Siobhán Dransfield

Comms Camp North in the steel city, Session 4: ‘Personal values’

Working in comms, a lot of us will be very close to our organisation’s agreed vision and values which are often written down, on display and repeatedly referred to in internal communications.

They’re formalised and in your face because they’re important and they should underpin all of our activity at work. But what about our personal values?

Have you ever thought about what your personal values are, and then written them down? Jude encouraged us all to go away and do just that. Having done it herself, Jude’s three are:

  • Integrity
  • Empathy
  • Kindness

I think they’re spot on, but I will definitely be writing down mine and shortlisting to see what I get. One suggestion was to write a longer list of words on a page, pair up the similarities, and then prioritise to come up with your final list. There’s no set number, but you should be able to narrow it down to the ones that really sum up who you are and what you stand for.

Don’t confuse values with skills or competencies – things you’re good at, rather than things you believe in.

Can we define exactly what values are? I loved the description of them as “something that anchors you.”

They are feelings you have that make you you, things you can always revisit and review your behaviour against. If your value is kindness, and you think you’re not being kind – change your behaviour to come back in line with your core value. Likewise, if you’re asked to do something that goes against your values – do your best to stay true to yourself.

Your values are a way of defining your own boundaries. They tell you instinctively what you will and won’t do. So if something doesn’t feel right – say it.

All of the above will go a long way towards creating your own personal brand. What do you want others to think and feel when they’ve been in your company?

Your values will naturally influence your leadership style, so it’s good practice to reflect on how you are demonstrating your core values in your relationships and behaviour at work and if you’ve deviated away from them due to work pressures or the culture, then try to guide yourself back and you’ll be happier for it.

Read my other session highlights here: