As someone who coaches value alignment for a living, upholding the Managing with Aloha Ethos, “Be true to your values” I was fascinated by an interview I saw on television the other night.
Sadly, we may have the most unpopular candidates ever running for the office of President of the United States in Hillary Clinton and Donald J.Trump, and the segment I watched illustrated how people of both major parties, Republican and Democrat, are torn between party loyalty and their own personal values.
If you’re someone in that same quandary, what do you do?
I would agree with Shakespeare’s Polonius, “Above all else, to thine own self be true.”
My advice is mostly pragmatic: Party persuasions are largely out of your control. You can work hard to be a person of positive influence, and I would encourage you to do so, however no single person will ever be able to control a party (or a team, or an organization).
On the other hand, you, and only you, are in control of your own decisions and own actions. You can cite other influences, and deny it all you want, however ultimately, what you decide, and what you do is all on you. Own it. As we say in Hawai‘i, “Be kū.”—Stand up for yourself and what you believe in.
ethos |ˈē θ äs|
noun
the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.
ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from modern Latin, from Greek ēthos ‘nature, disposition,’ (plural) ‘customs.’
From a personal standpoint, your ethos is your values-based character, and you are ‘true to your ethos’ with every decision you make which affirms your personal values.
Indeed, those decisions include who you vote for, as much as any decision on which team you participate in, and any decision to back causes you believe in. The values of your convictions determine your choices, and ultimately, establish your ethics.
“Selling out is usually more a matter of buying in. Sell out, and you’re really buying into someone else’s system of values, rules and rewards.”
~ Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, in his 1990 commencement address at Kenyon College
And I do hope you WILL vote. Our political system is far from perfect, I know, however inaction does not serve you better, nor does it serve our country and our future. To not participate, as driven by your values, is not to decide. To not decide, is to fail in the strengthening of your ethos, your character, and your ethics.
Postscript: The Managing with Aloha Ethos is one of the new additions to the newly released Second Edition of Managing with Aloha, and can be found in Chapter 19 on Ka lā hiki ola.
Related reading at RosaSay.com: Values in Healthy Work.
A place to begin: Start with two words: “with Aloha”
Our #AlohaIntentions value for the month of September, 2016 is Ho‘ohana as our Work Ethic.
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