How to link personal values with team values. (cover story)

The article reminded me of my summer job as a server at a restaurant. There were times that my workload was overwhelming and customers were forming a line out the door. I had to make a decision on what I valued, if I picked customer service over efficiency I would have to spend more time at each table and potentially have people wait for a long period of time. My manager valued teamwork and a positive attitude above all. I had to work on what I prioritize and balance my workload in order to succeed.

This also connects to Breaking Bad, Walter White had to constantly face choices that clashed with each other. He had to pick between family, financial security, or pride. Understanding our values and choosing one above another helps guide our actions and align it with what we believe in. The show demonstrates how misaligning your values can have a negative impact on your life and lead you to make some choices you wouldn’t usually make.

It makes me think of real world companies that are heavily invested into their values and make it a core part of their company. Part of Patagonia’s mission is, “We’re in business to save our home planet.” They ensure that their employees have similar values and align with their mission goal. When professional and personal goals align, employees are happier and the company has a unified vision.

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

“Our Mission.” Patagonia Hong Kong Online, www.patagonia.com.hk/pages/our-mission?srsltid=AfmBOoqKjzV2USn33g8fEpZ9MOubpeJOMpS80gzm4BY6Bnq2xfIsRlRJ. Accessed 11 Sept. 2025.

When reading  the article “40 Years of Storming,” the point that stood out to me was her mention that “groups often struggle in the storming stage before they can move forward successfully.” (Bonebright, p. 386). This made a lot of sense to me because I’ve had the same exact thing happen in my own groups. I’m currently in a group project for one of my classes and everyone was trying to get a plan in place and get work done, but then we disagreed on who should do what and how to organize the work. The first meeting was counterproductive and frustrating until about halfway through, where we worked through those disagreements. After that initial issue, the project started to be a lot more smooth. The reading reminded me that it’s a normal part of group dynamics to not work well when first meeting.

This reminded me of stories I’ve read about survival situations like Lord of the Flies. The boys are stranded and try to organize themselves and set rules. Disagreements start quickly and one of the characters rejects the leadership of another. This is similar to what Bonebright describes with Tuckman’s model. Although in survival stories the stakes are higher and the pressure is high. Both show that people must go through stress before they can trust one another.

I notice this same pattern in everyday situations whether its sports teams, volunteer groups, or even within families. When people come together to plan an event, people are usually excited to start, then there’s some disagreements about how to do things, and eventually roles are established. The model makes sense of this cycle and shows that it’s okay to struggle at first.

Bonebright, Denise A. “40 Years of Storming: A Historical Review of Tuckman’s Model of Small Group Development.” Human Resource Development International, vol. 13, no. 1, 17 Feb. 2010, pp. 111–120, https://doi.org/10.1080/13678861003589099.

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York, Penguin Books, 17 Sept. 1954.

“Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices”

After reading the article, I found that the point that stood out most to me was “A positive example isn’t being set.” I have seen this firsthand in the workplace with managers or supervisors not actively following the rules in place and therefore the employees under them follow suit. This is also true on the contrary, where a good manager will be a role model in the workplace, and their employees will look up to them and do as they do. My manager for my summer job effectively shows this behavior. He was the general manager at the restaurant and always showed up on time, cared about the business, and would go above and beyond for the customers. This would in turn make me want to strive to be on his level because of the example that he would set.

This connects to the reading about the report on the Titan. The leader in charge of the expedition and project didn’t put proper safety protocols in place, and the team of engineers under them followed that leadership. The lack of a positive example will lead a team into disarray because there isn’t a person to enforce rules and set a baseline for what is needed. As Ron Carucci stated, “Organizations who don’t want to find themselves on a front-page scandal must scrutinize their actions to far greater degrees than they may have realized.” This relates directly to the Oceangate catastrophe because they didn’t diligently analyze their actions and act in an ethical way.

For the everyday person it is very easy to make unethical decisions in your life. The easy way out is not the right way, acting with morals and ideals in mind will lead you down the right path and help you in the long term.

“Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices.” Harvard Business Review, 16 Dec. 2016. hbr.org, https://hbr.org/2016/12/why-ethical-people-make-unethical-choices.