And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. – Genesis 39:7-10
Do you take decisions? What are the parameters of thought or conduct that guide your decisions? How do those thoughts guide everything you do, including how you relate with others?
Values are the minimum ethical standards that we hold ourselves to when we relate with people or when we need to take everyday decisions, no matter how trivial. Armed with certain values, we wouldn’t do some things, no matter how attractive or tempting, not because they are illegal, but because our sense of morality as dictated by our core values do not permit us to. Values are different from character. Character has to with our everyday behaviour or conduct. Values underpin such behaviour. When an organization holds values sacrosanct, it will never hire talent above character. Rather, it would prefer to hire a person of integrity whose skills can be developed than a person with intimidating intellectual credentials but who habitually shifts the goalpost in the middle of the game!
If the vision is a train headed towards a destination, values are the rails that guide that train to its destination. A deviation from it is tantamount to derailment which could totally sidetrack it or prevent it from ever achieving its desired objective. Sometimes, there will be bends and gradients along the path. But as long as the train stays on the track, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will get to its destination.
Value are the standards to which we first hold ourselves and eventually expect others to hold us to. We choose our values and those values eventually shape our outcomes. Our values determine our daily disciplines. They set our focus, our priorities, our relationships, our diet and generally, our daily routine. Disciplines are the decisions dictated by our predetermined destination. Therefore, discipline without a decided purpose is nothing but needless punishment. If I abstain from a certain behaviour or decision, there must be a “why” that is compelling enough for me to sacrifice an option that may even, on the face value, appear more attractive.
There are two dimensions to values. The first deals with core values. Whether at personal or corporate levels, these values are at the very centre of our functions, individual or corporate. They are the minimum, unchanging standards that we hold ourselves to. Corporate organizations usually display their Mission and Values Statements boldly in their Reception area or in their various offices. Unfortunately, because of limited permeability throughout the establishment, very few of such organizations, especially in the face of pressure, ever remain faithful to those tenets.
Any conduct that flies in the face of core values is a betrayal of operational ethos. The other type of values are peripheral values. These have to do with certain compromises we can make if they don’t violate our core values.
If our vision indicates “what” we desire to do or achieve, our core values define “how” we want to do it. Our integrity quotient is anchored on the core values that guide our operations and daily decisions. This becomes especially important as we seek to create interactions and partnerships in a collective. In business, our core values will drive or entire production process and determine the behavioural parameters we intend to adopt to deliver value to the customer. Where the values are kept constantly in view and consistently expressed, we will be careful about how we want the customer to perceive us by our words, and thus determine what his experience will be with our product. This is what shapes brand integrity. When Enron, Worldcom, Arthur Anderson, Cadbury (Nigeria), Haliburton and a few others like them allowed a disconnect between their core values and their actual operations, they paid dearly for it. Some of them did not recover from the attandant fall.
Without clear core values, it is impossible to create a solid company culture. Culture is a product of beliefs and norms that enable cohesive and conducive function in a collective. Where there are no grey areas when it comes to the expression of core values, everyone in the collective is enabled to make autonomous (not independent) and confident decisions that are in line with desired collective outcomes. With values clearly stated, decisions become easy to make as they are anchored on the answers our values provide to the questions of Who we are and who we really care about, What we desire to do for or with them and How we should conduct ourselves as we pursue the delivery of intended value.
The words we speak, the company we keep, the way we relate with others, as well as the processes of our operation in a corporate environment are all reflections of our core values.
Our core values are generally products of our deepest moral convictions which arise out of our belief system. Whether we know it or not, we are products of our belief systems. This means that we all operate on certain core values which may not be clearly stated but which undergird all our decisions, good or bad.
To live the 10-star quality life and to enjoy the best outcomes from your decisions and relationships, you must DELIBERATELY think constantly about, and write down your core values. If you desire to evolve and grow, always hold yourself to the higher standards of conduct and decisions dictated by your core values. Everyone wants do business with someone who has integrity even if they themselves are dubious. Trust is a commodity that the world seems to be having an incremental deficit of on a daily basis. Consequently, even a robber would prefer to keep the money he stole in a bank than under his bed at home!
It is appropriate to warn here that not everyone will share your values. Some may believe that you are stupid. I am sure that some other slaves in Potiphar’s house would have jumped at the opportunity that Joseph as cited above, turned away from. After all, how often does the master’s wife look favourably upon a slave to the point of wanting to take him to bed! What Joseph, because of his core values saw as temptation, someone else would have seen as opportunity for advancement of status.
Crisis brings out the best and the worst in all of us and is the litmus test of our deepest moral convictions. The stronger your values are, the more likely you will be tempted to abandon them, especially when faced with a crisis.
When the lights are out and the curtains are drawn, who are you? Your core values hold the answer!
Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!
and then