In a recent program we were doing an exercise to help everyone in the room discover their personal values. If you are not connected to and living your life based on a set of values how can you connect to, live, and lead through an organization’s set of values? I asked everyone to identify 5 hero’s and then list the characteristics of those heroes that they admired. This is the starting point for discovering what is import to you, what you value, and how you aspire to live your life.
One gentleman asked me a question, “Do you have to like your hero?” I didn’t want to get into a political debate with him in the room, but this is the correct answer. If you don’t like someone, why don’t you like them? And why would you want to be like them. There is a right way to do things and a wrong way. And the ends never justify the means. If you’re basing your values on someone you don’t like, then maybe you’re identifying the wrong values. And the wrong values will never lead you to the right path and the right results.
