Values
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Value
Personal Source
with Examples
Justify the Values Position in the List. Include any challenges to employing these values consistently when making personal and organizational decisions.
Integrity
From my experience, those that value integrity have a true understanding of their beliefs and consistently base their decision making on these values. This is an important quality to have because people are looking to follow a leader.
I have grown up with a belief that any form of stealing is wrong. I had to apply these beliefs while working for at Loews Theatre several years ago. If an item had been found in the theatre it was up for grabs. The employees had created a finders keepers culture. One afternoon while I was cleaning with a male employee, a wallet was found in between some seats. He immediately opened the wallet to see if there was any money inside. I demanded that the employee leave the money alone and gave him permission to check for a license. He was stunned and said we could split the large amount of money and no one would know. It was tempting, everyone did it, but it was not the right thing to do. I would not steal from my fathers wallet and I was not going to steal from this person. Within an hour a lady came into the theatre asking if anyone had found a wallet. She was thrilled to find everything in tact and gave us a reward to split. It was important to rely on my belief system despite the company culture.
The famous motto stand up for what is right even if you are standing alone comes to mind when I think of a person of integrity. I placed this as my highest value because a person that has integrity upholds many strong beliefs. Personal and work related decisions are consistent with one another. Values are never compromised in difficult situations. People of integrity are known to be leaders, and many can benefit from their example.
This is not easy role to fulfill. In business a lot is a stake for a person of integrity. Workers are put in positions daily that go against their values. A manager may ask for a worker to lie on a report or to work on a religious Sabbath. There may be many sacrifices made in order to defend principles.
Honesty
As the saying goes, honesty is the best policy. I have found that everyone benefits from being honest. My automotive mechanic just told me that it is time to start looking for another vehicle; my car may die in a day or in a year. Immediately after hearing the news I went to a dealership to test drive a car. While I was there I saw an acquaintance that was interested in a hybrid car. In the parking lot she explained that she needed to find a vehicle that would get great gas mileage. I agreed that the car would be great on gas but I had heard that some maintenance on the car was quite expensive. I continued to tell her that to replace a battery would cost thousands. She was shocked and immediately turned to the salesman and asked why he did not disclose that information. He looked at her and said she did not ask him about it. She is retired and cannot afford this type of cost when the problem arises. The salesman could have clearly stated the pros and cons of the car and let her make an informed decision. From withholding that information and being dishonest, trust was lost in the business relationship.
I placed honesty as my second highest value because in all situations, being honest with myself and others in personal or business matters is very important. All true relationships are built on honesty. Accurate business decisions can only be made with correct information which relies on honest communication.
There are challenges faced by placing honesty as a high value. In personal relationships, telling a friend the truth can be hurtful, especially when it is not something they want to hear. In a business situation it may be difficult to uphold this value because a sale may be lost as a result of revealing the whole truth about a product.
Respect
Respect should be given to everyone despite who they are or their actions. In June our conference has a week long event called Camp Meeting. During Camp Meeting we have worship services and seminars throughout each day. We plan this event for five language groups, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. Each language group has a facility very close to one another, some on our property and others in nearby churches. Thousands come and we are outgrowing our grounds and facilities. As a result our conference had to start thinking of different ways to campus this event. Leadership decided to go to church districts and present the solutions they had come up with to the members, and then pole what each language group liked best. The idea in theory sounds fair, however, administrators did not consider the needs of each group. A representative went to four districts and held the meetings in English speaking churches and also conducted the meetings in English. If they really wanted the opinions of Chinese, French, Hispanic and Portuguese church members, why did they not have a meeting in their churches and present the information in their language? They should have catered to each language group. As a result, the majority that attended the meetings were from English speaking churches. Administration complained that not all groups came to the meetings, and they also did not understand why the groups were not happy with their decision. By handling the situation in this manner, we insulted the members, making some feel that they were beneath others. In a staff meeting I asked why they had set up the meetings in that manner and no one would answer. Administration was disrespectful and made our organization look racist.
Our environment is made up of people that are different from one another; no two faces are the same. We vary in gender, age, race, religion, work profession, sexual preference, language, and political party. With this diversity comes the need for respect. I placed this value high because it is an issue I deal with everyday. I see the need society has for respect. Turn on the news and they will probably broadcast a story on work discrimination or hate crimes. The reason I placed this value under honesty is because if a person is honest about their views, even if I do not agree with them, at least I know where they stand and can act accordingly.
In decision making we must remember to be open minded to others opinions and views. Decision making can be improved by embracing our differences. The challenge