Today’s letter
for the AtoZ Blogging Challenge is ‘V’ for my theme ‘A to Z of Effectiveness’.
You can read more about my theme here. I’m also participating in the NaBloPoMo
for April.
Source |
We often
speak of a person’s core values, referring to his innermost beliefs, on which
his thoughts, speech and actions are based. We might use this word interchangeably
with ‘principles’, the foundation of one’s character. However, Stephen Covey
begs to differ; in his book, ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, he says
that ‘principles are not values’.
Mr. Covey
explains values using an analogy of a map. If you want to reach a certain
destination in Delhi ,
a map of Mumbai is not going to help you, no matter how street smart or
positive you are. Basically, getting the territory right is the first priority;
the map comes later. Going by this analogy, the territory refers to our
principles, the basic truths of human nature. Values, however, are the
maps, which guide us once our principles are sound.
This does not
in any way mean that values are trivial. Values like teamwork and cooperation
are not just useful, but necessary when one is in a team. Although you have to
ensure you’re in the right team! In the right territory, values can help you
navigate unknown terrain, overcome obstacles as well as help others along the
way.
On a personal
level, it helps to set our principles first, before deciding what our values
are. Usually spouses or family members will share the same set of values, as
will the employees of an organization. When everyone is in sync, no one can
stop us from reaching great heights!
5 comments
Love the map analogy. It makes so much sense! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how analogies make things so easy to understand, right? And you're welcome!!
DeleteMy values are clear in my mind. However, they differ from many people nowadays. Great subject.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it, Francene!
Deletewat
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