PERSONAL VALUES:

• 1. Family
• 2. Love
• 3. Freedom
• 4. Loyalty
• 5. Creativity
• 6. Mercy
• 7. Learning
• 8. Achievement
• 9. Economic Security
• 10. Justice

ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES

• 1. Community
• 2. Customer Focus
• 3. Quality
• 4. Accountability
• 5. Effectiveness
• 6. Efficiency
• 7. Structure
• 8. Timeliness
• 9. Transparency
• 10.Trust

Using your values sorts, answer the following questions in the space provided for each:
a. Are your top ten personal values and your top ten organizational values the same? If not, what are the major differences? What problems, if any, do these differences create for you as a leader?

Although my top ten personal values and the top ten organizational values of the hospital I work at are not identical, I consider that some of the organizational values listed could be found in a longer list of my top twenty perhaps. The major differences between my values and my organizations values are fairly simple to delineate. Many of the things I value are close to my heart and ethics. I place my family before all other things in my life, for instance. My organization places value on our community and customer service, on the hand. These qualities are not at odds with one another, but juxtaposed at the micro and macro level of existence. Therefore, knowing this, it does not necessarily place me in conflict with my organization. Rather, in this instance, it helps me to realize that common ground can be found between a person and an organization if the person is capable of broadening their perspective. Other things I value -love, freedom, mercy, etc.- are also not contradictions to the existence of an organization. They are, however, more human in nature and should be valued by the leaders of the organization I work for because they are qualities they should want all of their employees to embrace as well.

b. Are there some values on your personal values list that conflict with each other? For example, are there conflicts because you value economic security and freedom? Loyalty and truth? How can you address and resolve these value conflicts?

I do not believe there are any values on my list that are conflicted by any other. Even when we consider freedom and economic security, I do not think of them as being opposed. Rather, economic security helps to further support freedom, I think, by giving the resources to follow our arbitrary dreams. In nursing, the good thing is that if one feels inclined to recognize the shackles of employment as a deterrent to freedom, there are other paths in nursing which support more freedom while still giving one the economic security one wants, such as travel nursing or home health. I think it is generally unhealthy to think in terms of limitations to progress. Instead, barriers are things to be overcome to prove how badly one wants to accomplish their dreams.

 
c. Are there some values on your organization values list that conflict with each other? For example, are there conflicts because the organization tries to focus on quality and quantity? On the short term and the long term? How can you address and resolve these value conflicts?

Their are probably a couple of organizational values that contradict each other. Sometimes I think in the search for efficient, cost-effective measures there may be corners cut with in regards to quality. This does not have to be the case. If hospitals utilize evidence-based practices as the "norm", I think quality, efficiency, and cost effectiveness can all be met. For this to happen, however, will require the voice of the people who work in the trenches to be heard, with their voices supported by evidence, by the executive administration. Other organizational values that I listed, such as trust and accountability, tend to favor one another overall and can be powerful mediums of change within an organization.

 
d. Are there some values very important to you that you are not “living” in your day-to-day life? If so, what might you do to bring your life into concert with your most deeply held values?

Interestingly, freedom and creativity are two values that I do not get to "live" everyday, which is related to more than my career choices. Due to family ties and obligations to work and education, my freedom is less than it could be. However, I weigh this against all of the many blessings that I have such as my children and the many opportunities I have waiting for me in the future as I move forward in my career. Patience is a powerful antidote to discontent. I and my family will enjoy the benefits of my nursing career one of these days. Until that time, we will seek our freedoms in between moments of effort and responsibility, basking in the short-term gratification of days off, and the love of one another.