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My work values

Abstract

Based on a great book I read recently called “Lost in Translation” by Nigel Green, et al. (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPEC-T ) which describes the concept of VPEC-T, I took the Values part out and decided to list my own Work Values.

I came up with this list. What does you list look like? What drives you at work? What goes thought but never spoken often? Careful 🙂

If we each had one of these we might understand why we have conflict in certain areas, which we could then work at resolving.

Introduction

The first letter V in VPEC-T stands for ‘Values’ and is often an overlooked concept in resolving conflicts between people on projects or at work generally, because people have various built in Values which their experience and interactions has shaped over time.

I took the concept and set out my own work values, which I have since given to people in the teams I work with and I’m interested to see if this has an impact in how we work going forward.

Values

This was spawned to measure my own work related Values using the VPEC-T ^{[[1] and [2]]} way of thinking.

Have Fun – be relaxed – stay healthy

• Play hard / work hard. – Time for work and a Time for play.
• Try and remain cheerful all the time.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously
• Avoid letting untenable situations continue – try and resolve them
  • Resolve tensions and conflict.
  • “Cards on the table.”
  • Understand values – where everyone is coming from – we are all different? (Hence this document)
• To meet communicate below.
• To meet “care don’t stress” below.

Improve

• Build a better easier world so there is more time for fun.
• Want to make things better, improve the overall experience.
• Maximise the efficiency of a process or service. (over time).
• Minimise the effort required to execute a process or service (over time).
• We have a company principle of working efficiently and effectively.
• To meet have fun – be relaxed – stay healthy above.

Keep it simple stupid (KISS)

• The easier and simpler processes are the more likely they are to succeed and be effective.
• Converse: The more complex it is the less likely it is to succeed and be effective.
• We have a company principle based on the Keep it as simple as possible concept.
• To meet improve above.
• To meet care don’t stress below.

Organise

• Want to organise things and ensure there is
  • A known place for things and (Structure is sound)
  • A known way of working for doing things (Behaviour is sound)
• Use technology to guide and support rigour
  • To minimise human error
• To meet improve above.

Communicate

• Spend slightly more time ensuring everyone is on the same page, than working in continual chaos.
• A verbal “stitch in time saves nine.”
• To meet Organise above.

Plan short term detail

• Make the best progress in the short term within the framework of the long term view.
• Don’t rush into things, cool calm collected thought – without procrastination.
  • “More speed less haste”, “Steady as she goes”, “There they go – diving into detail”
• Don’t just muddle / meander on from day to day.
  • Just leave it up to every one to just do their own thing.
  • “Don’t make your bad planning my problem” = plan
• We have a Company principle of Offering Value for Money.
• To meet Organise above.
• To meet Communicate above.
• To meet ‘plan long term high level’ next.

Plan long term high level

• Define a high level Vision and set of goals and objectives.
• Work within this long term framework.
• Make the best progress toward the long term view by controlled short term planning.
• If necessary – based on learning from the short term feedback – go back and change the Long term vision
• To meet Organise above.
• To meet Communicate above.
• To meet ‘plan short term detail’

Embrace change

• Accept change is inevitable.
• Always plan far enough ahead to be able to accommodate change.
• To avoid wasting time on ‘organise’ above.
• To meet improve above.

Manage and Control Change

• Plan around the unknown => Risk and opportunity management.
• Ensure changes do not waste short term planning effort.
• i.e. Only plan short stints into the future within long term framework.
• Allow the long term view to change.
• To meet both plan’s above.
• To meet embrace change above.

Refine iteratively

• Learn from feedback
• Plan – do – review regularly.
• To meet organise above.
• To meet communicate above.
• To meet improve above.
• To meet embrace change.
• To meet manage change above.
• To meet rigour below.

Human interaction

• Casual over formal.
• Say it like it is, in a diplomatic way.
• Look at it from their point of view – “Spend a day in another person’s shoes”
• Accept the differences between people and the way they do things.
• We have a company principle based on being Open and transparent.
• To meet communicate above.
• To meet have fun – be relaxed above.

Rigour

• Rigorous with an acceptable degree of fluctuation.
  • Many tools in a toolbox, to choose from and between.
  • You choose to use only a particular set of tools (don’t have to do all)
  • Each tool uses the same rigour.
  • i.e. Doesn’t mean just do as we feel at the time
• Be agile in the short term, but work toward a bigger long term goal
• To meet manage and control change

Care don’t Stress

• Too much stress is bad for your health.  Life is too short to stress.
• Stress does not facilitate changing things, it entrenches them.
• Caring helps change things because it takes a positive approach.
• We have a company principle of doing great work because we love what we do.
• Care enough to push for what you believe in appropriately.
• To meet pay the mortgage.
• To meet have fun – be relaxed above.
• To meet “Improve” above.

Pay the mortgage

• Of course this aspect is the reality check and might change decisions a little!
• Always difficult to decide to tell it like it is and know you will be marched off the property!
• At some point however – a decision has to be made as to “flog a dead horse” vs. “move on”, knowing you have given it your best.
• To meet embrace change.
• To meet “care don’t stress.”

Conclusion

These are my work values, what are yours? If we understand our fundamental differences firstly at a personal level, then at a team level then at a project and business level, we will have more chance of success in our projects working.

 

References

[1] VPEC-T comes from the book by Green Nigel, et al. “Lost in translation.”

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPEC-T