Values
Source: https://blog.colinbreck.com/understanding-our-core-values-an-exercise-for-individuals-and-teams/
Before I start: I did the exercise. I identified my two core values as Harmony and Efficiency. I’ll explore these a bit later and explain what they mean to me and why.
However, I do want to discuss why I disagree with Colin’s sentiment that this exercise is 100% helpful on an individual and team level. Though I do think that he has a good point in that value identification is something that many people haven’t taken the time for and that sharing these results with the people around you helps foster community and support, I don’t fully think that having leaders incorporate this exercise into their teams is always a good idea. In many of the self-identification exercises or strength surveys or anything like it I’ve done over the years learning to be a professional, I’ve always thought that adding the element of pressure isn’t a great idea–somewhat along the lines of the idea of “learn about yourself or lose your job/fail this assignment/[insert negative alternative here].” Adding these negative consequences as an incentive against failing to identify someone’s values seems counterproductive and pressuring, and I can assume that these can lead toward false or less correct results than if this process were initiated naturally. Though this isn’t always the case, not everyone truly wants to explore the inner parts of their mind, and I really don’t think they should be forced to do so.
Additionally, I think learning about oneself through natural or spontaneous processes is far more effective at truly understanding personal values. Life experiences are far more effective at teaching yourself who you are than looking at a list of 100 value-related buzzwords and being like “ah yes this describes me.” Further, I think people are more likely to choose values that they feel comfortable outwardly displaying rather than choosing values they agree with depending on the setting. If my manager asks me to do this exercise, I am far more likely to choose teamwork related values over anything else if I want my manager and my coworkers to respect me more, even if I value working by myself and having alone time far more than working with others.
Anyways, I’ll stop ranting and actually talk about myself. I’ve gone through the process of understanding myself in the past, so this exercise didn’t take any strenuous mental energy or anything.
First – Harmony. In recent years, I’ve found that I value harmonious interactions between others, and I am becoming increasingly hyper-aware of the raw amount of discord between others. This has been something I’ve been especially aware of in regards to the changing nature of politics and my greater awareness of how people think about others in regards to this. I won’t argue that people should always agree, but I think more would be accomplished if people spent less energy insulting each other for being different or having a different opinion.
Second – Efficiency. I find that inefficient processes pain me a lot. This is most present in my interactions with people in video games, though I find that efficiency also affects other parts of my life, like navigation or work or even picking food to order at a restaurant. I am frequently the first person in a setting to try and find a better way to do something and to point out to others when I know a more efficient way to do something.
I think both of my values are helpful in a team setting, but I don’t think broadcasting these values to my team through anything except my actions is that necessary. I can lead by example and show what I value by example with far more effect that through my words.