Ahmed

If you want a good relationship with your work, define your values. And once you do that, never settle for something going against these.

Knowing your values will make things easier for you. Values will not help you pick companies to work for but companies to avoid. To work in an organization whose value system is unacceptable or incompatible with yours will put you in frustration, self-doubt, and non-performance.

Finding a company with the same values as yours is a perfect match. Realistically, it’s enough to find companies with a few values matching yours.

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Values are not ethics. Ethics are the same for everyone. But values differ. Your values should be independent of time or place. Treat them as a North Star.

To get the best values, do not tie them to an industry, a tool, a place, or a technology. Once you do that, it will make you dependent and fragile to change.

Here are a few examples of good values:

• I will only do my best work without hurting my personal life.
• I will respect everyone, either my superiors or my subordinates.
• I will never stop learning.

If you find yourself in a company where:

• You are asked to change/adapt one of your values to work for the said company
•  Or, see that your values aren’t respected

Then the best course of action for you is to leave. Staying around to fix company values rarely works.