By Gary Bamberger

When I deliver Lean-Agile training, I lead a discussion about how the Agile Manifesto values shape the thinking, decisions, and behavior of` execs, leaders, teams, and individual contributors alike. These should be used the same way corporate values are used. Yet, when I talk to people, I learn that they haven’t explored or identified their own values. Perhaps these people are unaware of how powerful and useful values can be.

To illustrate the power of values, I will share mine and some examples of how I use them:

My Core Values:

• Caring for Gaia - be a good steward of the environment and the earth, which is crucial to the future of our planet and ecosystem

• Platinum+ - treat others the way they would like to be treated or better than that!

  • Includes fair & equitable treatment, being considerate of others, being compassionate, being

• Giving back - be generous with my resources, knowledge, and time; purchase from small local companies when possible

• Freedom - to lead my life and choose what I take on

• Physical & mental fitness - so that I can physically have fun & experience life

• Having fun & experience life!

Decisions Using Values

Let’s look at how I have used my values in the past:

• Deciding where to eat - a few years ago, we visited Old San Juan, Puerto Rico for a few days. While walking the streets to find a restaurant, we noticed a pride flag in front of one local establishment, so we decided to eat there. This decision aligned with my platinum+ value and giving back value by supporting a local business.

• What goods / services do I purchase and from whom do I purchase them - we decided to install solar panels on our home and selected a local organization that is a co-op. Some people told us that we would be hard pressed to get a positive ROI on our investment. However, this decision was aligned to my values of caring for Gaia and giving back because we supported a local co-op company.

• Where I donate my energy and resources - After years of wanting to support local youth, I finally volunteered as a “Big Brother”. My volunteer work is informed by my platinum+, giving back, and having fun & experience life values.

• Where I work - I thoroughly enjoy helping leaders in organizations to improve client delivery by applying lean-agile concepts and culture. My preference is to engage companies as a consultant because this form of relationship gives me the freedom to take action with less concern about company politics. Being a consultant also provides the autonomy to choose the gigs I accept to ensure the organizations where I engage are aligned with my values. These represent examples of my freedom value.

Applying Reality

I will say that I’m human, and, therefore, I deviate from my values to simplify my life. As an extreme example, we recently flew from Tucson, AZ to Orlando, FL. Driving our fuel efficient hybrid would have been more environmentally friendly, however, it would have taken 3 days each way to travel vs. 8 hours to travel by airplane. The convenience of traveling this long distance quickly meant bending my core values, and the tradeoffs were agreeable with me. Conversely, when we travel to southern California to visit friends, we drive because it’s the best for the environment.

What are your values? How have you used them to guide your thinking and behavior?

Support for You

If you haven’t explored your core values, I encourage you to do so. Values typically evolved over time, so re-visiting your values periodically is worthwhile as well. I am able to help with this exploration and have tools and techniques available to do so. You can contact me to discuss these techniques and how we can engage.