A leprechaun frolicked from under the magnificent rainbow that caressed the once heavily laden rain soaked valley. A pot of gold lay beneath his feet and a smile paraded from his lips as a man tried with all of his might to catch the lively elf. His pursuit was quickly thwarted with the disappearance of the green man and the gold he guarded.

So many people are easy targets to con artists who prey upon good and honest people. Victims are hard working people who toil and slave to build a nest egg for the rainy days of life. People who fight to get ahead, but often times fall prey to scams and opportunities that don’t exist.

People are deceived by credit card companies that convince them that they can have a new tool, a new piece of furniture, the new appliance, or something so necessary as the plumbing repaired that is leaking under the kitchen sink. Companies that exploit those who don’t understand how interest expands and accumulates making a person pay up to three times the price for an item they may not really need.

Recently I moved a debt on a credit card over to a non-interest card for a year. When I did this I had no knowledge as to how the plan worked so I asked a lot of questions to the person who was helping me with this task. She explained that there was no interest for a year on the transfer, but if I used the credit card again towards any purchases then I would have to pay interest.

Well that sounded right until she made one final statement. When I use the card for another purchase and I make a payment, then my payment goes towards the non-interest transfer. In other words I would not be able to pay off the interest credit until I had paid off the interest-free transfer first.

Suddenly a revelation came to my mind and I stated, if that’s the case, I will put this card up and not use it again until the transfer was paid. The woman on the other end of the phone realized that she had just revealed a secret used by the credit card companies. She was shocked on how quickly I comprehended what she said and she became very quiet.

People who are wise financially know how to trick people who are using credit to get ahead. They set snares to trap those who think that credit is a way to have the things that you want now. People who don’t understand, become easily ensnared with too much debt.

Recently I took out a mortgage on my home. When I signed the papers, she explained that it would be best if I paid as much as possible the first few years over and above my payment, because it would solely go towards the principle of the loan. The principle was the original loan amount. The creditor has the right to take their interest first while paying the principle last. In other words very little of my monthly payment would go towards the real amount for my loan unless I paid extra at the beginning of the loan.

I was amazed at how the rich can rob honest, hard working people in the name of a loan. They have all the power and the intellect to pilfer and plunder those who have to use credit in order to have a home to live in.

Luke 16: 8, “As a result the master of this dishonest manager praised him for doing such a shrewd thing; because the people of this world are much more shrewd in handling their affairs than the people who belong to the light.”

Every where I turn, I find money hungry people inventing schemes to take money from the poor and give it to the rich. Even our government has gotten into the act through the state funded lottery. People have been fooled into believing they can win money without working for it.

Luke 12: 2-5, “Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and whatever you have whispered in private in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops.
I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot afterward do anything worse. I will show you whom to fear: fear God, who, after killing, has the authority to throw into hell. Believe me, he is the one you must fear!”

Creditors, people in government, friends, loved ones, beware that anything you do that hurts another human being will be seen by God and you will be judged for the pain you inflicted through charging excessive interest on loans. God sees everything and His judgment is final!

I saw a man in ragged clothes who looked like he hadn’t eaten for a while. He unfolded a crumbled dollar bill and handed it to the clerk who promptly gave him a lottery ticket. He didn’t win anything and he left the store with his head hanging down in defeat.

The poor are the easiest target for the rich! They believe what they are buying can save them from the hardness of life. They believe in the schemes of governments and people who are smart financially and as a result bankruptcy is filling our courts.

Of course the banks and credit card companies are not to blame. People make their own choices. If they can’t handle their money then it’s their fault when they accumulate too much debt. They didn’t have to buy the lottery tickets!

Still people are fooled and deceived easily sometimes from the very people they love. I loaned over fifty thousand dollars to a friend and she never paid me back. That is where the biggest hurt can happen. When the people who say they love you take advantage of you so they can get ahead. It would be different if she took responsibility, and at least tried to pay a little, but she didn’t even try, she just cut me out of her life.

Luke 8:17, “What ever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be found and brought to light.”

Our world is filled with evil and everything people do to each other will be found out. You cannot cheat and deceive people without coming under the judgment of God. Your deeds will be discovered and uncovered for all people to see.

Matthew 10: 26-28, “So do not be afraid of people. What ever is now covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. What I am telling you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight, and what you have heard in private you must announce from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell.”

Money is the root of all evil for those who take advantage of people who are good. Money is evil when it is put into the hands of those who don’t care about anyone other than themselves. Be ashamed creditors, bankers and even friends who think they can take whatever they want from those who are not as financially wise.

I have learned a lot and I pass on what I learn in hope that good people will not do evil. I pray if you are a person who works in a financial institute that you will explain clearly to all who borrow money. I pray to all friends who barrow without believing that it isn’t necessary to pay it back that you listen and take heed that God is watching and He will repay those who think they got their money free and clear!

When advertising your home for sale by owner, you will undoubtedly come into contact with a variety of people. All of these people, simply put, will not look just like you. You may come into contact with people of different ethnic groups or nationalities, people of different race, or even people with disabilities or handicaps. Situations can arise where discrimination against different types of people can be a violation of law, particularly regarding housing. Most types of housing are covered under these laws with the exception of those dwellings that operate under shelter laws, for example exclusively for battered women or for the hearing impaired.

Under the Fair Housing Laws, it is illegal to, based on someones color, creed, nationality, sexual orientation, handicap, etc; refuse to sell or to rent housing; refuse to negotiate for housing arrangements; make housing unavailable; deny a dwelling; set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling; provide differing housing services; claim falsely that housing is not available for rent, sale, or inspection; persuade owners to sell or rent – this is known as blockbusting; or deny access to membership in a service and / or membership related to the sale or rental of housing. All of the above, if violated, will result in prosecution and criminal charges being brought against the violator. The same, or similar criteria exist for mortgage lending for the purchase of a home.

There exist clauses in the laws that state it is illegal to threaten or coerce, to intimidate or interfere with anyone exercising a fair housing right. Also, you may not advertise or in any other way make any statement that indicates a limitation or preference based on race, color, national origin, religion, handicap, etc; This prohibition against discriminatory advertising applies to single-family as well as owner-occupied homes that are otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.

Housing discrimination is not always characterized by the slamming of the door in someones face or a bigoted remark being hurled at a potential homebuyer. However, it can be just as ugly and just as hurtful to the would-be buyer. Even without this as deterrence from the act, it is against the law. As a seller, it is important to treat each and every person interested in your home with dignity and respect. It helps to think of everyone as being a member of the human race instead of seeing them as being undesirable if they do not look like you.

With the legislation that exists, it is best to conduct the sale of your home in a business-like manner and treat the transaction with all seriousness and gravity without allowing personal preferences to interfere, as this is counter-productive to the ultimate goal: the sale of your home.

Your newspaper as well as other advertisements should be directed to the general public with the only descriptive language used being the language that describes your house alone. You must describe the demographic of your neighborhood and especially do not describe what type of person you would like to become interested in your house. If these guidelines are followed, there should be only the technical difficulties of closing the transaction rather than the complex ones dealing with offensive and discriminatory practice.

He was brilliant. Polished. An asset for the company he represented. In less than an hour, he worked up the crowd to fever pitch. Hundreds of people lined up to sign up for the next step—which involved a no-cost, eight-hour financial investment training day.

He was also an author. He told his story of how he met a man who invited him to several investment meetings. And those meetings changed his life forever.

He became wealthy from practicing those investment strategies. He turned from amateur to pro. He had finally arrived. And now he wanted to teach those same strategies to investors.

He made the audience laugh, repeat “yes” for the umpteenth time, and put everyone at ease with his low-pressure persuasion techniques. He was even crawling on the floor to illustrate a point. There’s no doubt he graduated Sales Mastery with honors.

But the crowning moment was when he invited four investment newbies to take the stage. He showed them how easy it was to make money whether the market was going up or down. He had them bobbing their heads the entire time. This provided the social proof people needed to participate in the next step.

But many knew better…

I spoke with Ashley, a graphic designer who signed up because Carmen, her realtor mom, wanted to check out the training. Ashley was suspicious of the sales pitch and she wanted to protect her mom from these cleverly disguised sales wolves. I hope Ashley doesn’t lower her guard either.

Because once they get you into their training room, they will hit you with a variety of persuasion techniques to scramble your radar. They will make you feel like you have an IQ of a slug for not investing in their program. Don’t forget to take prescription strength “stubborn” pills with you on that day.

And my colleague, Dana, didn’t approve of the fact that she was being sold. She was skeptical from the start of the presentation. She never cracked a smile during the entire talk. She may have been half-fuming. (Or half-envious.)

But let’s be real…

Salespeople have to make a living. Selling is their job. The economy becomes stagnant when nothing gets sold. I hope you agree that selling is a good thing.

Yet people don’t like to be sold. They like to buy, but not be sold. Buying puts us in control. We own that power. We lose that power position when we’re being sold.

So the speaker did a great job. He racked up hundreds of people into the next phase. He’ll receive a nice bonus for his persuasive presentation.

Yet the question remains: If you could—should you?

If you could bottle fountain water to sell to unsuspecting supermarkets: should you?

If you could pay off the FDA to market your medicine: should you?

If you could pressure people with their last dollar to invest into your program: should you?

If you could sell company secrets to competitors: should you?

If your boss commanded you to lie to consumers: should you?

If you answered “yes” and can sleep well at night, then you are lower than the slime on the bottom of my shoe. You may dress in business attire on the outside, but the inner person is polluted with soot. Despite the media coverage that white collar criminals get incarcerated to Club Fed: You should hold yourself to a higher standard.

Besides it’s hard to become stealth with unethical conduct. Your inner circle of friends and closest allies notice what you do. Especially in a hi-tech society where everything is traceable.

But if you decide to burn people anyway—the Universe always has a way of settling these accounts. Eastern philosophers call it karma. Western ministers label it “reaping what you sow.” And enlightened people name it the Law of Cause and Effect.

So why would anyone corrupt themselves for a buck?

Avoid the scandals, fines and embarrassment. Do the right thing always. And leave a legacy of integrity, accountability and upstanding character for generations to admire and model.

….a sting operation, executed by a foreign channel, has brought to the fore, yet again, that unless we do something Ethics and Values is fading fast and soon going to become extinct from the Corporate World …. in my opinion it would be the bureaucracy(Govt), and EV (Ethics and Values) which shall spell havoc on the corporate world….

….irrespective of any profession EV (Ethics and Values) is simply vapourising…. doctors are chopping absolutely normal limbs (to “convert” these patients into “effective” beggars) for a few thousands, politicians are willing to transport drugs and top notch defense personnel are approving C grade rations for our soldiers who lay their lives for us….

…recent incidents in the BPO industry must have put a questionmark in the minds of offshore clients and the industry into a trauma centre…..Even if it may be a stunt or a sting operation with a malafied intention but the fact remains that data has been made available in the past…..and that doesnt speak good for the corporate world….

….the picture is so dismal that nowadays organisations have to hire Information services (Good for them) to check the credibility of the employees especially at Middle,Senior and definitely at the Top Management…..top jobs are not available unless the references check out.The recent Job Portals accept profiles only if they come along with at least 3-5 references…..

….in every training project that we have executed the board/top management has always given me requisitions for people with EV and ambition….Professionals with EV has become a rare specie and therefore shall have an unprecedented premium and position in the corporate world…but one cannot claim to be practising EV in professional life and not implimenting it in personal life too….this reminds of a famous caption of a TV Ad…of being a Complete Man/Woman….

As I always say…

Keep Smiling…

Have you Ever Run Into Those Little Tyrants? The little guys who think they can step on everyone’s toes?

Did you realize that the only people who seem to be power-hungry are those who don’t have any. Once you attain power, it becomes a burden. This statement comes from many of those minds that rose to power, thinking that happiness would follow, and were highly disappointed.

There are some people who derive pleasure from ordering others around, but they’re just insecure people who have no real personal power: power over their own lives. People who run their own lives don’t need to run others’.

Ironically, though, as people rise in worldly power, they often lose power over their own lives, because they’ve got so many people to please and obligations to meet. When this happens, reasonable people can become Little Hitlers. Sometimes they stay like that until they find a way to again manage their own lives.

Frequently, when people lose power over their own lives, they begin to tyrannize themselves with perfectionism. Perfectionism, like workaholism, is one of those vices that masquerades as a virtue – it’s fear disguised as strength. There are people everyday who wake up and congratulate themselves on their perfectionism even when it was killing them – by contributing to their cardiovascular disease. Successful people, in particular, often swallow the myth that it’s their perfectionism that has put them on top, rather than their brains and passion. One reason they feed themselves this myth is because perfectionism is so difficult that they need to exaggerate its benefits in order to be motivated to maintain it.

The popular clinical psychology perspective on perfectionism is that it’s initiated by demanding parents. However, many disagree with this conventional, blame-the-parents explanation. Their view is that perfectionism is just another mask for the fear of not being enough. It’s for insecure people who think that only the most perfect among us will prevail.

Similar to perfectionism, and just as self-destructive, is obsession with control. People with money often think it should give them control over other people and their own lives, but it doesn’t. In fact, control is a myth. Control connotes absolute power, and in this world, there’s no such thing. You’ll see in life that there are countless people who waste their lives struggling for control, and the more they demand it, the further they fall from true power. True power comes from management, not control. Management means realizing that you can’t control everybody and everything, and dealing with the world on its own terms – giving a little, taking a little. It works.

It seems that, almost every day, some politician, talk-show host, high-visibility CEO, athlete, or celebrity says something or is caught doing something that is embarrassing, damages their reputation, or can even end a career. I could easily name the names here of people who have found themselves in these difficult circumstances in the past few months but I’d quickly run out of my allotted space for this column and it wouldn’t serve any positive purpose. In most cases the problem gets worse, usually much worse, when the person attempts to deny the allegations. When that happens, and the cover-up is discovered, it really hits the proverbial fan. Self-preservation is human nature and, for many people, a natural “damage control” defense is to deny, offer a smoke-screen, point a finger elsewhere, or otherwise try to squirm out of a difficult situation, but inevitably that evading activity seems to explode the issue into much larger and more dangerous proportions.

Things rarely explode when the person takes a more courageous stance. Instead of a cover-up they offer the acceptance of responsibility, issue a sincere apology, and work to make amends. While this does not defuse all situations, it usually lessens negative outcomes if the damaged party is satisfied enough not to pursue it to the ends of the earth.

There is a lesson here for the local, small business having to deal with a disgruntled customer or employee who, typically, feels the need to vent anger. Realizing that the deed was done and that good “damage control” can minimize negative impact, defuse an irate person and get things back to normal without the situation exploding into a media event.

I recently ordered a customized product but when it came I found it was the wrong color. I called, prepared for an unpleasant experience yet I was shocked when the person pleasantly said, “Thanks for bringing this to my attention.” I almost dropped the phone!

They immediately remade the item, delivering it in two days. They didn’t deny, cover up, point fingers, or squirm. They handled the situation in the best possible manner and it didn’t explode. I’ll be back.

Do you remember how you felt after your last interaction with another person either on the phone or face to face? That person – it could have been a customer, a colleague, a salesperson, a friend or even a member of your family. Did they make you feel good, uplifted and more positive, did they leave you feeling neutral or did they make you feel down and more negative.

Unfortunately, most of us have grown up in a negative culture where it’s much easier to tell people what they did wrong rather than praising them when they succeed. Research in the United States found that 65% of employees received no recognition for good work in the past year. Similar research in other countries of the world shows comparable results.

Other research has shown that the number one reason people leave their job and customers take their business elsewhere is that they don’t feel appreciated. (And if you think about it – many people leave their partners for the very same reason)

If customer’s leave an interaction with you or one of your team feeling better than they did before, then they’re much more likely to come back, recommend you to other people and spend more with you.

If one of your team feels better after an interaction with you then they’re much more likely to pass that feeling onto a customer. “The way you treat your staff is the way they’ll treat your customers” – Karl Albrecht

Give five positive comments to one negative comment to the other people in your life and you’ll have – more happy customers – a workplace that’s more productive and more fun – more friends – better relationships and a healthier, happier and longer life.

Remember – “Hand out warm glows, not dampeners.”

The need to write this article came about through the recent experience of two of my friends. Both had been fired. One for supposed poor performance (although she had never been counselled and at the time was in fact on sick leave) and one because the start up facility she was employed by, suddenly closed down. Both were senior managers. Both were loyal, hardworking employees but are now very angry and taking legal action against their former employers. Why are they so angry? One could say it’s because they have lost their jobs and this would be quite understandable. However, the main action that has triggered their anger and catapulted them down the legal pathway (in both cases), was that they were informed of their dismissals by emails. Yes, that’s right by email! They were never given the courtesy of a face to face discussion.

Many managers, when faced with the challenge of firing someone, forget, or are unaware of the emotions that are experienced by the person being fired. Nor are they aware of the behaviour that most often results from these emotions. It has been well documented that the death of a loved one, a marriage or long term relationship breakup and the loss of one’s job, have an equal and similar impact on one’s emotions. Think for a moment about the loss of one of your dear relatives or friends through death – how did you feel? That’s exactly the same feeling that people have when they suddenly and unexpectedly lose their jobs.

The psychologists tell us that there are 5 stages that people go through in this “grief cycle” – Shock, Resistance (often manifested as anger), Acceptance (of the current situation), Exploration (of new opportunities), Commitment (to a new future). Can any of these emotions be managed via email?

I can well recall the first time as a manager I had to fire someone. It was for poor performance and I was scared. I did not sleep the night before wondering what I would say and what would be her reaction. I carried out the interview in the morning with great fear and trepidation. I was not sure how the interview went, but was relieved when it was over and then took a break for lunch, but was unable to eat. I did not know about the “5 stages” at the time, I only knew that I had to do the right thing by the organisation and by the employee. I arrived back from my break to find a box of chocolates on my desk with a very nice note from the employee saying how much she appreciated my courtesy and kindness. I guess, intuitively I must have got something right.

Now, from years of experience, I know two things about firing someone:

1. Firstly, the person at all times must maintain his or her self esteem. This is one of the most basic and important needs that all people have (emailing someone, or even worse as I heard since starting this article, texting, sends a clear message that they are not worthy of a face to face discussion)

2. Secondly, it is vitally important to realise that all people will go through the five stages of the grief cycle (quite often at different paces) and as a manager, it is our role and responsibility to help them progress through these stages, particularly the first two that are likely to occur when they are still with us.

How do you do this? Well, in my usual style when writing an article such as this, I did my web research. Sad to say there was not much there. Under “firing someone” there seemed to be a plethora of articles about the legal requirements and many about the steps to take. For example, one article suggested the following steps: Give warning, Document, Document, Document! Time it right, Prepare the paperwork, Don’t go it alone (ensure you have someone from HR there), Ensure privacy, Be brief, Watch your tone, Seek feedback, Give a good send-off. Few of these steps would address the 5 stages of grief. Many could probably be done by email with the same impact and result! If these steps were followed, I wonder what “feedback” the manager would receive – would there in fact be a “Good send-off”?

I’m not suggesting that we don’t have to address some of these. For example, you must cover all of the documentary and legal responsibilities pertinent to your country and organisation’s requirements. But keep in mind that the fired employee is first and foremost a person just like you with feelings and emotions that must be managed.

Here are some suggestions (assuming of course that you have fulfilled all the other requirements) for the next time that you have to fire someone:

• Before taking any action, ask yourself: “How would I feel if my boss came to me today and said – you’re fired!” Write down a list of words that describe your feelings.

• If you were in the situation of being fired, how would you like your boss to handle it? What would you like him/her to do and to say? Jot down some of your thoughts.

• Now write down a list of the words that best describe your feelings about having to fire someone. Review all the words you have scribbled down so far and pick out the two or three strongest. Also keep in mind how you would like to be handled in similar circumstances.

• Script the start of the conversation using the two or three words you have discovered. e.g. “This is really difficult for me. I feel apprehensive and worried that I won’t get it right.”

• The next part of your opening script will depend on the circumstances. For example in a “lay off” situation, it might go something like; “I have been advised that I have to terminate the employment of a number of people. I am really sad to say that your name is on that list”. Or, for a non performance issue, it could be something like; “We have discussed my expectations about your performance and unfortunately they are still not being met. It now really saddens me (or whatever your feelings are) that I will have to terminate your employment”.

• Be careful. You can only script the opening few lines, but they are important because they set the scene for the entire interview.

• It is most likely that during the remainder of the interview, the employee will travel backward and forwards between “shock” and “resistance”. Give your reasons for the termination clearly and succinctly, but do not get into a discussion about justifying yours (or your employer’s) reasons. Doing so will keep the employee fixed in either of the first two stages and will not help them to progress. Only sincere listening and clear questioning (not reasoning) will help the employee progress to the acceptance stage.

One factor that is often overlooked when firing someone, is that the way it is done can have as much impact (positive or negative) on the people who remain. They will be watching (and will invariably get a first hand report from their colleague) about how well or otherwise the process was managed. The people who remain in the organisation, and whom I assume you want to keep, get a good look at both the manager’s and the organisation’s real people management skills when under the stress of firing someone. They’ll most certainly ask “Could this happen to me?”

Most people, when they think of success, generally envision setting a goal and doing certain activities to achieve that goal. In other words, a series of external actions that will lead them to success. However, success does not always result directly from performing certain actions, and when it doesn’t, we may be puzzled as to why we didn’t achieve the goal. Did we do something wrong? Should we have taken different actions? Was the goal too far fetched?

The truth is that success is first an inside job before it can be a result on the outside. For optimum success, therefore, we need to take on the Vibration of Success. What does that mean? Vibration is energy, and the energy you hold in your thoughts and feelings on the inside attracts to you like results on the outside. If you hold an inner vibration of lack and loss, you’ll attract lack and loss in your physical world. Therefore, if you raise up your vibrational energy to one of abundance and success, you’ll attract that in your life—in all areas. That is, if you think positively, and hold positive thoughts and expectations about the outcome of your goal, you are not only more likely to achieve that goal, but to attract it to you.

When you notice your mind veering off course, or focusing on the negative, gently tell yourself to come back to the positive focus. If you find obstacles or distractions in your path, focus on finding solutions—get support, call a coach, just take action! Some tools you can use to stay positive and in the vibration of success include affirmations, visualization, meditation, booksreading s, listening to CDs, attending seminars and working with a coach.

Science has shown everything is energy, including the material world. When you focus your thoughts on what you want to achieve or create, that energy attracts those results to you. Your inner thoughts, self-talk, feelings, and overall attitude create an energy that acts as a magnet to bring into your life material results that match the energy of your inner world. So it is crucial that you become aware of your internal energy field. What are you saying to yourself? Is your mind organized or unfocused? Are you clear about your goals or are you doubtful? Do you know why you want what you want or have you taken on other people’s desires as your own?

This is a universal law that works for everyone: that which you focus on you attract to you. The easiest way to attract what you want—success—is to focus on the positive outcome and not on obstacles, distractions or failure. You’ve heard the expression: Be careful what you wish for—you may just get it! Well that shouldn’t be a warning, but a promise. For if you hold high vibrations of what you truly want, and stay clear, positive, and focused in your thoughts, self-talk, and feelings—you just may get what you want. The Vibration of Success will attract to you all the success you want.

Do you know the number one reason people leave their jobs? It’s not because of money or the company dress policy. It’s not because they did not get the corner office or because they were passed over for that much-deserved promotion.

Most people who jump ship do so because they just cannot stay one moment longer at their place of work and honor their own deeply held business or career values at the same time.

People might be able to happily get by with less money, but they cannot work for long in a situation that violates a deeply held core value.

What are Values?

The word values is tossed around a lot, but what are values?

Values go beyond beliefs. They are the core philosophies we hold sacred. People often report feeling as though they were born with these values.

Every individual has a core set of personal values he or she brings to work; every business has a core set of business values. The optimum business situation is when these sets of personal and business values overlap, blend and morph into what I call shared values.

Whether you are consciously aware of them or not,your personal values constitute your ideals, and shape your being – indeed they are your being. And whether you are in alignment with them or not-whether you own or work in a business that reflects them or not they affect your every thought, word and action.

I am the best example of how values- or rather a conflict in personal and business value-helped to shape my behavior and decision-making. I sold my thriving business, not because it was a failure- financially speaking, it was wildly successful- but because I was not able to keep that business and honor my own value of personal freedom. The nature of the business demanded too much time and dedication. Once I realized this, no amount of money could make me stay.

Sometimes values are in conflict, but the stronger value always wins out.

I have a friend who was teaching in a toxic (for her) school situation. When she was hired for the job she was thrilled to get any public school teaching job, no matter the school or philosophy. She did not think about whether or not this school was a good “fit” for her value-wise.

She learned the hard way about the importance of shared values.

Without really realizing it at the time, my friend held two values: a strong work ethic that included always delivering her very best, and professional freedom to be innovative in her delivery of her best.

From the get-go my friend was scrutinized frequently and expected to adhere to rigid planning and assessment tools. While other teachers would welcome such structure, my friend found it stifling.

To avoid the pain of poor performance assessments, and to adhere to her value of performance excellence, she tried to conform to the school’s expectations and squeeze in some innovative teaching where she could.

Still, she grew increasingly unhappy because in conforming, she was forced to sacrifice her freedom to “plan creative activities in the classroom without getting caught” thus making her feel sneaky violating yet another one of her dearly held values, namely honesty.

The result of all this value-clashing? Her performance and self-esteem plummeted. By year’s end, much as she loved teaching, she had no choice but to pack up her books and bulletin boards and hand in her resignation. But, there was an upside to all of this.

When she scheduled new job interviews, my friend was quick to ask about school procedures and policies. No longer willing to sacrifice her value of freedom for any teaching position, she came from a position of strength.

Eventually, my friend landed a new teaching job with lots of freedom built in. She felt a renewed sense of passion for her profession, and learned a valuable lesson on the value of seeking shared values in the workplace.

So, how does this information about values in the workplace impact you?

Well, let’s pretend you’re scouting for a new job. Like my friend, you’d be wise to come to any interview knowing your own values and then asking questions to see if your prospective employer’s values, and those of the business you are considering joining, are in line with yours. For example, if you know you value time with family, you might ask about the company’s flextime policy; if you value professional freedom, you might ask about the company’s review and evaluation process.

If you take a job whose values are in conflict with yours, you are asking for trouble.

Conversely, if you are the employer interviewing prospective workers, you want to be clear on your own values, your business’ values and the expectations that grow out of those. Then as you interview employee candidates, you can ask particular questions crafted to discover whether or not each candidate’s values align with yours and those of your company.

Avoid direct (DUH!) questions, such as, “Do you value respect and hard work” Instead, ask your candidate to indirectly reveal his or her values by telling you about three people he or she most admires and why. Since we most often admire in others the positive traits and qualities we hold sacred in ourselves, you will gain some insight into each candidate’s core values. You can then attract to your business those people whose values are most in alignment with yours and those of your business.

If you are a business owner, your business values are your company’s invisible CEOs. Whether you realize it or not, your values help manage every aspect of your business. They guide your decisions; they help determine if your business is viable and valuable. When you create a business that is in alignment with your values-and when you bring people on board who are in harmony with those values-your business has the best chance of meeting your personal and financial goals.

How closely your business is aligned with your own values, and how closely your employees’ values follow suit, determines the degree to which your business will fly or flop on all fronts. A strong sense of shared values allows you to initiate meaningful actions based on mutual agreement instead of spending all your time managing the fallout caused by not honoring them.

One last example . . .

In my company I insisted that every individual-vendors, employees, customers- treat each other with same courtesy and respect with which they would treat a guest in their home.During the hiring process, I always spoke about my company’s values. I was always looking for that “respect value”. Our motto was “People first!” I honed in on this value before exploring any technical expertise or skill the candidate brought to the table.

Without this shared value, our working relationship would have been doomed from day one. With the respect piece missing, we would not be happy with their performance and attitude, and they would not be happy trying to fit in with us.

The payoff for consistently knowing and acting from this and other shared values was that we enjoyed long term relationships with employees, vendors, clients and customers that stretched 25 years or more. We had corporate contracts that lasted 15 and 20 years, a time period unheard of in the contract dining services industry. Try using this value based approach next time you bring someone on your team.