Know What You Value to Compete and Win

I've talked a lot in this blog about how your wants are synonymous with your values. What is it you want? What is it that you long for? Answer that and you will find the answer to a similar question: what is it that you value?

I've previously blogged about how wants are often not identified by knowing what you think ought to happen. Wants and values are not abstract ideas. The values we learned as youngsters were often imposed on us -- lofty, external concepts that may not have emerged from our own experience.

Your wants are not identified by looking at the ideas you learned. They are learned by understanding your vision for the future.

To be clear: following your own longings doesn't mean ignoring what is good for society. Usually, they are one and the same. But the order of operations matters. You must take that key step of identifying your longings first. Spend time percolating in your visions, your wishes, and your fantasies. You will likely find that your personal drives correlate closely to the greater good. Why? Because moving toward the good often gives us exactly what we crave: closeness, community, safety, respect, and an environment where talent can grow.

Christians in this time of year are seeing the darkness in our cultures and communities. And working toward living into the hope of new life. They are living into their wants. Their wants are a better community for their children. Better education, safer streets, better drinking water, less disease. A corporate culture where individual skills can be used fully, where people are encouraged to show up with their hidden talents to the service of the group.

All those new realities sound nice. Just as your personal values sound nice. But getting to them is hard work. And hard work takes passion. And you can't have passion unless you are tied into that which lights you up.

I believe that is why Howard Thurman said: "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." 1

So we start our work, by you naming your values. Again, values simply stated are what do you want? What lights you up? What is it that you are willing to fight for? What are you driven to accomplish. Once you identify your passions you will know your connection point. Your will know where to put your shoulder into the work.

Kindness and ethical leadership are sometimes considered soft and in opposition to competition and winning. But, leaders who are clear on what they want and moving toward creating an organization that aligns with what they value is the competitive champion. When you are present and able to listen because you are clear on what lights you up your organization lights up due to trust. The creative spirit that is nestled in the most technically sound experts emerges with ideas that are patentable. The salesperson who is in front of customers listens for new problems to solve and uncovers unthinkabout new revenue opportunities. Employee costs go down because stress is reduced and output increases. Customers gravitate to an organization that listens to them. and are willing to pay more for product that is truly better. Knowing what you value, and your approach that results from that, empowers you and the organization to compete much more effectively.

Kindness and ethical leadership are sometimes dismissed as 'soft' -- perceived as obstacles to competition and winning. But the leader who is clear on what they want, and moves toward creating an organization that aligns with those values, becomes a competitive champion.

When you are clear on what lights you up, you are able to be present and truly listen. Because of your approach, the organization grows in trust. And within that trust the creative spirit nestled in your most technically sound experts emerges with ideas that are patentable. The salesperson, no longer rushing, listens for new customer problems and uncovers untapped revenue opportunities. Employee costs go down because stress is reduced, and output increases. Customers gravitate toward an organization that listens to them, and they are often willing to pay more for a product that is truly better.

Knowing what you value isn't a distraction from business success; it is the foundation that empowers you to lead and your organization to compete most effectively.

1. Thurman, Howard. “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Gil Bailie had a conversation with Howard Thurman and recounted Thurman's words in this book: Violence Unveiled: Humanity at the Crossroads, by Gil Bailie, Crossroad, 1996,