My Values

¶ … Working Values: Diligence, Timeliness, Quality Hard work is extremely important. My parents stressed that as long as I tried my best, I had nothing to be ashamed of. Thus diligence is extremely important to me as an employee. I take my work seriously and it is a vital component of my self-esteem. Another important value is timeliness. Coming to work on time, completing projects on time, and not procrastinating is essential so I do not become overwhelmed with my workload and so projects do not suffer critical delays.

Clients need projects on time and make payments expecting timely delivery. Coming to work and to meetings on time is respectful of the busy schedules of colleagues. Finally, I am always striving to improve the quality of the work I do. I hope that the input I make is of value. Every day when I go home I like to think that I have made a meaningful contribution I can take pride in and that I did not simply 'fill time' at an office desk.

It was surprising to me to read to the extent to which some cultures do not value punctuality (Mind Tool, 2012, Hofstede's cultural dimensions). Some cultures may consider time deadlines to be a rough approximation rather than something religiously adhered to: of course, one must be culturally aware in business negotiations, but it would seem this might lead to unnecessary delays and friction. In all of my work contexts, the need to be on time was constantly stressed so it would be difficult for me to not regard this as important.

I also take a great deal of individualistic pride in my ability to work hard and perform to a certain standard but other cultures clearly value teamwork more and fostering a harmonious workplace (Mind Tool, 2012, Hofstede's cultural dimensions). In my experience, when there is a lack of diligence and quality control this leads to more rather than less friction in the long run rather than reducing stress. Q2.

Trident Values: Curiosity, hard work, intellectual engagement Universities wish students to be intellectually curious and motivated to learn for learning's sake, not simply to seek degrees for financial remuneration. Although most students enter college with the hopes of cashing in on their investment in the form of a good job, for classes to be engaging and interesting, students also must have a genuine passion for what they are learning and ideally go above and beyond the minimum of what is required by the professor.

Succeeding in school takes a great deal of hard work and self-discipline. Unlike high school, where the majority of learning takes place in class, in college the majority of learning takes place outside of class through independent study and reading. Students must also come to class willing to be intellectually engaged with the material and must show they have given.