The same is true in your career or business.
We have all been at the crossroads of stability vs happiness in all aspects of our lives. Have you ever heard someone say, ‘As soon as I start earning more money, I’ll be happier’ or ‘As soon as I pay off ___ I’ll be in a much better situation’. Have you ever thought like this yourself?
There are plenty of people who make good money so they can meet all their needs, but at the end of the day, they are unhappy and stressed out. Working long hours and being a high achiever at work can be great for your finances and help accelerate your progress towards your goals, but if you don’t like what the company stands for and it grates at you every day it can be horrible for your health and your outlook on life. If you aren’t doing work that you love, enjoy, and take pride in, you run the risk of dealing with health issues and feeling depressed.
Values are a major motivating force for people because they categorize how we attach meaning, worth, and importance to things. When a person’s values are matched, they feel complete and satisfied. If values are not met, there is a sense of dissatisfaction, unease, or incongruity.
What are your core values, and why are they important to consider when evaluating your career options or life choices? Your core values are principles that you find desirable, important, or even essential. An alignment between your career or relationships and your core values produces satisfaction, a sense of happiness and fulfillment. A misalignment might not be noticed at first. A new job is exciting and you gear up to be a part of the ethos of a group of people that you think fits nicely with who you are. The company bio seemed to align with what you wanted but more often than not the actual business practices are not what is advertised on their ‘About’ page and you find yourself changing who you are to fit in and keep your job.
According to social science researcher, Brene’ Brown, “Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us. One of the biggest surprises in this research was learning that fitting in and belonging are not the same thing. In fact, fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be in order to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.”
The trick is finding a company that fits your integrity and core values. Integrity is important for businesses and individuals alike. Business ethics are the code of morals adopted by an organization, representing the values the company runs on. Every stakeholder who interacts with the organization — including clients, customers, suppliers, employees, and shareholders — will be affected by these morals. That’s why it’s so important for a business to have clear ethical standards.
According to Saundra Loffredo of Insidehighered, work core values are typically broken into three types:
- Intrinsic values are related to the intangibles about the career. These are the values that motivate you and help you feel fulfilled. Examples of intrinsic values are giving back to society and expressing your creativity.
- Extrinsic values relate to the tangible rewards derived from your career and your work environment. Some examples of extrinsic values are pay, working as part of a team, and providing influence.
- Lifestyle values. Lifestyle values are a type of second-tier value. What you do for a career and where your work produces a certain type of lifestyle. The type of lifestyle you desire can help complete the picture of what you value. A few examples of lifestyle values include living in a big city, traveling extensively, and living simply.
At Trangistics we live and work by a very clear set of core values and because of that, we retain our workforce, clients, and accounts. Simply put, that’s how we roll. As a corporation, we make intentional choices that shape our own culture. We have worked hard to create a team with a shared sense of purpose and motivation. There is a direct line between our core values and the satisfaction of working within a smooth-running business and unified culture.
We believe that when you operate with integrity it builds trust which reduces barriers and enables more quality wins leading to more revenue. Trust makes an individual feel freedom to make the right choice and it provides structure that is not stifling. The results are a win for both the company and the employee or agent.
Flexibility enables a better work-life balance and organizations that provide a flexible lifestyle have more satisfied employees and agents in turn develop better relationships with their contacts. Offing flexible scheduling, time off, and other programs geared toward a sustainable work-life balance creates an atmosphere that people want to stay in which keeps consistency and strength in the company.
Companies that think outside the box with respect to core values have seen increased productivity in their teams. There is a shared sense of accomplishment in the process of developing an idea or concept that is novel and/or identifies unique solutions, which in turn provides value not found in a closed-minded organization.
Every company faces complex situations but it’s how they get around barriers that make them stand out for the good or the bad from their competitors. Non-rational decision making is common in most organizations so how you make decisions in those important moments can lead to wins and showcase unique value to your team.
Putting time into developing long lasting solid relationships with your clients earns their respect every day and reduces hurdles to generating easier revenue. Building trust and respecting someone’s time will go a long way in establishing a working relationship. These ideas seem simple but you’d be surprised how often they are broken:
- Promptly returning phone calls.
- Promptly replying to emails and thoroughly addressing all points raised.
- Keep appointments.
- Promptly getting back in touch with any follow-up items promised.
- Regularly communicate progress made toward an established deadline (this is a great way of demonstrating you’re always thinking of the client and it keeps the client up to speed in case others ask them about status).
When we share and learn from successes and failures there is growth. Every time you make a choice in life, even non-choices, you are taking a risk. Use past success and failure experience to inform the present and positively influence the future.