Major Banks, Jr.

Organizational Behavior

Albert J. Baker

June 12, 2006

Top Five Values

Values are described in the dictionary as standards or principals. According to Dr. Albert Baker, they are also personal, individual, emotional, arguable, and subjectable. Because of the nature of values this can lead to great debate as to which is the most important. This paper will list my five top values and how they have impacted my life, they are faith, discretion, courage, integrity and endurance.

Faith is my most important value. Faith is the foundation that my life is built on. Faith in my God has seen me through some of my most trying times in life, death of both parents, death of a nephew, and the news my son has a chronic illness. Without knowing that there is a Supreme Being who I could turn to, I do not know where I would be today. Faith is also central to my everyday life, whether it is at work, play or the advising of my twenty-one year son; faith is a very important part of my life.

Discretion is a value that was taught at a very early age in my home. My parents believed that maintaining what you saw or heard to yourself was essential to a happy life. This value served me very well when I pledged a fraternity in college, the rituals and practices of the fraternity must be kept and maintained within the organization, and this can only be accomplished through discretion. On my job this value also becomes quite useful. I have access to customer telephone records, and therefore I must exercise discretion to make sure the information is keep confidential. Discretion can best be summed up in the Las Vegas commercial, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”.

Courage is the next value on my list. This value not only requires bravery in the face of danger, but also in difficult situations. Courage in my life has been demonstrated numerous times; when new equipment or procedures are implemented at work, facing the challenges of the birth of a child, and most importantly the difficulties of a new marriage. Courage for me was also evident when at the age of forty-five I decided to go back to college and finish my Bachelors of Arts. It also took great courage for me to strive to obtain my Master’s degree.

As I have grown older obedience is a value that I have come to place great emphasis on. When we are younger obedience is one of the values we tend to overlook, but as an adult I have come to understand that obedience is one my most important values. Being able to follow codes of behavior, business practices, and work instructions has allowed me to stay on my job for over twenty-seven years. Obedience is one of the values I desperately strive to pass on to my children.

The last of my top five values is Integrity. Integrity is a value that is very personal to me; this is one of the values that I have had to re-learn in my adult years. My job as a service representative requires a sales quota. In the competitive environment of today’s business, it would be very easy to add products to customers account in order to gain a competitive sales edge. Integrity in raising my children has also been very important; because they have to see you practicing what you preach for them to buy into the message.

These five values outside of faith are not listed in any particular order. Faith is my most important value, because it sets the foundation for the rest of values I live by. All are highly personal and could be debated for years.