Personal Growth: Your Values, Your Life

Are you living your life in accordance with your values?

Your values form the foundation of your life. They dictate the choices you
make and determine the direction that your life takes. Your values will
influence your decisions related to your relationships, career, and other activities
you engage in. Despite this importance, few people choose their values.
Instead, they simply adopt the values of their parents and the dominant values
of society. In all likelihood, the values that you internalized as a child remain
with you through adulthood (yes, in some cases, people reject the values of
their upbringings). Unfortunately, these values may also have created a life
that is carrying you down a path that is not the direction you want to go at this
point in your life.

What were the values you were raised with? What values are you presently
living in accordance with? Are they the same or different? Do your values
bring you happiness? These are essential questions that you must ask if you
are to find meaning, happiness, success, and connection in your life. Yet,
finding the answers to these questions is a challenge and then changing them
in a way that will lead to fulfillment is an even greater challenge.

Deconstructing Your Values

To truly understand what values you possess and live by, you must
deconstruct them until you are able to clearly see what exactly you value and
why you hold those values. Looking openly and honestly at the way you were
raised is the first step in identifying the values that you instilled growing up.
What did your parents value and what values did they impress upon you—
achievement, wealth, education, religion, status, independence, appearance?
Think back to your childhood and ask yourself several questions. What values
were emphasized in the way your parents lived their lives? What values
were stressed in your family? What values were reflected in the way you were
rewarded or punished? For example, were you rewarded for being highly
ranked in your high school class and for winning in sports, or were you
rewarded for giving your best effort and for helping others? You might even
ask your parents to reflect back on your childhood to see what they perceived
their values to be and what values they wanted to emphasize in your
upbringing.

Your next step in the deconstruction process involves looking at your present
life and the values your life reflects. In responding to these questions, you
should ask yourself what values underlie your answers. What do you do for a
living—are you a corporate employee, a business owner, a teacher,
salesperson, caterer, or social worker? A common question that people in
social gathering ask is, what do you do for a living? Periodically, I have seen
people get rather defensive in response to this question. They say, “Who
cares what I do. What I do is not who I am.” I would suggest otherwise, at
least to some degree. Assuming people have choices in the career paths they
take, which they choose reflects of who they are and what they value. For
example, though a bit of a generalization, it is probably safe to say that
someone who becomes an investment banker has different values than
someone who becomes an elementary school teacher. What those underlying
values might be may vary, but one might assume that the investment banker
values money, while the teacher values education and helping children.

Where do you live—do you live in a high-rise apartment in a city, in the

suburbs, or in the country—and what values led you there? What activities do
you engage in most—cultural, physical, religious, political, social—and what
values are reflected in those activities? What do you talk about mostly—
politics, religion, the economy, other people—and what does that tell you
about your values?

Finally, perhaps the most telling question reflecting what you value is: What
do you spend your money on—a home, cars, travel, clothing, education, art,
charity? Because money is a limited resource for most people, they will use
their money in ways that they value most. Over and above what people say
and other indicators in their life, where they spend their hard-earned money
says the most about their values.

You can then ask yourself whether your current values are the same as those
you grew up with. Have you gone through a period of examination and
reconsideration? Have you consciously chosen to discard some values from
your upbringing and adopt new ones? My experience with people who live
unsatisfying lives is the values they grew up with weren’t mostly unhealthy
and that their present values haven’t changed since childhood. They never
questioned their values and simply bought into them early in their lives and
created their life around those values. In contrast, fulfilled people tended to
grow up with life-affirming values or had a “crisis of conscience” in early
adulthood that caused them to re-evaluate and modify their values.

Now that you have deconstructed your life and have a clear idea of what you
value, you can see the values upon which you have created your life. You can
see whether those values contribute to your dissatisfaction or bring you
happiness. Look at which aspects of your life contribute to your
unhappiness—your career, marriage, lifestyle—and ask yourself what values
underlie those parts of your life. For example, if your career in the business
world makes you unhappy—no judgment intended, but many of my clients
happen to come from corporate life—you need to ask yourself what values
you have held that led you to a career in business and how those values
presently cause you to be an unhappy success.

Popular Culture and Values

A recurring theme that runs throughout my work is that inadvertently buying

into the values that predominate popular culture, for example, winning, status,
power, appearance, and conspicuous consumption, is a leading cause of life
dissatisfaction. The popular culture inAmericatoday—as reflected in our
various media—no longer has the time, attention span, or energy to devote to
weighty and deep issues such as values. It is much easier to focus on the
superficial “things” in our culture. Thus, the pursuit of wealth and material
goods has become the dominant “value” in much of our society in the
mistaken belief that these values will bring people happiness.

One of the most powerful ways in which this “value” was impressed on you
was in how you learned to define success. Popular culture typically defines
success winning, wealth, status, physical appearance, and popularity—the
more money and power you have and the more attractive and popular you
are, the more successful you would be. Growing up with these definitions,
success was largely unattainable for most people. At the same time, our
culture made losing even more intolerable to contemplate—being poor,
powerless, unattractive, and unpopular is simply unacceptable. With these
restrictive definitions, you may have believed, like so many others, that you
were caught in the untenable situation of having little opportunity for success
and great chance for failure.

Blindly having accepted society’s narrow definitions of success and failure

takes away your power to decide how you wish to define them. By buying into
popular culture’s limiting definitions of success and failure rather than
choosing definitions based on your own values, you can’t become truly
successful and happy because you are forced down a path that is, for most
people, impossible to attain and that is not truly yours. You may become
successful in the eyes of society, but you probably won’t feel like a success
yourself. And this path certainly won’t bring you meaning, happiness, or real
success in your life.

I’ll explore how to “reconstruct” your values in a future post.

VALUESINTRODUCTION:Value is an enduring belief that a specific mode of conducts or end
state of existence is personally and socially preferable to the alternatives modes of conduct or
end states of existence. Once it is internalized , it becomes consciously or unconsciously , a
standardor criterion for guiding action , for developing and maintaining attitudes toward
relevantobjects and situations , for justifying one’s own and other’s actions and attitudes
for morally judging oneself and others , and for comparing oneself for other’s . Valuetherefore, is
a standard or yardstick to guide actions, attitudes, evaluations and justifications of the self and
the others.Values are tinged with moral flavour , involving an individual’s judgement of
what isright , good or desirable . Thus values :1)Provide standards of competence
and morality.2)Are fewer in number than attitudes3)Transcend specific objects, situations or
persons.4)Are relatively permanent and resistant to change , and5)Are more central to the core of
a person.Individuals learn values as they grow and mature. They may change over the life span
of an individual develops a sense of self. Culture, societies and organizations shape
values.Values are important to the study of organizational behaviour because they lay
thefoundations for the understanding of attitudes and motivation and because they influenceour
perceptions.FORMATION OF VALUES:Values are learned and acquired primarily through
experiences with people andinstitutions. Parents, for example, will have substantial influence on
their children’svalue. A parent’s reaction to everyday events demonstrates what is good and
bad,acceptable and unacceptable, important and unimportant. Values are also taught
andreinforced in schools, religious organizations, and social groups. As we grow anddevelop,
each source of influence contributes to our definition of what is important inlife. Cultural mores
have influence on the formation of values. Basic convictions of whatis good or bad are derived
from one’s own culture.TYPES OF
VALUES:(I) Allport and his associates categorized values into six types:-
1)Theoretical2)Economic3)Aesthetic4)Social5)Political6)Religious

1)THEORETICAL : Interested in the discovery of truth throughReasoning and systematic

thinking.2)ECONOMIC : Interest in usefulness and practicality , including theAccumulation of
wealth.3)AESTHETIC: Interest in beauty, form and artistic harmony.4)SOCIAL: Interest in
people and love as a human relationship.5)POLITICAL: Interest in graining power and
influencing people.6)RELIGIOUS : Interest in unity and understanding the cosmos as
aWhole.(II)Rokeach distinguishes between two types of values:-
1)Instrumental value2)Terminal value1)INSTRUMENTAL VALUE : It reflects the means to
achieving goals ; ieThey represent the acceptable behaviour to be used in achieving some end
state . Instrumental values identified byRokeach include:-a)ambition b)honestyc)self-
sufficiencyd)courageousness.Thus instrumental value refers to a single belief that takes the form
: I believeThat such and such a mode of conduct (honesty ,courage etc) is personally andSocially
preferable in all situations with respect to all objects . An instrumental value is a tool or means
for acquiring a terminal value .2)TERMINAL VALUE : Terminal value , in contrast , represent
the goals toBe achieved , or the end states of existence .Terminal values identified by Rokeach
includes :-a)happiness b)lovec)pleasured)self-respecte)freedomTerminal value takes a
comparable form : I believe that such and such an endState of existence ( salvation or world at
peace , etc) is personally and sociallyWorth striving for .

A Terminal Value is an ultimate goal in a desired status or outcome .(III)WORK VALUES :

Work values are important because they affect howIndividuals behave on their jobs in terms of
what isright and wrong . The work values most relevant to individuals are
:1)Achievement2)Honesty3)Fairness1)ACHIEVEMENT : It is a concern for the
advancement of one’s career . This is shown in such behaviours as a working hard andseeking
opportunities to develop newskills.2)HONESTY : It is accurately providing information
andrefusing to mislead others for personal
gain.3)FAIRNESS : It emphasizes impartiality and recognizesdifferent points of view
.CONCLUSION :Although individuals vary in their value systems , when they share
similar values at work , the results are positive . This means that organizationsrecruiting job
candidates should pay careful attention to an individual’svalues.

ATTITUDEINTRODUCTION:Attitude is defined as a more or less stable set of predisposition ,

interest or purpose involving expectancy of a certain kind of experience and readinesswith an
appropriate response . Attitudes are also known as “ FRAMES OFREFERENCE ” . They
provide the background against which facts and eventsare viewed . It becomes necessary to
know the attitudes of members of anorganizations because they have to perceive specific aspects
like pay , hoursof work , promotion ….etc , of their job in the wider context of their generalized
attitudes .An attitude is also a cognitive element , it remains inside a person.
Everyone’s psychological world is limited and thus everyone has a limited number of attitudes in
business organizations , employees have attitudes relating to worldenvironment , job security etc
. The individual’s attitudes towards thesefactors are indicative of his apathy or enthusiasm
towards the activites andobjectives of the organization .CHARACTERSTATICS OF
ATTITUDES :1)An attitude is the predisposition of the individual to evaluate some objectsin a
favourable or an unfavourable manner .2)The most pervasive phenomenon is “attitude” . People
at work place haveattitudes about lots of topics related to them . These attitudes are
firmlyembedded in a complex psychological structure of beliefs .3)Attitudes are different from
values . Values are the ideas , whereasattitudes are narrow , they are our feelings , thoughts , and
behaviouraltendencies towards a specific objects or situation .4)Attitude is a predisposition to
respond to a certain set of facts .5)Attitudes are evaluative statements – either favourable or
unfavourableconcerning the objects , people or events .An attitude is “ a mental state of readness
, organized through experience ,exerting a specific influence upon a person’s response to people ,
objectsand situations with which its is related ” . COMPONENTS OF ATTITUDESThere are 3
components of attitudes . They are :-1)Cognitive Component2)Affective
Component3)Behavioural Component

1)COGNITIVE COMPONENT : This component includes theBeliefs an individual hasabout a

certain person , objects or situation . The belief that“discrimination is wrong” is a value
statement .Such an cognitivecomponent of an attitude . Learned beliefs , such as “ you need
towork long hours to get ahead in this job”, lead to attitudes thathave an impact on behaviour in
the work place .The cognitioncomponent of an attitude reflects a persons perceptions and beliefs
. The cognitive elements are evaluative beliefs and aremeasured by attitude scales or by asking
, about thoughts .Thestatement “ I believe Japanese workers are industrious ” , reflectsthe
cognitive component of an attitude .The cognitive components sets the stage for the more critical
partof attitude – its affective component .2)AFFECTIVE COMPONENT : The component refers
to thePerson’s feelings that resultsfrom his or her beliefs about a person , objects or situation .
A person who believes hard work earns promotions may feel anger or frustration when he /she
works hard but is not promoted .Theaffective component becomes stronger as an individual has
morefrequent and direct experience with a focal object , person or situation . ‘Affect’ is the
emotional component of an attitude . Itrefers to an individual’s feeling about something or
someone .Statements such as “ I like this ” or “ I prefer that ” reflects theaffective component of
an attitude .3) BEHAVIOURAL COMPONENT : This component refers toThe
individual’s behaviour that occurs as a result of his or her feeling about thefocal person , object
or situation . An individual may complain ,request a transfer , or be less productive because he or
she feelsdissatisfied with work . The behavioural component of anattitude refers to the intention
to behave in a certain way towardssomeone or something . The behavioural component is
theintention to behave in a certain way towards an object or person .For Example , our attitudes
towards women in management may be inferred from an observation of the way we
behave toward afemale supervisor .We may be supportive , passive or hostiledepending on our
attitude .The behavioural component of an attitude is measured byobserving behaviour or by
asking a person about behaviour or intentions .

ATTITUDE FORMATION :Attitudes are acquired from parents , teachers and peer
groupmembers . We model our attitudes after those we admire , respector fear . We observe
the way family and friends behave and weshape our attitudes and behaviour to align with theirs .
Peoplealso intimate the attitude of popular individuals and those theyadmire and respect
.Attitude are learned . Individuals acquire attitudes from severalSources but the point to be
stressed is that the attitudes areAcquired but are not inherited . Our responses to people andIssues
evolve over time .Two major influence on attitudes are:-1)Direct Experience2)Social
learning1) DIRECT EXPERIENCE : Attitudes can developfrom a personallyrewarding or
punishing experience with an object . It withan object or person is a powerful influence on
attitudes .research has shown that attitudes that are derived fromdirect experience are stronger
are held more by indirectexperience . One reason attitudes derived from directexperience are so
powerful because of their availability.This means that the attitudes are easily accessed
and areactive in our cognitive processes .a) classical conditioning b) operant
conditioningc) vicarious learninga) CLASSICAL CONDITIONING : One of the
basicprocessesunderlying attitude formation can be explained onthe basis of learning principles .
People developassociations between various objects and theemotional reactions that accompany
them . b) OPERANT CONDITIONING : Attitudes that arereinforced , either verbally or non-
verbally , tends to be maintained.conversely , a person who states an attitude thatelicits ridicule
fro others may modify or abandonthe attitude .c) VICARIOUS LEARNING : In which a
personlearns somethingthrough the observance of others can also account

for attitude development , particularly when theindividual has no direct experience with the
objectsabout which the attitude is held . It is throughvicarious learning processes that children
pick upthe prejudices of their parents .3)SOCIAL LEARNING : In social learning , the
familyPeer groups and culture shapeAn individual’s attitude in an indirect manner .Substantial
Social learning occurs through modeling, inwhich individuals acquire attitudes by merely
observingothers . For an individual to learn from observing a model,four processes may take
place :-i)The learner must focus attention on themodel .ii)The learner must retain what was
observedfrom the model .iii)Behavioural reproduction must occur ; ie ,the learner must practice
the behaviour .iv)The learner must be motivated to learn fromthe model .Social learning can take
place through the following ways :-a)The family b)Peer Groupsc)Modellinga) THE FAMILY : A
person can learn attitudes throughThe imitation of parents . If parentshave a positive attitude
towards an object and the childadmires his parents , he is likely to adopt a similar aattitude , even
without being told about the object , andeven without having direct experience . Children
alsolearn to adopt certain attitudes by the reinforcementthey are given by their parents when they
display behaviours that reflect an appropriate attitude. b) PEER GROUPS: Peer pressure moulds
attitudes throughgroups acceptance of individuals whoexpress popular attitudes and through
sanctions such asexclusion from the group , placed on individuals whoespouse ( promote )
unpopular attitudes . c) MODELLING : Substantial Social Learning occursthrough modeling in
which individuals

acquire attitudes by merely observing others .The observer overhears other individuals
expressing an opinion or watchthem engaging in a behaviour that reflects an attitude , andthe
observer adopts this attitude .

WORK ATTITUDES AND JOB SATISFACTIONAttitudes at work are important because

directly or indirectly , they affect work behaviour. Although many work attitudes are important ,
two attitudes in particular have been emphasized :-
1)Job satisfaction2)Organizational commitment1) JOB SATISFACTION : Job satisfaction is a
pleasurable or positive emotional stateResulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job
experienceThe most important factors conductive to job satisfaction are :1)Mentally challenged
work 2)Personality – job fit3)Equitable rewards4)Supportive working conditions5)Supportive
colleagues6)Whistle blowing7)Social responsibility1)MENTALLY CHALLENGED WORK
: Employees tend to prefer jobs that give themopportunities to use their skills and abilities and
offer a variety of tasks, freedom and feedback on how well they are doing. Under conditions of
moderate challenge , most employees will experiencepleasure and satisfaction .2)
PERSONALITY –JOB FIT : People with personality types congruentwith their chosen vacations
should findthey have the right talents and abilities to meet the demands of their jobs ; and
because of this success , have a greater probability of achieving high satisfaction from their
work. It is important, thereforeto fit personality factors with job profiles .3) EQUITABLE
REWARDS : Employees want pay systems and promotion policies that they perceiveas being
just , unambiguous , and in line with their expectations .when pay is seen as fair based on job
demands, individual skill leveland industry pay standards , satisfaction is likely to result .
Similarilyemployees seek fair promotion policies and practices . Promotionprovide opportunities
for personal growth , more responsibilities andincreased social status . Individuals who perceive
that promotiondecisions are made in a fair and just manner are likely to experience job
satisfaction .4) SUPPORTIVE WORKING CONDITIONS : Employees prefer Physical
conditions

that are comfortable and facilitate doing a good job . Temperature ,light , noise and other
environmental factors should not be extremeand provide personal comfort . Further , employees
prefer workingrelatively close to home in clean and relatively modern facilities andwith adequate
tools and equipment .5) SUPPORTIVE COLLEAGUES : Employees have need for
socialinteraction . Therefore havingfriendly and supportive co-workers and understanding
supervisor’slead to increased job satisfaction . Most employees want their immediate supervisor
to be understanding and friendly , those whooffer praise for good performance , listen to
employees’s opinionsand show a personal interest in them .6) WHISTLE BLOWING : Whistle
blowers are employees who informauthorities of wrongdoings of their companyand co-workers .
Whistle blowing is important because committedorganizational members sometimes engage in
unethical behaviour inan intense desire to succeed . Organizations can manage whistle blowing
by communicating the conditions that are appropriate for the disclosure of wrongdoing. Clearly
delineating wrongful behaviour and the appropriate ways to respond are importantorganizational
actions .7) SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY : Corporate social responsibility is theobligations of an
organization to behave in ethical ways in the social environment in which it operates .socially
responsible actions are expected of organizations . Currentconcerns include protecting the
environment , promoting worker safety , supporting social issues , investing in the community
etc .Managers must encourage both individual ethical behaviour andorganizational social
responsibility .MANAGERIAL ETHICS :Managerial Ethics are standards of conduct or moral
judgement used bymanagers of organizational in carrying out their business .Archie B Carroll
notes that three major levels of moral or ethical judgement characterize managers as :-
1)Immoral management2)Moral management3)Amoral management 1) IMMORAL
MANAGEMENT : Immoral management not onlylacks ethical principles but also

is actively opposed to ethical behaviour . This perspective ischaracterized by principles or

exclusive concern for companygains , undue emphasis on profits , company success at
virtuallyany price , lack of concern about the desires of others to betreated fairly , views of laws
as obstacles to be overcome , anda willingness to “ cut corners ” . 2) MORAL MANAGEMENT
: Moral management strives tofollows ethical principles and percepts . While moral managers
also desire to succeed , Theyseek to do so only within the parameters of ethical standardsand the
ideals of fairness , justice and due process . As a result ,moral managers pursue business
objectives that involvesimultaneously making a profit and engaging in legal andethical behaviour
.3) AMORAL MANAGEMENT :The amoral management approachis neither immoral nor
moral but ,rather , ignores or is oblivious to ethical considerations .There are two types of amoral
management :i)Intentionalii)Unintentional i) INTENTIONAL : Amoral managers do not
includeethical concerns in their decisionmaking , or behaviour , because they basically think that
general ethical standards are more appropriateto other areas of life than to business .ii)
UNINTENTIONAL: Amoral mangers also do not think about ethical issues in their business
dealings , but the reason is different . Thesemangers are basically inattentive or insensitive to
themoral implications of their decision – making , actionsand behaviour . Overall , amoral
mangers pursue profitability as a goal and may be generally wellmeaning , but intentionally they
pay little attentionto the impacts of their behaviours on others .CHARACTERSTATICS OF
MANAGERIAL
ETHICS S.NO:ORGANIZATIONALCHARACTERSTATICIMMORALMANAGEMENTAM
ORALMANAGEMENTMORALMANAGEMENT

1.Ethical Norms Managementdecisions , actionsand behaviour imply a positiveand

activeopposition towhat is moral(ethical) .Decisions arediscordant withaccepted
ethical principles . Anactive negation of what is moral isimplied .Management isneither moral
nor immoral , butdecisions lieoutside the sphereto which moral judgements
apply.Managementactivity is outsideor beyond themoral order of a particular code.May imply a
lack of ethical perception andmoral awareness .Managementactivity conformsto a standard
of ethical , or right , behaviour .Conforms toaccepted professionalsstandards of conduct .
Ethicalleadership iscommonplace onthe par of management .2.MotivesSelfish ,managementcares
only aboutits or thecompany’s gainWell –intentioned but selfish in thesense that impacton others
is notconsidered .Good.Managementwants to succeed but only withinthe confines of sound
ethical precepts (fairness, justice , due process)3.Goals Profitablility andorganizationalsuccess at
any priceProfitability.Other goals arenot consideredProfitabilitywithin theconfines of
legalobedience andethical standards .
4.Orientation toward lawLegal standardsare barriers thatmanagement mustovercome
toaccomplish whatit wants .Law is the ethicalguide , preferablythe letter of thelaw . The
centralquestion is whatwe can dolegally .Obedience towardletter and spirit of the law . Law is
aminimal ethical behaviour . prefer to operate wellabove what lawmandates
.5.Strategy Exploitopportunities for corporate gain.Cut corners whenit appears useful .Give
managersfree rein .Personal ethicsmay apply butonly if managerschoose . Respondto legal
mandatesif caught andrequired to do so .Live by soundethical standards .assume
leadership position whenethical dilemmasarise .Enlightened self – interest .IMPROVING
ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR Unethical behaviour by employees can affect individuals , work teams
andEven the organizations . Organizations thus depend on individuals to actEthically .
The ethical issues that individuals face at work are complex .Today’s manager need to create an
ethically healthy climate for his/her employees, where they can do their work sincerely , with
high productivityand confront a minimal degree of ambiguity regarding what constitutesright and
wrong behaviour .Making ethical decision is part of each manager’s job . It has been
suggested by K.R.Andrews that ethical decision – making requires 3 qualities of individuals
.1)The competence to identify ethical issues and evaluate theconsequences of alternative courses
of action.2)The self – confidence to seek out different opinions about theissues and decide what
is right in terms of a particular situation.3)Tough – mindedness –the willingness to make
decisions when allthat needs to be known cannot be known and when the ethical issuehas no
established unambiguous solution .
VALUES AND ETHICS Sometimes , some people consider values and ethics synonymous and
use themInterchangeably . However the two have different meanings . The major
differenceBetween the two is that VALUES are beliefs that affect an individual’s
judgementalIdeas about what is good or bad . The ETHICS is the way the values are acted out
.Ethical behaviour is acting in ways consistent with one’s personal values and theCommonly
held values of the organization and society . VALUES AND ATTITUDES

Both values and attitudes are tinged with morals . There are some similarities and someSome
dissimilarities between the two : SIMILARITIES : 1)Both are learned or acquired from the same
sources – experience with people ,objects and events .2)Both affect cognitive process and
behaviour of people .3)Both are durable , deep rooted and difficult to change .4)Both influence
each other and more often than not , are used interchangeably .DISSIMILARITIES
:S.NO:ATTITUDEVALUE1.Attitude exhibit predisposition to respondValues represent judgeme
ntalideas in relation to what isright .2.Attitude refers to several beliefs relatingto a specific object
or situation .Values represent single beliefsfocused on objects or situation
.3.Attitudes are the offshoot of one’s personal experiences .Values are derived from socialand
cultural mores .