By Ursula Jorch
So much is going on in the world right now, that it can be difficult to focus on your business’ values.
You may be going through some financial challenges due to the pandemic, and even if that’s not the case, it can feel hard to consider one more thing as you pivot and adjust.
I have had to make conscious and sometimes difficult choices in my own adjustments to stay aligned with my values and those of my business. It’s an ongoing commitment that I can choose or not choose every day.
Or you simply see opportunities, good opportunities, that don’t exactly align with your values, but do they ever look good!
I regularly get requests from organizations that I am not prepared to work with because our values don’t align.
Or, like me, you may be faced with decisions about your involvement in organizations when your calls for equity are not met.
As I learn more about racism in my journey of allyship, I am making choices outside and inside my business about how to best serve the value of equity.
Outside my business, do I stay and keep trying to change things, or do I go and put my energy elsewhere, where it might do more good? Even if it breaks my heart to go, to no longer belong to this group, to no longer contribute that particular way?
Inside my business, how can I make my business a safe space for people of color? How can I get honest feedback about what I’m doing? How will I choose to hear criticism? What wrong steps am I willing to make as I find my way? Am I doing enough?
I struggle with these questions as much as you do. I want to do the right thing.
And yet, your values aren’t really about moral authority. They are about your own personal authority.
Personal authority is sovereignty in your choices. You get to decide what is important to you. You get to decide how you act, how you show up. You get to decide what you stand for.
What are you willing to stand for? What inconveniences, difficulties, and obstacles are you willing to face to remain aligned with your values in not just word, but also deed?
These are important questions. They determine your character. They determine your impact.
Your actions speak volumes about what you value. That’s why making your core values conscious is so important. When you’re clear about what your values are, you can then make a choice about whether to act from them.
The implications extend beyond personal choices. Your impact is grounded in your values.
To stay aligned with your values, here are 3 things that make it easier:
- Know with clarity what your values are. That’s why this is an important part of the Impact Breakthrough program that I guide my clients through. Dig deep and discover what you are willing to stand for.
- Find allies. People who know you and your values are valuable allies in staying in alignment. The true allies will call you out when you falter, and give you a thumbs up when you succeed.
- Understand how foundational your values are to your impact. Then, your Impact Purpose will guide you more than ever in your decisions.
When things are stressful, or opportunities present themselves that look good, or you wonder how you can best contribute, your values are more important now than ever. Will you stay aligned with your sovereign choices about what you and your business stand for?
About
Ursula Jorch is a speaker, business coach and consultant who helps entrepreneurs grow a successful business that makes a difference in the world. A 21-year successful entrepreneur herself, Ursula helps you define the difference you want to make in the world and develop strategy and marketing so you have ever-expanding impact.
Find Ursula on her podcast, Work Alchemy: The Impact Interviews where she interviews impactful entrepreneurs and leaders like Seth Godin and Marianne Williamson, and at WorkAlchemy.com for free resources for you and your business.
