Qualities That Set Us Apart – ElPropósito4 min de lectura

Are values in fashion?

Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

Whether or not we believe in values, they exist. They’re there, and we live them one way or another. We all carry a set of values that, when we live in harmony with them, make us better as people, as teams or as organizations. Personally and organizationally, values are lived in different ways and on different scales. There’s also a very powerful intersection between our personal values, other people’s values and the values of the place where we work, for example.

In an organization or company, values represent the culture (either the one it wants or the one it currently lives). What happens when we all make decisions true to what makes us better human beings? The answer is less simple than it seems. Living by our values often calls for a very deep level of commitment, personally and as inhabitants of this planet.

Likewise, an organization that decides to align its values with those of all its people, and vice versa, can reach a tipping point where not everyone chooses to stay on the same boat. At the business level, for example, it becomes essential to find ways for every employee to know, or be aware of, how their values align with the company’s.

The transformations we dream of happen more practically, and with better odds of success, when values guide our decisions and our daily lives. A significant change almost always has a lot to do with values. When they’re truly lived and constantly practiced, any goal is within reach (on top of the effort, dedication, discipline and consistency every good goal demands).

Values are a reality we need to live, understand and appreciate for how useful they are, and they never go out of fashion. In the same way, we need to be aware of the anti-values that also exist. They don’t make us better. They lead us down the opposite road, or down the road that "seems faster." So the loss of values is a myth. What’s real is that values will always be ready and willing to guide us to the best decisions, our best version and, in the end, a life true to a purpose that holds what makes us better every time we live it.

Warm regards,

Rodrigo Baccaro

• This week’s VELA (what I was Watching, Listening to, Reading and Learning):
• What I was Watching: Norseman Xtreme Triathlon. I may do one or two more Ironmans in my life, who knows, maybe more than two. What I do know is that this race (the one in the video) has caught my attention for several years, and finishing it would be a dream come true. It reminds me of high school, when Discovery Channel promoted the Eco Challenge, which I always wanted to do
  – What I was Listening to: Icarus. A great film (available on Netflix). In March 2020, during the first COVID-19 lockdowns, I literally fell in love with my bike again (after the Ironman I did in memory of my son Juan Diego, the bike and I had fallen out). I’m passionate about swimming, and I also learned to run, but finding a set of challenges on the bike I’d never faced before has become a passion that keeps growing. This film is about bikes and what human beings can do with that machine (for good and for bad)
  – What I was Reading: Beyond Order: 12 more rules for life. As I mentioned in my last post, this book will probably take me a good couple of months to finish. It’s a great work and I’m enjoying it. Like Ray Dalio’s Principles, it’s a masterpiece on principles, values, strategies, or rules for living, and living well
  – What I was Learning: Disciplina positiva (Positive discipline). What a great tool. An impressive interview about this powerful resource for education. How do we do things well, and know we’re doing them well, especially with our children or with others?

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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