At my MSW graduation, our commencement speaker gave us one final homework assignment. She shared her values with us, which are rooted in indigenous values: Respect, Reciprocity, Responsibility, and Balance. Then she encouraged us to identify our own. As she is one of my mentors, and I have worked with her since the summer of 2013, I had technically already completed the assignment. Yet, I have decided to do it again, and would like to share my personal and professional values with you.
As a social worker, there are certain professional values each of us must carry out and adhere to, and they form the basis of the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). These are:
service
social justice
dignity and worth of the person
importance of human relationships
integrity
competence
The values of my profession are also in line with my personal values. Additional values I hold and practice are: conscientiousness, humility, gentleness, trustworthiness, and love. These values come from my heart, and I personally believe they are gifts from my Creator. Each of us is unique, and our values may be inherent from birth or developed over a lifetime, or a combination of both. Whether our values come from our hearts, our families, our profession, our friends, our communities, our religious or spiritual beliefs, or from a place we cannot identify, they can help guide us in our decision-making process at work, in relationships, and in life.
C.S. Lewis wrote that “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” Yet, someone is always watching. Each of us is our own constant companion and observer of our thoughts, actions, and behaviors. We are always watching ourselves and our choices. Sometimes, due to power dynamics or abuse, we do not have a choice or our choices are limited. Yet, there is great freedom in the choices we do have. How liberating it is to know that we are in control of our choices and actions! In a world full of greed, lies, and violence, each of us still has a choice to be the kind of person who lives with integrity. My field instructor last year would talk with me during supervision about ethical dilemmas and making decisions about how to proceed in them, frequently starting the conversation with “Integrity says...” This has stuck with me, and I have continued to apply what integrity says in each situation in both my professional and personal life.
In a world where we cannot control the choices of others or how others treat us, integrity says that we can control our own choices and make decisions that honor our values. By leading with our values, we show others who we are, and by maintaining consistency in applying our values, our lives become easier, more intentional, and I would argue, more joyful. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to think about and identify my values in middle school and high school leadership classes, through conversations with family members and professional mentors, through college coursework both inside and outside of the classroom, and throughout my twenties (the majority of which I have spent in graduate school). I am able to articulate my values to my peers, to friends, colleagues, and to prospective significant others. Identifying and living by my values has allowed me to leave, address, or avoid unhealthy or unethical situations, to hold my head up high, and to have full faith and trust in myself.
What are your core values? Do they differ from the values of your profession? How have your values changed over time? Comment below and add to the conversation!
