meeting the directives and mandates. Find alternatives.
Tell the Truth
Nothing we could gain is worth sacrificing our honesty. We speak only the truth regardless of whom we are talking to, what is at stake, or where the conversation takes place.
Speak the Truth with Love & Compassion
We go directly to the person and speak honestly and openly about what we think, where we disagree, and areas where each other could grow. We don't talk behind someone's back. However, it is not enough simply to speak the truth. We speak the truth with an aim toward the person's benefit, both their personal benefit and their benefit to the company. Speak with compassion.
Help Others Accomplish Their Goals
We are privileged that our fellow employees have chosen to work within this division to help us reach our objectives. We want to return the favor by having the same ambition for others' goals as we do for our own. We do this through getting to know each person as an individual with distinct objectives, helping directly where we can, and getting others the resources, training, and development they need. We want our fellow employees to get closer to their goals both at work, in their lives and careers.Please feel free to share, modify and use where you work. Post a comment to let us know what you changed to make it work for you.
