Why principles and values are important

Thus, it is values that act as the foundation for principles. These principles, which emerge as a belief or rule based on values, can even influence the direction of the whole society. It is values that unconsciously help us to form our individual principles. Values are the foundation to a person character, attitude, perceptive and overall behavior.

An individual always uses values to make decisions about right and wrong. Each individual may have different values. For example, one person will value happiness above all whereas another will value courage and dedication. An individual who has high moral values displays qualities such as honesty, integrity , courage, loyalty, fairness, respect, and compassion.

However, it is also possible for a person to change his values with the passage of time. Their first answer was because they enjoyed being outdoors. When I questioned further they said that the most important thing was getting the time to reflect. Every system and action was analysed by asking why over and over until the primary reason was revealed and the process could be refined. Then, as we delve into our answers we begin to see our principles and values revealed. As we go through this process we will soon see that there are actually many things that we value or that we would agree are good principles.

The key here is working out what are the things that you value the most. For example, you could say that you value making new friends as well as maintaining long-standing relationships. But, if in looking at both these activities you see that you spend a lot more time on one than the other, then arguably that is the one you value the most. Equally, you could say that you value two worthy charities.

But again, the one you give the most money to would probably give a good indication of where your priorities lie. These are simple examples but the principle applies even to more abstract concepts. Loyalty and integrity are both excellent things to value. It might require some careful thought working out which one you prioritise most, but it can be done. There are further exercises in the posts and links below to help you.

You will probably start with quite a long list but it is a worthwhile exercise to drill down to a list of core values for yourself or your organisation. Any more than that and it becomes harder to see how your values differentiate you from other people. If you are an organisation trying to discover, agree and instil values into your workforce it is also hard for people to remember many more than this!

Then, of this shortlist, identify your top two. As you hone down to your core values it can also be useful to use adjectives to really help capture the particular nature of a value. So, for example, you might value of community, but what sort of community? Is it close community, global community, fun community, caring community, inclusive community, or diverse community you are thinking about? Adding the right adjective moves you closer to your unique perspective and combination of values.

There are further exercises and advice on how to identify and refine your values in the post What are your personal values? The process of exploring your values is one worth spending time on. Values are at least as essential as the discovery of our vision and mission. Even our values evolve over time so think of this as a cyclical process, as with other decision making approaches.

Do some thinking, record or communicate your thoughts, and then return to reflect on them again regularly in the future. Once we have identified our values we may not always need to refer to them all the time but they are always there steering us, even if it is just at a subconscious level.

Values are maps that show us the path when we are in crisis. They are our compass in an increasingly complex world. They show us the direction when the going gets tough. The external circumstances around us will always change. What we need is a changeless inner core that will remain the same at any given time. Values help you guide your decisions, actions, and behaviors. They help you keep your feet firmly on the ground when things around you get chaotic.

Values are organic in that sense. Values of some organizations reflect in their mission statements such as employees first, customers second, stakeholders third. When faced with problems, such organizations can use their value statements as a compass to show them the right path, which otherwise would potentially become increasingly difficult with the scale of the problem.

Having such value statements in times of crisis makes it clear but not easy for these organizations to do the right thing. How does the fact that organizations do it this way make it important? When organizations list their values as integrity, honesty, innovation, etc.

Principles are nouns, not verbs. You cannot practice principles. You can only practice values based on correct principles. The problem with using language such as integrity, honesty, innovation, etc.

They govern the consequences of our behaviors. You cannot practice integrity but as a value you can always do the right thing. You cannot practice innovation but you can always see the world from a different perspective. And that is the difference between having values passively and actually practicing them. Having values is part of what makes us human. Although our values are part of what we do, we must not forget that who we are is much greater than what we do.

So how do we find our values? Well, we all have our own values in that we do things because we believe in them. We have values about everything. They will tell you. Our actions uncover our values.