Guided by Core Values

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

“Enduring great companies don’t exist merely to deliver returns to shareholders. Indeed, in a truly great company, profits and cash flow become like blood and water to a healthy body: They are absolutely essential for life, but they are not the very point of life.”

The above quote struck me hard as I was reading “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. He had been building to that point for several paragraphs, writing about the core values and purposes of companies/organizations. Those, he said, are what drives one to greatness. Money and profits are key; however, they are not the soul. The important thing is “why” a company or organization exists.

But it’s not even what specific core value or purpose someone has in place. It’s simply having one at all. “The point is not what core values you have, but that you have core values at all, that you know what they are, that you build them explicitly into the organization, and that you preserve them over time,” wrote Collins.

So, I have some questions for you to answer today. Grab a pen and paper, jotting down your thoughts. Spend 15 minutes thinking these through:

• What is your purpose personally?
• What is your rec center’s purpose/mission?
• Why?
• What are your core values personally?
• What are your rec center’s core values?
• Why?

I think hashing out the above answers, both personally and professionally, can be a powerful thing. You can see if your core values and purpose align with your rec center’s mission. If they are aligned, it can be an unstoppable force moving forward. You have to know them, every inch, as you move forward in whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish. Collins shared they have to lead you as you progress; you need a guiding principle as decisions and challenges come your way.

So, take some time today and answer these questions. Ask what it is that drives you and drives your campus rec department. And if you don’t have core values or a mission statement, whether professionally or personally, it’s time to jot some down.

They will act as a guide as you go through this journey that is life.