Would you sabotage your values? – Only at your peril!

It’s been a few weeks since I wrote my last blog – but I make no apologies for my absence!

I’ve been immersed in the whole political debate of the new coalition and the early reception and reactions to this new hybrid beast! Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a political animal. But what I find fascinating to watch and listen to, is how people and parties can believe that the values which drove their very being, are being ignored, undermined, and at its very best simply sabotaged!

I see and hear cross-party agreements. Of compromises. Of consensus. And what we observe are overt behaviours that synchronise with these new ways of being. But at the heart of what makes us tick, are our values. The very things that give us life and the reason for being. Whether they be our own personal values or those we subscribe to in organisations or parties – they are the core that drive our belief systems. And isn’t this what a political party thrives on to survive?

When behaviours and actions dissent from our values, we can no longer sign up to working in such a way. I suspect that many in time will walk away from this coalition when they feel that their personal or their party’s values are being sabotaged. If they do not physically walk away, they will threaten even the best laid plans and offer a set of behaviours that have hitherto remained obscure.

Think of the last time you were asked to do something that conflicted with what you believed in – my guess is that it if you did as you were asked, if would have left you in deep thought, querying why you did it, but intent on not putting yourself in such a position again. Or you may simply have used the rule of two feet, and walked away at the beginning.

Our values are intangible. They cannot be seen or heard – but they are played out in the way we behave. They are integral in creating and shaping our belief systems. Political parties who believe that newly created coalitions, reshuffled cabinet positions and joint party debates are the answer for this country’s future leadership, are naïve. They will find that they need much than this. They will find that it will be the values debate which will make or break them!