I had a challenge the other day… Can everything (all diversity, skills, beliefs, etc) be valued? Is that possible? Is that something that is even desirable? Paraphrasing my challenger, he asked, “Can you / do you want to value someone who incorporates extreme techniques?” I understand his challenge. Yet, I still believe that you can and should value everything!
Let me clarify something. I believe there is a difference between valuing something and having something be part of your own personal, core value. I can value someone’s belief regarding Budda even though I do not accept that as part of my core value system. A 5-19-2012 tweet from @leadershipfreak aligns with this idea, “Don’t devalue the values of others when they don’t align.” Additionally, as an organization, I believe you can still value everyone’s skills, beliefs, etc. Yet, that doesn’t mean you adopt everything. Which means, that people who do not hold core values which align personally with the organizational core values may not be good fits for the organization. If someone’s core values are different from mine, I may not be friends with them. However, I can still value their values.
Value all! Appreciate everything people are!
Everyone Thrives 