Essay: What are the most important values for individuals to have?

Values are the elements in an individual’s life that are important and valued by that individual, as well as those around him/her. That being said, growing up, my mother has always raised with values to make good choices, and stay on a clear and ethical path. For as long as I can remember, she always used to say that “I am the captain of my own ship, and only I can be the one to stir it in any direction, that I may chose”. Thus, those values I have grown up with the support of my family and life experiences, has guided my moral standards and actions on my life long journey these past 22 years. While everyone’s values differ from one another, I believe the four most important ones are integrity, kindness, creativity and power.
The first value I think is important is integrity. Integrity is a value that is known its honesty and strong moral standards. I think that this is an essential value, because someone with integrity will follow through with his/her word. “If the words you speak are not your words but someone else’s, you will not, in the long term, be able to be consistent in word and deed” (Kouzes & Posner, 2017, p. 49). This means if leaders say one thing, then they will not do the complete opposite of what has been said. What a leader is on paper should match the expectation what he/she is in real life. Additionally, this allows leaders to build better relationships with others. For me, I see myself using this value to lead my life because of my line of work. As a teaching assistant, I provide instructional teaching and implementing programs to enrich the lives of disabled adults with autism. The services provided to these individuals are in hope that one day, they can develop independence in their everyday lives. In other words, I must have high integrity because the data, that we compile is used to determine whether teaching methods need to be adjusted or what types of reinforcement will increase the work progress. Thus, I must teach with integrity and be mindful of my values while also making sure that those values of mine align with what we are teaching as well as how we are teaching it. Integrity can serve to be a useful value to those demonstrating leadership because leaders with integrity are an inspirational. A leader’s actions speak for their own ethical and moral integrity, which shows his/her followers who their leader truly is. “People admire most those who believe strongly in something, and who are willing to stand up for their beliefs” (Kouzes & Posner, 2017, p. 46). Followers like to see an authentic leader, and someone with integrity is whom followers chose to respect and want to be like.
The second value I find important is kindness. Kindness is known for its generosity and consideration. I think this is a key value because someone who is kind, will share that the care for those around them. They also help encourage people and spread positive thoughts to many people especially to those lacking confidence. For me, I see kindness as a way to allow me to make a difference in the world. As a teaching assistant, I am given the opportunity to provide the support that disabled adults with autism need. Disabled adults with autism can be challenging to work with because they sometimes have difficulty expressing themselves, making choices, have bad days or try to escape from demands. And this kind of breaks my heart, because everyone deserves a chance at a normal life. Therefore, it is my kindness and passion that will drive me to help. Kindness is a vital value needed when demonstrating leadership because a leader who is kind is someone who is a present listener and is inclusive. “Sometimes leadership is just showing up” (Kouzes & Posner, 2017, p. 80). A leader who is simple there to support you, encourage you, share with you an understanding even if it’s done in silence. A kind leader is someone who is able to deliver constructive criticism while showing his/her follower that he/she actually genuinely cares for them. With this in mind, followers are more like to work harder and confide in their leader, if he/she is kind, which in turn builds trust/strong relations between a leader and follower.
Furthermore, the third value I find important is creativity. Creativity is known for its innovative imagination and ideas. I think this is a crucial value because someone who is creative brings a new perspective to the table. It is pretty cool that a creative leader can draw new and original connections between two seemingly disparate ideas. “To become a credible leader you have to learn to express yourself in ways that are uniquely your own” (Kouzes & Posner, 2017, p. 57). This why, leaders are creative because it involves creating a bold name for themselves. For me, I see creativity being used as a way for me to design and develop new and unique programs/behavior modification plans in order to understand the behavior and help disable adults with autism gain as much independence as they can. Creativity is a cardinal value when demonstrating leadership because a leader who is creativity has the opportunity to help their workplace grow and reach a competitive level. Hence, it allows a leader to effortlessly understand workplace situations, come up with innovative solution to problem solve effectively.
And lastly, the fourth value I find important is power. Power is known for its influence, capabilities, and authority. I think this is a significant value because someone who is powerful can take charge and handle any and every situation. This basically means, “walk the talk”. “No one will believe you’re serious until they see you doing what you’re asking of others” (Kouzes & Posner, 2017, p. 75). So a powerful leader must do things first themselves before commanding others in order to prove their authority and stand their ground. They also can delegate tasks efficiently, and problem solve effectively. For me, I see power as a way for me to develop a problem solving task force at my workplace and then influencing my colleagues with the passion I have for helping others and applied behavioral analysis to support/push them to generate new ideas and solutions for autism treatment. Power is a paramount value when demonstrating leadership because a leader, who is powerful, has the effective means to achieving the workplace’s goals and obdurate objectives as well as the one’s of the individual’s leader. Thus, it allows a leader to be influential and appealing to his/her followers.
All in all, values are the foundation of everyone’s life, especially in mine. These values are develop as we progress in life and sometimes change based upon our life experiences. My family, friends, society and own experiences are all factors that contribute to who I am today and how I view the world. My values are what give me perspective and somewhat design the rules of conduct for my own functioning. I believe that the values are possess and value the most are what is going to help me further my goals in making difference in the world of autism as a teaching assistant.
2019-2-15-1550266944