We barely got back from lunch break on the 3rd day of a #sales #leadership training for the managers of one of the leading banks in the country, when I raised the issue of how a leader’s values impact his/her decisions, team & ultimately life.
In the middle of a value clarification exercise, I mentioned that, ‘if a value is really important to you, it ranks high on your priority & you allocate resources to it, especially time.’
This I innocently followed up with an example that, if family ranks high on your priority, then family must get your time & attention. Little did I know I was stepping on the snake’s tale.
“How could you say that?” “We are here because of the family.” Were some of the angry feedback I received. The class was in a brouhaha. In the attempt to regain the calmness, I signalled a lady with a raised hand, & she told a 10 year old story.
“When I joined the bank as a graduate trainee, we had a guy who suddenly stopped coming to work. We were worried & decided to trace him home.”
“We met his grandma who told us we were wrong, because, he’s been going to work. Luckily, he returned home while we were at it.”
“He explained to us that, he doesn’t think he could survive with the culture of the bank. That he couldn’t find the value sync, especially with the way he planned to live his life.”
“So, he let go of a high paying job to earn less than half at a job that fits his value profile. Back then, I couldn’t understand what was wrong with him.”
At the close of this story, the entire class was engulfed by a graveyard silence. No better way to pass the message.
All I said to the suddenly very attentive class was that, the lessons of this story may be more than getting a job.
Dear #leader, here are 6 points for your consideration:
…Since a leader’s values impact his or her life, it’s vital to know what they are & consciously choose them.
…Every value is a prize & has its price(s). If it’s indeed your value, you will bear the cost. So, what’s the cost?
…#Values transcend fancy words like honesty, integrity, love.. Value is what you value. That’s what qualifies it as such. In some cases, It’s something you could be willing to die for.
Family, friendship, adventure, career, leisure, visibility, attention, money, prestige, work, country, ‘me first’, #team & more are also values.
…Your value list is what you say it is. No one has the right to judge your list, just remember that the responsibilities & consequences are also yours, even though the impact could go beyond you.
…Value is not necessarily positive. Some leaders value things that could be inimical even to them in some ways. ‘Me first always’ is a value. The question is whether it serves your end.
…A person’s current situation may not be disconnected from his conscious & unconscious values. To change the situation & direction, value reassessment is vital.
