| Blogging is good for business and this is | | | | speaking, it was wildly successful- but |
| what most companies are turning towards to | | | | because I was not able to keep that business |
| today. It isn't just some crap about putting | | | | and honor my own value of personal freedom. |
| together stored ideas and using keywords in | | | | The nature of the business demanded too much |
| the process. It is about building identity | | | | time and dedication. Once I realized this, no |
| and this is something that has helped in the | | | | amount of money could make me stay. |
| marketing and promotions of most companies | | | | |
| today. | | | | If you are a business owner, your business |
| | | | values are your company's invisible CEOs. |
| Most people who jump ship do so because they | | | | Whether you realize it or not, your values |
| just cannot stay one moment longer at their | | | | help manage every aspect of your business. |
| place of work and honor their own deeply held | | | | They guide your decisions; they help |
| business or career values at the same time. | | | | determine if your business is viable and |
| | | | valuable. When you create a business that is |
| People might be able to happily get by with | | | | in alignment with your values-and when you |
| less money, but they cannot work for long in | | | | bring people on board who are in harmony with |
| a situation that violates a deeply held core | | | | those values-your business has the best |
| value. | | | | chance of meeting your personal and financial |
| | | | goals. |
| Values go beyond beliefs. They are the core | | | | |
| philosophies we hold sacred. People often | | | | How closely your business is aligned with |
| report feeling as though they were born with | | | | your own values, and how closely your |
| these values. | | | | employees' values follow suit, determines the |
| | | | degree to which your business will fly or |
| Every individual has a core set of personal | | | | flop on all fronts. A strong sense of shared |
| values he or she brings to work; every | | | | values allows you to initiate meaningful |
| business has a core set of business values. | | | | actions based on mutual agreement instead of |
| The optimum business situation is when these | | | | spending all your time managing the fallout |
| sets of personal and business values overlap, | | | | caused by not honoring them. |
| blend and morph into what I call shared | | | | |
| values. | | | | Without this shared value, our working |
| | | | relationship would have been doomed from day |
| Whether you are consciously aware of them or | | | | one. With the respect piece missing, we would |
| not,your personal values constitute your | | | | not be happy with their performance and |
| ideals, and shape your being - indeed they | | | | attitude, and they would not be happy trying |
| are your being. And whether you are in | | | | to fit in with us. |
| alignment with them or not-whether you own or | | | | |
| work in a business that reflects them or not | | | | The payoff for consistently knowing and |
| they affect your every thought, word and | | | | acting from this and other shared values was |
| action. | | | | that we enjoyed long term relationships with |
| | | | employees, vendors, clients and customers |
| I am the best example of how values- or | | | | that stretched 25 years or more. We had |
| rather a conflict in personal and business | | | | corporate contracts that lasted 15 and 20 |
| value-helped to shape my behavior and | | | | years, a time period unheard of in the |
| decision-making. I sold my thriving business, | | | | contract dining services industry. |
| not because it was a failure- financially | | | | |