Quintessential Career's values test indeed proved to be an interesting and revealing exercise for this week. I hadn't previously given a whole lot of thought to my own values beyond those related to general moral beliefs or life philosophies, but thinking about work related values offered a good opportunity for reflection.
A lot of my number one priority values seemed to be reasonably in line with my workplace's values, to include placing a high value on integrity and truth, order, solid work-life balance, making a positive impact, and to some measure having a sense of adventure or blazing a new trail. Certainly, integrity is the first of the Core Values we're taught in training, a need for order is evident in our chain of command, and there's frequently emphasis on maintaining a balance between work and family. A positive impact on society, and activities such as travel and seeing the world are also some of the more often cited motivations for joining the military.
However, there was some notable differences in values. One thing I put down as a number one priority is work that involves creativity or building. Unfortunately, at least within my workplace, much of our daily tasks are highly regimented, even down to slide formatting. Additionally, the average officer is usually expected to be acting in more of a managerial role by receiving tasks and requirements for upper level leadership and then delegating it out to their subordinates. Admittedly, this particular values conflict has become apparent in recent weeks in what I feel is an increasing disinterest in the work I usually get that often focuses on meetings, e-mails, and administrative matters when I'd prefer to be getting hands on with a task.
Another interesting difference is my opinion on competition, leadership, and decision making. Being an officer always carries a certain level of competition, as you're constantly being stratified against your peers for ratings and awards. I marked a very low priority on high competition. Much of an officer's job description consists of being a leader, which of course involves varying levels of leadership and decision making. These are also areas I marked as very low priority, being a more laid back and even somewhat indecisive individual.
That's not to say that particular conflict has no means of being mitigated or assuaged. I had the opportunity to bring up that disconnect to my supervision and they actually thought it would be very beneficial for me to get some hands on experience with the equipment we maintain in order to better understand it, have an appreciation for the labor and logistics involved, and have the additional benefit of having an officer coming down from the office and working alongside the troops.
As for my present thoughts on leadership and decision making, I suppose one could say my decision to enter the service involved in part a decision to give myself some "exposure therapy." Ideally, by being thrown into situations where I'd have to lead or make a decision, I would inevitably have to practice those values, become more comfortable with them, and eventually be able to make them without a lot of fuss. I'd say there has been some improvement over the last several years in terms of actual execution, and I don't get too hung up on the need to do it. Although I don't plan on consciously seeking out a top leadership position whenever I decide to enter the civilian workforce, I'm attempting to mitigate this part of the values conflict through a conscious decision to try and embrace it for what it's worth.
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