What Are Core Values and How Do Yours Inform Your Worklife?

Core values are the fundamental beliefs, principles, and ethical standards that guide a person’s actions and decisions. They define what is important and provide a sense of purpose and direction. Understanding our own core values and how they impact our decisions and how we interact with others is critically important to understanding how we approach our daily lives and why we make the choices we make.

In the workplace, that means understanding how we react to others, how we manage employees, and why workers who feel the organization’s policies and expectations run counter to their core values suffer “moral injury.”

InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan invited his business coach, Brett Morris, to sit down for a chat to learn what a core value is, why they are non-negotiable, why our core values are unique to us, what happens when our core beliefs are in conflict with those of other people, and what happens when we believe someone has violated our core values.

What Is a Core Value?

For the purposes of this discussion, Morris focuses on personal core values. Certainly, organizations have (or should have!) core values. The difference between personal and business core values: a company’s values are chosen. The management team members debate and discuss and develop a mission statement and a list of values the company promises to follow.

Personal core values, on the other hand, are not chosen. There is no debate. They simply are.

“They are a perspective each of us has that is unique to us. They are so much who we are that we don’t even see them or know them as core values. It’s just the way the world is,” Morris says.

“We all go through life thinking we’re fair and objective, that we give everybody the benefit of the doubt. But hardly any of us realize we’re experiencing the whole world through this lens of core values that are unique to us,” he say. “So we have blind spots around them, but they dictate secretly, even to ourselves, what’s important to us and what we think should be important to other people.”

Why are Core Values Non-Negotiable?

Throughout our lives, we will deal with people who believe differently from us. If that difference involves something that is not core to who we are, we can try to negotiate some central ground. But if the conflict runs counter to a core value, compromise is not an option.

”I had an experience when I was very young where I saw something and I said, ‘That is not fair.’ So that core value got hardwired into who I am,” Morris says. When he sees something that he considers to be unfair it is “very painful for me to compromise,” he says. He simply has to fix it.

“Any logical person has these non-negotiables. They are clearly defined right and wrong for each of us.” When something runs counter to those core beliefs, “it’s time to throw a fit.”

How Are Our Core Values Unique to Us?

Even when we share core values — adaptability, altruism, candor, dependability, hard work, etc. — how each of us interprets a core value can vary widely.

Consider Morris’ core value of fairness. His colleague, Marlene, also names fairness as one of her core values. But they interpret the concept very differently.

“Mine is justice,” Morris says. When he sees something he believes is unfair, he wants to right that wrong.

Marlene, however, interprets fairness as making sure everyone feels like they are being treated equitably.

“We have the same title of that core value, but we experience and express it differently,” he says.

What Happens When Our Core Values Conflict?

It can present challenges when one person’s core values conflict with someone else’s personal values.

“Back to my colleagues,” Morris says. “Marlene’s got this core value of fairness, so everything is equitable all around. Her husband has a core value of freedom. That shows up as, ‘Hey, do what you’ve got to do to make yourself happy.’ And he might be less observant of somebody getting their toe stepped on than Marlene. So those two have this constant tug of war on those two core values.”

A bigger challenge is when a person holds two core values that would appear to be in conflict with one another. For example, an executive might have the core values of security and risk-taking. The core value of security means that the person will move forward very carefully while the core value of risk-taking suggests exactly the opposite.

Because people cannot hold two core values that are in conflict “we make it work in our own mind,” he says. For example, that person might convince himself that he has to take risks to be secure.

What Happens When There is a Perceived Violation of Our Set of Core Values?

The key word here is “perceived,” Morris says. That’s because no other person can violate your core values. But you can “perceive” that someone has.

“I have a core value of respect. I know logically that no one has ever disrespected me. But from time to time, my perception is, ‘Hey, I was disrespected.’ We observe the world, and something happens, and we make up a story about it. But most people are out there just doing whatever they’re doing, and from time to time, that’s going to have a negative impact on somebody else.”

Morris recommends that people purposefully think through and make a list of their core values. Doing that gives you the self-awareness needed to understand that you are observing your life experiences through the lens of your core values.

Most people go through life measuring everyone else by their standards of behavior. If people live up to those standards, they are right and good. If they don’t live up to those standards, they are bad and wrong, Morris says.

“We’ve all had this thought in our head at least once in our life: If everyone would just be like me, everything would be fine. That is the universal view of core values.”

Examples of Core Values for Executives:

Some common core values for executives:

• Integrity: Doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
• Accountability: Taking responsibility for decisions and outcomes.
• Transparency: Communicating openly and honestly.
• Innovation: Embracing new ideas and encouraging creativity.
• Collaboration: Fostering teamwork and collective problem-solving.
• Respect: Valuing diverse perspectives and treating people with dignity.
• Excellence: Striving for high standards in all aspects of work.
• Sustainability: Considering the long-term impact of business decisions on the environment, society, and economy.

How Core Beliefs Affect Executives in the Workplace:

• Decision-Making: Executives’ decisions are often influenced by their core values. For example, an executive who values innovation might prioritize investing in new technologies over maintaining traditional practices.
• Leadership Style: Core values shape an executive’s leadership approach. An executive who values accountability may set clear expectations for team performance and ensure there are consequences for underperformance.
• Company Culture: By modeling their core values, executives influence the behavior and attitudes of employees. For example, if an executive places a high value on transparency, they might establish regular communication practices that foster openness throughout the organization.
• Employee Engagement and Trust: If executives are seen as consistent in upholding their values, employees are more likely to feel motivated and aligned with the company’s mission.
• Ethical Decision-Making: Core values, especially those focused on ethics (like integrity and respect), guide executives through complex situations that require moral judgment. This is critical in managing corporate social responsibility, compliance with regulations, or responding to crises.
• Reputation and Brand: Executives who consistently demonstrate their core values can significantly impact the organization’s reputation, both internally and externally. A commitment to sustainability, for example, may help enhance a company’s public image, attract top talent, and appeal to socially conscious customers.

Examples of Executives Managing in Line with Their Personal Values

• Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft: Nadella emphasized the core values of empathy, growth mindset, and collaboration in transforming Microsoft’s culture. His leadership helped shift the company from a competitive, siloed environment to one where cross-functional teams work together toward common goals, empowering a more inclusive and innovative culture.
• Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks: Schultz built Starbucks on core values such as respect for diversity, social responsibility, and the commitment to ethical sourcing. His leadership demonstrated how a focus on values could not only drive business success but also create a positive social impact, leading to strong brand loyalty.
• Patagonia’s leadership: Patagonia’s executives have built the company on core values of environmental sustainability, activism, and ethical business practices. Their commitment to these values has made Patagonia a leader in corporate social responsibility, and it has influenced other companies to adopt similar values.

Read More:

• Discover Your Unique Leadership Style
• What Is an Interim Executive & Is It the Right Answer for Your Company?

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