Over time, core values have witnessed a gradual death amongst young people. It is waved asides like it means nothing but deep down it is a major component for a well-built personality. If your major description does not have anything to do with core values, now is the time to intentionally work on them.
Opportunities have been lost because people have been found wanting on these trajectories. Like projectiles, a very good value system can propel you from where you are to your choice position.
Some major values that are non-negotiable for young ones out there are expatiated below.
Integrity- Are your words taken with a pinch of salt? It could be so because you lack integrity. Are you the kind of person that would bend the process for anything? Your attention is needed here. The world runs not just on currency alone, but on trust also. Can people have confidence in your words? Or you are known to be a chronic “promise and fail” person?. As a young person in business, your lack of integrity might eventually lead to your downfall. Clients need that assurance that your words will be backed up by action and this is enmeshed in your personality.
Responsibility- As a young person out there, you have to be able to take responsibility for your decisions and actions no matter how it turns out. Are you given a task by your superior? Own it. Don’t always seek to pass the blame around when the buck stops at your table. That sense of responsibility further assures of your dedication to solving problems and puts you on a higher pedestal for leadership roles.
Ability to keep to time- There is a popular adaptation of time commonly used in this part of the world called “African Time”. A time is slated for an event and they do not start till two or three hours after. As a young person, “African time” is not normal. People not valuing time does not mean you should act in the same vein. It is always frustrating when you are punctual and your time is being wasted. Nevertheless, it is better to be safe than sorry. Build yourself to be punctual with meetups, events, dates and cooperate meetings. It says a lot about you than you think.
Honesty- Are you honest in your dealings or you always want to try to play a fast one on people? Are you driven by excessive desire to gain even if it comes in exploitative ways? Do you find delight in expressing the true situation of things? Can people depend on you to do the right thing even in their absence?
From the formal to the informal professions, core values are gradually becoming extinct. The society is a major culprit in the scenarios we see daily. When impunity becomes the order of the day, a lot of things would structurally go wrong.
People that have these core values are relegated to the ground while people with ulterior motives are given the front seat. A society that promotes lawlessness would always experience a dearth of good values. We need to be able to point to people at the top doing well because of their core values. But when all the examples we have are mostly negative, how do we effectively pass the right message from what people are seeing every day?
It is a hard pill to swallow, trying to be different in a lawless society. Dear young one, you have to swim against the tides. You have to set your path and let the whole world know the core values you stand for. You need to be that glimmer of hope, that ray of light for the next generation to look at and be glad. When exposure to other climes come in, who you have made yourself to be would ensure the transition is so smooth.
