It’s dark. It’s late. I’m in a small bar in San Francisco and my friends and colleagues have a head start with Dark & Stormys. I’m about to have one of those conversations that keeps you thinking while you fall asleep at night, in the shower, along solitary walks—for a long, long time. A friend leans over a small, high table. He gets a mostly-serious-and-only-slightly mischievous look on his face (this might be his everyday face) pauses and says, “what are your core values?”
I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t expecting the question. That was five years ago.
It made me realize that I should know my core values. I’ve since defined them as positivity, humility, and curiosity. I’m optimistic to a fault, have a healthy dose of confidence but am generally extremely accommodating, and I simply cannot leave a questions that has been asked unanswered.
At work and in life, I love to surround myself with people who love what they do. Passion for whatever you happen to be pursuing (work or play) is contagious and wonderful.
I’ve always known that some people work really great together while other equally talented and awesome people work terribly with one another. The trick is finding a good match. This match, or fit, with a team and a lead fascinates me, and I very much like the idea that it starts with matching core values.
The right people:
- Share your core values
- Don’t need to be tightly managed
- Practice personal accountability
- Do what they say they’re going to do
- Are incredibly passionate about the work
- Give credit when things go well and take responsibility when they don’t
— Jim Collins on the kind of people to surround yourself with at work (17:48)
More quotes from the interview:
- “It’s okay to say, ‘I don’t know.'”
- “No one is bulletproof.”
- “Numbers are very valuable, let them have a voice.”
- “What are the facts?” is a powerful question.
Love it.
What are your core values?