Evaluating One's Values

Values are a tough concept for anyone to describe, mostly because they are abstract ideas that we don't really think about often.  I think Abraham Lincoln summed it up quite nicely with the quote, "Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."  In other words, our values are not influenced by outside forces, they are created from within.

Values play a big role in our decision making, and therefore our ability to lead.  Sometimes, when faced with a conflict that pits two values against each other, one has to choose which values they "value" most.  For example, for me, trust in one another and logical reasoning are among my two top values.  If someone I've recently met comes up to me to say something, I would trust their words, almost as a default.  However, if they said something like, "Meet me later in this dark alleyway after school,"  despite my current trust in them, I would have to assess the situation, and look at the logical reason behind the request.   At this point, I'd run into a block based on what I feel would be a tug-of-war between my current trust for this person and what seems to be an illogical request.  This same situation can easily arise in a leadership position as well, where one makes decisions for their group based on what they think is right and what is by the rules.  In either situation, a decision would have to be made over which value is higher.

Ultimately, our values do not make up who we are.  Rather, they steer us in a general direction to self-discovery.