A521.5.4.RB - Core Workplace Values Assessment

Personal values represents who you are and helps determine your level of satisfaction with your job.  
By becoming more aware of your personal values, you can use them as a guide to make the best choice in any situation.  Individuals whose personal values are aligned with those of their workplace tend to be better performers. Below are my results of The Core Workplace Values Assessment Exercise which helped me  judge my "fit" with my current career.  

Five core workplace values:

1. Professional learning and opportunities for growth

2. Positive impact on others

3. Teamwork and work groups

4. Self-respect and pride in work

5. Friendships and warm working relationships

The United States Air Force core values are integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. These values are the minimum standard to get the job done.  "They are the common bond among all comrades in arms, and they are the glue that unifies the force and ties us to the great warriors and public servants of the past." (1997) 

Initially I didn't think my values would line up with the military but after this exercise and some reflection, I believe my values line up perfectly.  The Air Force provides professional growth and leadership opportunities, great sense of accomplishment, and a unique level of experience. Furthermore, in the military and in my unit, I am part of a team.  Lt. Col. Charles Mayer, 325th Air Control Squadron commander, explains that core values are the key to teamwork.  "Team success depends on each individual member executing their part the way they were trained, rehearsed and perfected. Any chance for selflessness or excellence flows first from the integrity to do the right thing, the right way and for the right reasons."(2008)

Organizations must create a culture that facilitates value development.  Denning (2011) states the four types of values at play in an organization today are: values of robber barons, values of hardball strategies, values of pragmatists, and genuinely ethical values (p. 127).   Pragmatists are organizations who place a high degree of focus on values and make values “a central part of the organization’s business strategy” (p. 129).  Our values are operationalized through The Core Values Continuum which states "we need to continually teach, reinforce, and practice the Core Values."(1997) They play a central role in every aspect of our Air Force education and training.  The core values "serve as beacons vectoring us back to the path of professional conduct; the Core Values allow us to transform a climate of corrosion into a climate of ethical commitment."(1997) However, I believe we should incorporate commitment to dedicate themselves to the cause and the team; Duty to fulfill their obligations; and Personal courage to face adversity and have moral and mental strength to do what's right.  Without these added values, integrity, service and excellence are likely to fall short. 

Denning, S. (2011). The leader’s guide to storytelling: Mastering the art and discipline of business narrative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mayer, C. (2008, December 02). Core values are the key to teamwork. Retrieved September 09, 2017, from http://www.tyndall.af.mil/News/Commentaries/Display/Article/316898/core-values-are-the-key-to-teamwork/

United States Air Force core values. (1997). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of the Air Force.