When it comes to fostering values, it’s important to embrace a sense of flexibility, as our perspectives and priorities may shift over time. That said, here are five values that I strive to cultivate:
- Integrity: Acting with integrity means consistently embodying honesty, transparency, respect and ethical behavior in all aspects of life. It involves staying true to oneself and upholding moral principles, even when faced with challenges or temptations. This is almost never true. Business makes hourly integrity-washing and the buzz word has lost all its sense. Go back to basics, read S. Sinek on poisonous leaders and R. Sutton on the cost of a*les in the Business. The rest is about legal offenses..
- Passion: Passion is a driver to transmit enthusiasm and motivation, to foster and develop empathy in Teams, to polarize emotions, feelings and intuitivism.
- Resilience: Resilience is the capacity to bounce back from setbacks, adapt to change, and thrive in the face of adversity. By developing resilience, we can navigate life’s challenges with greater strength, perseverance, and optimism.
- Curiosity: Embracing curiosity involves maintaining an open and inquisitive mind, always seeking to learn, explore, and discover new ideas and perspectives. It fuels personal and intellectual growth, broadens our horizons, and fosters creativity and innovation.
- Gratitude: Practicing gratitude involves recognizing and appreciating the positive aspects of our lives, even in the midst of difficulties. It cultivates a sense of contentment, fosters resilience, and enhances our overall well-being.
I would be dishonest not to mention that intelligence is key. Intelligence is indeed a multifaceted trait that extends beyond traditional measures such as IQ or educational achievements. It encompasses an awakened perception of our surroundings and how we engage with them. This heightened awareness involves critically questioning our own roles, embracing the potential for errors, being receptive to ideas from others, and acknowledging the invaluable contributions and assistance they offer. It is through the cultivation of this humble mindset that we can tap into the true power of intelligence and utilize it to make a meaningful impact.
Another interesting topic is the role of knowledge. How can we define it today and what is it worth. From the trium vira Priest-Doctor-Teacher that dominated knowledge in our society until the beginning of the 20th century – with the success that all recognize – to the McIntosh era the Google era and now the AI era, knowledge and more generally acquiring knowledge has dramatically changed. I guess for the good and the better as it annihilates the toxic power of the “knowledgeable”, questions the all mighty happy few with access to mastery and expertise. I expect it may liberate our poor brain from the “data memory storage” tasks, as smartphones have done for phone numbers that we used to know by heart to dedicate more resources to our neocortex capabilities. Let us wait for the outcome(s) … with some fear and hope.