How to link personal values with team values.

While reading through this text, I made strong connections to my internship experience this past summer. I was an intern for Mount Airy Parks and Recreation and a lot of the topics discussed by Dennis Jaffe and Cynthia Scott I saw throughout this organization for better or worse. Something that was very clear at Mount Airy was their desire to connect their personal values to their companies values. I found it very important that Mount Airy really cared about the people in the community almost to a fault. This desire almost came at the expense of the employees who worked there. 

This text really reminded me of the TV Show Ted Lasso and his commitment to being the best leader and connecting his personal values to the football club. Ted consistently encourages players to embrace their own identities while creating a shared culture of respect, belief, and teamwork. Just like the article suggests, Ted doesn’t impose values, he facilitates open discussions so everyone feels ownership of the team’s values, which ultimately strengthens the team’s performance and cohesion.

This text can apply to many situations in today’s world where companies are working to create stronger workplace cultures. For example, as more organizations focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, they are holding value workshops similar to those described in the article helping employees connect their personal values with shared team values to build trust, collaboration, and commitment. I can see this specifically in some of the businesses I see my family starting or operating.

Jaffe, D. T., & Scott, C. D. (1998, March). How to link personal values with team values. Training & Development, 52(3), 24–30