Fatherhood can be a real roller coaster at times. I can be focused on executing marketing plans for work one minute and the next minute rolling around on the carpet with my three little ones. This rapid change of pace and mental states is what makes fatherhood such an exciting challenge.
Often, we don’t stop to “check our priorities” and make sure we are doing an awesome job at both our family and work responsibilities. I don’t mean mediocre but AWESOME! It is possible and I am one of those individuals that just won’t compromise on either.
Just a few days ago I returned home from a business trip. While I was cleaning out my receipts to do the not so fun job of filing my expense report, a little piece of paper I carry around fell to the floor. As I picked it up, I stopped…and read it. I mean really stopped and read it. I have carried this thing around for 6 years. The pieces of paper contains a set of values I believe in. These values came from an article written by a former HP executive. Unfortunately, I can not find the proper attribution (even with Google). But here it goes. It really makes you think.
My Values:
Transparency – I use transparency instead of honesty because honesty is telling the truth; transparency is telling the whole truth.
Respect – When a new baby is born, he or she does not have to earn the respect of the family. Respect is given as a matter of birthright until a person demonstrates that they do not deserve it.
Trust – If I have transparency and respect, I create and environment of trust.
Cooperation – When I have transparency, respect and trust, I create interpersonal relationships where there is great cooperation and understanding.
Integrity - This means standing up for what I believe in; if I think something is wrong I say so. This also means I will maintain a high ethical standard.
Innovation – If I am going to be the best, I will innovate constantly. I will need to try new ideas and accept that mistakes are inevitable.
Accountability – If I create an environment where I am empowered to act, I am also held accountable for my results.
Persistence – If I am highly committed to my vision, mission and values my persistence will pay off.
So there you go, a bit of deep thought to start this blog experience off. I can’t think of a set of values that work better at home or in one’s leadership at work.
