CORE VALUES & PURPOSE

Are You Living Authentically?

As individuals and in our businesses and organizations, we have the God-given potential to be great! But we settle for a lot less. It’s possible that we don’t achieve greatness - or fulfillment - because we lack a sense of purpose and we're operating "off-center" - out of alignment with our core values.

As individuals, a sense of purpose stems from a clear understanding of our unique gifts and calling. Understanding how we are made is key to discovering what we’re made to do. Every person is unique and singular. They possess a gift that no one else possesses and their responsibility – and greatest joy – is to identify and activate it. To be most effective, we must work to develop and capitalize on strengths instead of merely (and futilely) trying to “fix” our weaknesses.

A compelling vision or purpose is also at the core of all great companies. Individuals and organizations must take a journey of self-exploration to discover core talents - what they can do best - and to find what ignites their passions.

Being clear on your values is essential to exemplary living and leadership. In "The Leadership Challenge," authors Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner write, "Values influence every aspect of our lives: our moral judgments, our responses to others, our commitments to personal and organizational goals. Values set the parameters for the hundreds of decisions we make every day." Our quality of life is directly related to the degree to which our actions are aligned with our values.

Values are a critical success factor for organizations as well. In their book, "Hidden Value," Charles O'Reilly and Jeffrey Pfeffer note that the successful companies they studied had the following in common:

A set of shared values that acted as a foundation for everyone in the company,
A strong alignment and consistency in the people-centered practices that expressed these core values and,
The ability of leaders to ensure that the values were maintained and constantly made real to employees.

The direction an organizational community chooses to go is inseparable from the shared values and beliefs of its members.

“Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life. Everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus everyone’s task is as unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.” – Viktor Frankl