Values Reflection Paper
Core values are the ethical principles that determine how a person will act or make important ethical decisions. Everyone has personal values or moral they will display in any given situation. One of the most important key values used to describe my core values is loyalty. I hold loyalty as one of the most important values a person can hold. The loyal person will be there when you need then and never turn their back in situation they find to be uncomfortable. Loyalty means creating allegiances with others and giving support when needed.
Through loyalty other moral behaviors will emerge.
As a member of the military loyalty, duty, respect, honor, integrity and courage are essential to success and have been a pivotal part of
my moral decision making. When making decisions I base my values on my Christian beliefs and the beliefs established by my parents in my childhood as well as what I have learned in the military. The military has been a major influence on the type of moral behavior I display. My parents taught me the difference between right and wrong and how to be a good, honest person while the military provided guidance on how to be an upstanding citizen and to show courage when confronted with adversarial situations.
Duty is another important core value that has developed overtime and in large part due to my environment. When I joined the military I learned that being dutiful was an important part of being a good soldier. After awhile duty became an essential part of my core values. Fulfilling your obligations to others or to society is an important aspect of displaying duty to others. I have always strived to be respectful of others but as I get older I understand you have to show respect to get respect.
Another important core value is honor. This is an old fashioned value for some but in my life and in the military honor is an important value. Displaying honor is fulfilling obligations similar to duty but it is also having the courage to do what is right even in the face of opposition. When making moral decisions an honorable person will make the decision that benefits the most people and will be less concerned about the impact the decision will have on them. Honor is caring what happens to others and taking the steps to ensure the best possible decision is made. In the military it is no longer about the individual but about the team. Honorable decisions consider the team.
Lastly integrity and courage are important aspects of my core values. It is important to always be honest and upfront and always face up to any problems with courage. Courage is not just about facing the enemy but being able to make the hard ethical decisions when there is no easy answer. Having integrity and courage ensures when moral issues arise the right decisions is made.
Overtime the types of moral choices I have made have developed out of influences, such as the military and my parents but also through personal, life experiences. Thanks to my parents, teachers, and members of the community I have learned to treat others with respect and never commit an act that could cause harm to others. As I have gotten older different influences have shaped how I make moral decisions when confronted with ethical situations. Values are also taught very directly when certain behaviors are expected in
children (Turner, 2010). As we age there are different moral expectations for adults.
Values ensure a person has a sense of what is right and wrong and what would be the best ethical approach to take when difficult situations arise (Hildebrand, 2012). When a person has values they are a better person who will receive respect from others. When a person clearly has strong, core values they will held in higher esteem then people that display poor moral qualities. People with no morals will commit crimes and do not care about hurting others. A person with good morals avoids hurting others and takes direct steps to ensure the most ethical path is selected. Morals mold who we are and what we become.
Morals are essential in the workplace. Owners of business rely on the employees to ensure their business is a success. Managers and key employees are placed in positions of trust having control of vital aspects of the company. If the manager or employee does not have morals they will not care about the success of the business and even worse could steal from the company or cause some other person harm. Moral employees do not steal and care about the people they work.