By Robert J. Tamasy for THRIVE NEWS
What influences your decision-making? Is it determining how to maximize gains and minimize losses? Is it experience, choosing what seems most advantageous for yourself, or for your company or organization? Is it based on appearances — what will present you in the best light to those important to you?
In my years of working with executives and corporate leaders, I found many had at least one document that served as a rudder for guiding their companies. Most had a “mission statement” which articulated what they did — their purpose for existing. Some also had a “vision statement” that expressed where they saw themselves going. Perhaps most revealing of all was a “values statement” that stated underlying principles and values to undergird not only what they did but also how they would do it — and why.
Roy Disney was the brother of the late Walt Disney, the creative genius whose vision ultimately led to the multi-billion-dollar entertainment conglomerate of films, cartoons, TV shows and dazzling theme parks. As co-founder of the Walt Disney Company, Roy Disney stated, “When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.” To put it another way, in making decisions, pre-determined values should not only direct present and future operations but also serve to eliminate options and enticements that do not align with those values.
This sounds good, but how does articulating the values an individual or company embraces affect actions and decision-making in a practical sense? Values may differ from one person to another, or from one business to the next, but for people who seek to integrate their faith with the work they do every day, one trusted guide should be the Bible — the Word of God.
