how to identify your revealed values

It’s useful to have a defined set of operating values. Different organizations go to different lengths to script and define these - you can find taut slogans or whole handbooks, depending on the team.

Inevitably, as you do your work and your circumstances shift and humans do all the funny theatrical confounding things they do, your values on paper will no longer perfectly match your values in practice.

This can be subtle and hard to clock, especially if you’ve been around this team for a while or if you were the original author of the values.

One way i look for this divergence is to ask, “What are the things we probably overdo in good faith?” That overdoing is a signal, pointing to something you’re committed to, to something you…value. The good faith part is important for distinguishing this overdoing from a regular old mistake. You’re not just screwing up - you’re screwing up for a purpose, in service to something.

Once you identify what you’re overdoing, you can reflect and decide. Is this de facto value better, more useful than the original one you had on paper? Or do you need to recalibrate your team?

“Hey, our value of enthusiasm is starting to look more like ~blind optimism. Don’t let go of the zest you bring to our work; do look squarely at the bad data and follow where it leads.”

-Eric