Actions

For the last several days, my focus has been on values.  And while I believe that values are foundational and a key to the success of both individuals and organizations, they are not worth a hoot unless they are reflected in actions.  There is an expression that I have heard many times that applies perfectly to illustrate this point:

We judge ourselves based on our intentions, while others judge us based on our actions.

Behaviors reflect our true beliefs.  Values (intentions) are things that can not be seen on their own:  integrity, excellence, teamwork, commitment, courage; but rather, are inferred based on the actions of INDIVIDUALS.

Notice that here I did NOT refer to the “actions” of a company/organization.  A company does NOT “act” in a certain manner.  Rather, it publishes a collection of norms (rules, processes, regulations, values, etc.) via formal and informal channels and then INDIVIDUALS within the company reward/recognize (i.e. takes an action) other individuals based on THEIR actions.  The reality is that individual actions are the external manifestation of the values.  Or, to pull out another oldie but goodie:

Actions speak louder than words

With that in mind:

What do your actions say about your values?

As always, thanks for the time.