We can all be good to the core.
I have yet to meet anyone who would say they didn't want to operate from a position of a solid set of values. I think most of us want to be good to the core. On the surface, the concept of values is intellectually easy to understand. And so I assumed, and maybe you do too, that most of us understand and try live by our values.
However, I've found that it is more challenging than it would appear to be on the surface. In leadership workshops all over the world, I have seen the stunning realization people face when they are given a blank sheet of paper and challenged to write down their own core values.
What I have also seen, among very busy people, is that once they begin to think about it - once their inner flame is stoked - they have a natural burning desire to reconnect to their values. They are inspired when they reconnect to their core. And it is good. Very good!
My hope is that you will be challenged to search inside...
- To investigate the real value of knowing your values.
- To indicate your own values
- To integrate your values into the fabric of your life.
In doing so, I hope you become an orchardist who plants seeds of your core values into the culture of your organization.
Most importantly, I hope you will be inspired to truly live your core values.
My intent is to certainly challenge you, but my greater desire is to walk with you through the orchard of your mind, heart and soul on a journey back to the core. I am convinced when we arrive there, you will be exponentially more valuable.
I hope you can simultaneously experience this idea on two different but related perspectives.
First, from a personal perspective: exploring your personal core values. In doing so, you will be more valuable to your family, your community and certainly within the organization in which you work.
Second, from an organizational perspective: thinking about the values that are the fabric of the culture in which you work. Do they exist? How well are they known? How consistently are they lived?
Most importantly, my wish is that you experience a sense of hope, desire and confidence. Values have a way of revealing the truth. As truth would have it - we build value through values.
And the real truth is - We can all be good to the core.
