BE A BETTER MANAGER:

BETTER MANAGEMENT THROUGH

UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF

Christa VG
Copyright © 2015 Christa van Greuning
All Rights Reserved
 If you want to be the best manager that you can possibly be, you need to have a
thorough understanding of what your values are and you need to act accordingly. Values
are stable and enduring beliefs about what is worthwhile, right and good AND about the
behavior that is required for achieving what is meaningful.

Defining your values

Values are formed early in one’s life. Their formation is influenced by our parents,
friends, role-models, religious leaders and even the media. Your values are a central part of
who you are, what you belief in and they influence every aspect of your life.

Some of your values may change as you get older and experience life and various
behaviors and situations, but they will still manifest themselves in everything that you do.
They influence every single choice that you make, from which food item you select in the
cafeteria to the kind of car you drive. You always behave in ways that are comparable to
your values. Do you value promptness? Then I am sure that you are one of those people
who are never late for an appointment. Do you value family above all else? Then you
probably never miss a school play or sports match.

As a manager and leader it is absolutely vital that you clarify your values – both
professional and personal. Identifying your values will help you to determine what your
goals are and how you can manage yourself and others in order to achieve them.
 Grab your journal, break away from all distractions and list the professional values that
influence you and your decisions. After listing the values that most resonate with you,
prioritize them cording to the values that are most important to you. Some examples of
values include: Accomplishment, Accountability, Accuracy, Calmness, Timeliness, Boldness,
Confidence, Diversity etc. The list of values that you possess is diverse and endless. Really
think about your professional values as you identify and prioritize them.

Ask yourself the following questions once you have identified and prioritized the values
that best describe you and your beliefs: Who are the people that helped shape my
professional values? What events affected my professional values? Are these events or
people still as important to me now as recent events or people who influence me? Are my
values still suitable as guides or behavior in the world I live in today? Should I change my
values to be more relevant for my present self and situations?

1. __________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________________________

5. __________________________________________________________________

Clarifying your personal values

There is a difference between professional values and personal values. Yet they spill into
both aspects of your life. They affect you, not only as a manager, but also as a spouse,
parent, family member or friend. Just as important, if not more so, is understanding what is
important to you as an individual on a more personal level. After all, how you behave, act
and treat people you work for or with, is not exactly the same as how you treat your spouse,
kids, family or friends.

Think about what you would like your family and friends (and work colleagues and
community) to say about you at your eulogy. This is a strange and morbid way of getting to
identify your true values, I know. But it works. Do you want your family and friends to say
that you were kind, loving and generous? Your work colleagues to say that you were driven
and motivating? Did your community see you as generous and self-less? Carefully make
notes in your journal, and use these notes to identify the values that are truly important to
you.
1. __________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________________________

5. __________________________________________________________________

Dealing with conflict

Knowing what your values are can be challenging, especially when they clash with the
values of the organization you work for. Variances in values can also exist between
individuals or sub-groups. Difference in values can exist, for example about how to perform
jobs, the nature of reward systems or the degree of intimacy in work relationships. Having a
clear understanding of your professional values will assist you in managing and resolving
these conflicts.

Being clear about your value set will enable you to act with integrity and to practice what
you preach, irrespective of emotional or social pressure. Resolving the conflict begins by
you, as the manager and leader, being fully aware of, understanding and being tolerant of
the value differences held by the other parties. This will enable you to determine if the
conflict is resolvable or whether personal changes by the involved parties will be required.
You can now determine whether compromises and adjustments can be implemented to
accommodate the different perspectives.