Organization Behavior

This is the example which one of my teacher's gave about Roles - and how we play them and that example stuck in my mind. Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about that example.

A value is a belief, a mission, or a philosophy that is meaningful. Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a core set of personal values. Values can range from the commonplace, such as the belief in hard work and punctuality, to the more psychological, such as self-reliance, concern for others, and harmony of purpose.

Just as individuals subscribe to values, so do organizations and institutions. In fact, if we were to examine any company, we would discover that one or more business values were the key to their success.

I am a person of values and will follow those values apart from the role or position I hold. I find that the role we are in is not nearly as important as how we play the role. I don't want to lead a life of achievement, but a life of significance. When my professional career in Computer Networks began in 2001, I hadn't thought about the role that my personal values would have in my career. Throughout my under graduate studies I have continually been encouraged to explore my values as they apply to this career and to solidify their position in my life. One specific experience has had a significant impact on my values development. I took sociology as a non-technical elective in my under graduate studies, teacher brought a small group of cards to class for each of the students to sort into piles. Each of these cards had a value written on it. We were instructed to order the values in order of importance for us. Although the values pack does not allow for the choice of any value that you would choose, it began an incredible journey into the discovery of which values I hold in highest esteem.

As I have traveled down the counseling track in my early jobs, I have encountered several landmarks that I've marked on my map to continually revisit. I strive in my professional and personal interactions with people to have meaningful personal connections with them. My personal style leads to an analytic / thinking model for resolving problems.

Additional values that are very significant to my own personal development and how I interact with other people are: diversity, teamwork, leadership, integrity, and spirituality. Coming from a very small, sheltered, homogenous hometown left me with many questions about people in the world that were different from me. As an undergraduate I was able to begin the exploration of difference, and as I have continued to develop friendships