Are You Aligned with Your Values?

How identifying, aligning with, and living up to your personal and professional values can change your life and make you a more effective leader

By Emily Havens, Ovation Executive Community Relations Director

Are you a leader?

Even if you don’t immediately identify as such, really think about this question. Perhaps you’re the leader of a small team. Maybe others count on you to be a leader in varying social situations. You could be a leader at your local church or even a leader in your own home.

Above all, however, you are the leader of yourself.

What defines the choices you make as a leader? The answer is almost always a “can of worms” that include deep cultural and environmental influences. Don’t worry! I’ll spare you the sociology lesson.

Most of the time, we can define our decisions based on our own core values. These core values are a collection of single words or brief phrases that guide our daily activities and interactions. They can also help us overcome immense challenges and times of hardship.

Companies—well, the good ones anyway—train their teams based on a set of core values. At Ovation, we define ourselves by seven core values that include integrity, a passion for the quality of people’s lives, innovation, trust, respect, embracing change, and teamwork.

One of my core values is integrity. Coincidentally, this is also the first, most important core value at Ovation and one of the key reasons I chose to align myself with this company’s culture. “Integrity Above All Else” is a core value that defines who we are in times of adversity, who we are when we have to tell someone no, who we are when no one is looking, who we are when we must own our commitments, and so much more.

What are your core values? Here are some ideas:

• An attitude of gratitude

• A resolve to be open-minded

• A desire to continuously strive for excellence

• A commitment to a healthy lifestyle

• A determination to be loyal

Your values not only provide a framework for decision making but they also reveal personal insights about the core of who you are—and who you are working to become. Your life’s mission is your why, and your core values provide the how.

That’s really the point: Your core values should help you build up to your life’s mission. Your life mission should make your eyes light up when you talk about it. It should start a fire in your heart and ignite your motivational attributes.

Now, ask yourself the following questions: How often are you reminding yourself of your core values? How often do you reflect on your actions and compare those to the person you are striving to be? Share your core values with others, including your partner, friend, coworker, or neighbor. Hold yourself accountable while also being vulnerable and having a worthwhile conversation about who you wish to be and what lights you up inside.

At Ovation, we stand for strong core values that define everything we do. We don’t settle for anything less than focusing on service, exceeding expectations, and creating exceptional, memorable moments for our residents and those with whom we interact on a daily basis.

Align with your values, and I promise you will create a more meaningful and memorable life.

About the Author

Emily Havens is the Executive Community Relations Director for Ovation Sienna Hills. Prior to developing her marketing career, Emily spent three years at The Spectrum and Daily News as a local journalist. Emily has garnered several awards from the Associated Press, Utah Press Association, and Nevada Press Association. In addition to her contributions to journalism and the digital marketing world, Emily is also a local nonprofit chapter president.