Values: What do they mean and why are they still important? (Business, Society, Life)

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Values are something that are important in society and I believe they will be even more important as we move through technological and socio-cultural  change that will likely adjust our institutions. Whether you are a business person, in government, or just a person living their daily lives I fell that values will differentiate those of quality from those who lack quality. 

Let me be a little clearer. We are not talking about the "judgy" values that shallow people use to put down others but the deeper values incorporating the "truths" woven into life. These are deeply rooted values that apply across different spectrums of society. It is these universal values that will be the marker of those who should lead and those who should follow. 

Let us say you are hiring a new CEO. One gets the job done regardless of the cost. He/she lies and manipulates but still performs to get their goals accomplished. Another CEO may also perform but does have limits on their behavior (i.e. they don't always take the short term gain.). It would be tempting to choose the "get it done at all costs" as the person most appealing for business but it carries uncalculated risks. 

Treading the line of immoral, unethical or illegal only lasts for so long. Of course you wouldn't be wise if you ran your business off of this mentality. You are asking for problems, a blow out of some type, and other issues that will likely get your company in hot water. Values are part of good governance and getting the job done while still considering the other stakeholders in society creates longevity in business (Tangible brand value and management strength). 

I've seen the opposite occur where poor values persisted that nearly/did cause the collapse of a business but also was indicative of the wider society (also leading to larger bankruptcy.) Likewise, I have seen how poor values warped aspects of local governance and that in turn created wider chaos (Not that people see themselves as responsible for anything.)

While values don't seem very important, when you take a wider perspective I have seen how values are important on an accumulative scale. A poor judgement call on a lower level often is indicative of thinking on a wider level. Add them up over time and you have a long-term problem brewing based in values and culture. Mistakes are mistakes and bad values are bad values.

My suggestion is to hold certain universal values as important to your business, governance, and society at large. While short term losses can sometimes happen because your willing to make choices based on those values, organizations often win over the long term. They become more stable, supported by wider networks, and create more value for customers/stakeholders. There is ROI to universal values.