In light of recent events, I don’t want to talk politics. I don’t want to talk about rights and laws. What I want to challenge everyone who reads this blog, is to think about values.
What Drives You
At Swift Kick, we have values that hold our team members accountable. These values define the purpose of our company. We all as individuals have our own morals and values that intrinsically push us to be the people we are today. These morals can be based on your parents, your upbringing, or maybe your friends.
In the best case scenarios, your values align with those in your environment. They are supported, encouraged, and sometimes even challenged. Your morals act as the foundation to the person you are.
Consistency
In our ever-changing society, it helps to have something that tethers us to something bigger than ourselves.
We are challenged every day to stay true to ourselves and to be honest about our role in this current society. You have to be consistent to yourself. Times get tough. Life is hard. You must follow your moral compass when uncertainty creeps in. We have a responsibility to our community to educate ourselves. If you value communication and respect, you have to find different ways to have civil conversation. As Americans, we’re proud, and we’re passionate in all things, whether that be your hometown football team, your family, or your ideals. When you challenge someone else’s core beliefs or their values, we must simultaneously attempt to empathize and empower. Ask yourself what you’re willing to sacrifice for the sake of collaboration and agreement.
Put Into Practice
How do we support all these different students coming from different backgrounds?
Here’s an exercise that you can do to help evaluate your own moral stance;
- Write down a list of everything you deem important (honesty, consistency, leadership…)
- Next, identify a top 10 from your list of values
- Ask yourself if your values are supported by your actions
- Then, determine your top 5 from the list of 10
- Choose the most important of the five and reflect on how the other four values support that
This exercise can be adapted and used in different formats with your community. How do you put your values into practice? What’s one thing you do every day that supports what you believe in? Do you believe a strong set of morals is important to working together? Find out more about our culture at Swift Kick and apply for our open intern position here!
