“Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” – Albert Einstein.
The more valuable you are, the more successful you will be. Patrick Lencioni, the author of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” said that developing strong values and sticking to them takes guts, whether this is for your business culture or your personal life.
Personal values are your compass that guides your actions and decisions. So, what is a core value? According to Lencioni, the core values are deeply ingrained principles that guide all your actions. They are your cornerstones. Do not confuse core values with aspirational values. Aspirational values are the ones you are striving to achieve but have not mastered yet.
5 ways to Become a Person of value and Influence.
- Find your passion and purpose.
- Purpose ignites passion which keeps you motivated, inspired, and focused.
- Embrace Personal Development.
- Become a lifelong learner. Personal development is understanding and developing yourself to realize your full potential. It takes time to refine yourself as you seek and strive to learn what to do or learn to become a better person. Your value depends on the value you offer others.
- Choose a problem you can solve for people.
- Become genuinely interested in people to solve a specific problem for them. It might be as simple as connecting with someone else, but that connection is valuable to them.
- Be Authentic.
- Do not try to be someone else… be YOU. Pursue excellence by going beyond the usual and striving for excellence (which is different than perfection).
- Lead with integrity.
- No one is perfect, but integrity is doing the right thing at all times in all circumstances, even when it is not convenient.
When you live your values, you influence others, and that is leadership.
By Cheryl Viola, Executive Director & CEO, Doctoral Candidate