In today's fast-paced and competitive world of work, it is easy to get caught up in all the activity and lose sight of our true identity and what we stand for. It is easy to end up making decisions and choosing actions based on fluctuating emotions, or external factors such as difficult situations or the influence of others. However, integrity lies in clarifying our personal values and using them as the foundation for our choices and behaviours.
Personal values are the guiding principles that define who we are and what we stand for. They should be the internal compass that directs our actions and decisions, ensuring that we stay true to our principles. When we align our career choices and work behaviour with our personal values, we create a sense of purpose and fulfilment that goes beyond mere success or achievement.
One powerful tool for identifying your highest personal values is the practice of gratitude. This involves reflection on the things that truly matter to you and appreciating the positive aspects of your life. By cultivating a sense of gratitude through consciously taking time to focus on this daily, you will gain clarity on what you value most, and this in turn will guide your footsteps on your career journey.
Someone once shared a story with me about a good friend and mentor of mine. He would never have shared the story with me himself, because he was a super humble person. He has since passed on, but when I first met him, he was already successful entrepreneur. The story was that he left his high paying job in the financial services sector, because of pressure from his bosses to retrench or lay off a large number of staff, so that management could qualify for their performance bonuses. This sounds like a cliché, but these things sometimes actually happen in big corporates. Anyway, this person was very clear about his personal values and acted with absolute integrity when given the choice – to either do as instructed or get out. The decision came at the high personal cost of temporary unemployment, but the long-term benefits were far greater for him in the subsequent successes that he achieved in business and the legacy that he left.
Gratitude helps us to recognize the values that may have been overshadowed or neglected in our pursuit of short-term goals. It prompts us to reflect on whether our current career choices truly align with our deepest values. By acknowledging the areas where we feel unfulfilled or disconnected, we can make conscious decisions to realign our career paths with our personal values.
In the face of external pressures and societal expectations, it can be challenging to stay true to your personal values. However, integrity requires you to prioritize your values over external influences. It means having the courage to make choices that may not always be popular or conventional, but are in alignment with your true identity.
When you make decisions based on your personal values, you create a sense of authenticity and integrity in your career. You become more resilient in the face of challenges and setbacks, because you know that you are staying true to yourself. Your actions and decisions become a reflection of your values, and this authenticity resonates with others, leading to greater trust, engagement and respect in the workplace.
To summarize, career integrity is about clarifying your personal values and using them as the basis for your decisions and actions. The practice of gratitude can be a powerful tool in identifying your highest personal values, allowing you to align your career choices and behaviours with what truly matters to you. By prioritizing your values over external influences or temporary emotions, you create a sense of authenticity and fulfilment in your professional life.