The Value of Values: How Leaders Can Grow Their Businesses and Enhance Their Careers by Doing the Right Thing
Daniel Aronson
MIT Press (November 2024)

Values are our compass. They determine what we do and where we go during our lives…for better or worse.

I am deeply grateful to Daniel Aronson for the abundance of information, insights, and counsel that he provides in this book.  He may have had business leaders in mind as his primary audience but in fact almost everything he shares can also be of substantial benefit to almost anyone else, whatever their demographics and specific circumstances may be. For example, athletic coaches as well as the players on their teams. Clergy as well as members of their congregations. Classroom teachers as well as their students. You get the idea.

Here’s an observation by Richard Leider that is eminently relevant to that point: “Purpose is the aim around which we structure our lives.”

And here are some of Aronson’s observations that suggest the thrust and flavor of his narrative:

o “While [submerged value] matters to all kinds of initiatives, it is especially important for values-based ones. In quantifying billions of dollars’ worth of value, I have found submerged value typically exceeds visible value when it comes to social, environmental, community, and employee-related initiatives; in fact, it’s frequently worth [begin italics] four to ten times [end italics] as much.” (Page 16)

o “Values should be integrated into day-to-day choices as well, not just big decisions such as where to put a new factory. In fact they should be part of the company’s products and policies, and this should be done in a way that creates business benefit.” (26)

o “For some, values can be a great source of inspiration and innovation. In their book Dare to Inspire, authors Allison Holzer, Sandra Spatarao, and Jed G. Baron lay out their model defining three main pathways to inspiration. They write that ‘looking inward and connecting to your own values, purpose, and personable why is a powerhouse source of inspiration — in fact, out of all the engines of inspiration, it may be the most potent one of all.'” (82)

o “The highest common denominator approach is already used in many cases —  for example, remember when you needed different power supplies for European and North American electronics because of voltage differences? Now, cellphones, computers, types of electronics  electric razors, and numerous other types of electronics ship with power supplies that work with any voltage from 110 to 240 (although you may need an adapter, you don’t need a voltage converter) This reduces complexity on the manufacturer’s side and allows for the greater economies of scale.”      (152)

o “This challenge [i.e. ‘We’d love to put our values into practice, but we can’t afford to.’] brings us back to the central theme of this book: putting to rest the myth that values are a [begin italics] cost [end italics]. Values aren’t a liability or a distraction and they don’t subtract from financial success — they enhance it.” (239)

Those who share my high regard for The Value of Values are urged to check out three others: Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture (2008); Clayton Christensen’s How Will You Measure Your Life? (2012), written with James Allworth and Karen Dillen; and Find Your Why (2017), written by Simon Sinek, with David Mead and Peter Docker.

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Here are two other suggestions while you are reading The Value of Values: First, highlight key passages. Also,  perhaps in a notebook kept near-at-hand (e.g. Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5), record your comments, questions, and action steps (preferably with deadlines). Pay special attention to the boxed mini-commentaries that are strategically located throughout the lively and eloquent narrative (See Pages 15, 26-27, 41, 54, 59, 61-62, 68-69, 74, 82, 94, 102, 109, 114, 139, 152, 162, 169, 179, 187, 189, 196, 209-210, and 229).