Ever know someone who just drove you crazy? I mean REALLY drove you crazy? I have a friend who is a car guy.
He loves cars and really values every inch of them.
His wife was blown away one day after they were first married when she saw him out washing his car and watched him meticulously scrubbing the tires.
She had never seen such a thing before.
To her, scrubbing the tires was like washing the bottom of a person's shoes.
In her mind, there simply was no point because they would instantly just get dirty again the minute the car moved three feet! But as she watched her husband carefully scrub those tires and then give them a nice coat of something to make them shiny she began to see and understand his value system; attention to detail, thoroughness, ownership, and excellence.
And he valued his car as part of something that he earned and so he didn't mind taking the time to care for it.
It also gave her some insight into why he had previously freaked out one day when she had hopped up on the hood of his car to have a chat with him.
This was something she did as a child all the time and her Dad didn't mind at all.
But to her husband, her action stomped on his values.
Not necessarily the value of the car but his personal value system; there is a difference.
She also saw this value transfer into other areas of his life as he gave the same care and attention to their home and his career.
But would she have truly understood all this if she hadn't taken the time to understand exactly why he cleaned those tires? Doubtful.
In that case he would have probably just have become "That crazy guy who scrubs his tires!" Now, values can certainly change.
When we have new experiences such as getting married, having children, or becoming a business owner; our values shift.
They will not disappear, the simply move up and down what I call the "value scale.
" Values are our personal blueprint, they are not ethics or morals, they are not social influences, they are not right or wrong and they are not better or worse than someone else's values.
They are what is important to us, on a visceral level.
And we all have our own values blueprint.
How does this affect your business? More than you would think! I have found that conflicts between business partners and even client relationships can be greatly affected by the underlying values people may have.
The conflict arises for one simple reason: someone's values were stomped on, ignored, or dismissed.
Why? Because we make the mistake of believing that everyone should have the same values that we have! And we actually think that our values are better than theirs! Clarifying your values is critical for success in business.
Understanding and honoring the values of the people around you is what makes you a greater success.
Values are a keystone component of my business and two of them "Being a life-long learner" and "Seeing the silver lining" are actually part of every decision I make and every action I take in my business now and in future.
If you haven't clarified and WRITTEN DOWN your values, then you are not going to achieve the success you could in your business; or in any relationship for that matter.
YOUR ACTION PLAN FOR THE WEEK: 1.
Educate yourself on what values truly are 2.
Write down your values 3.
Ask your business partner or team members to write down there values 4.
Have a discussion about your newfound "values blueprint" There is so much more to know about values and how they affect your business environment.
Need help clarifying your values? That's what I am passionate about.
I can help.