Values

I was invited as Chairman of the Sports Council to attend the blessing of the Maltese athletes chosen by the Malta Olympic Committee to participate in the forthcoming Games of the Small States of Europe in Monaco coming June. The ceremony was attended and said by the new Archbishop of the Catholic Church of Malta. He spoke about values, sport and business, amongst other things, and I would like to share some thoughts that struck me.

Good values are always good, because good is good anyway. Whether they emanate from crede, families, corporations or societies, values are what direct people. Values do not change irrespective of the circumstances. The Archbishop reflected that if we had to really be values-driven, in whatever we do, then personal attitudes in competition, whether in sport or in business would be probably more correct and ethical. Many times a competive strategy would include beating the players in the market or sport arena by playing the rules to your favour. This may breed bad feelings that hurt or offend competitors. If on the other hand we compete against ourselves always directed by our values, then any improvement warrants celebration. Winners are winners for what they do, whilst losers are losers for what they did not do. So I believe that as long as one does, one is always a winner and should celebrate and be celebrated. This is very evident in the traditional martial arts of Japan (Budo). All that we do is directed towards searching and perfecting oneself. Interacting this in shiai (practice with correct attitude), will serve as an exchange between the contestants, each giving their best for the other to learn from that very best, irrespective of who wins or loses. The students of the art bow to each other vowing this promise to each other. Declaration of the winner on that particular occasion will still take you back to the line in the training hall (dojo), where you are equal to the others. Values inherent in the traditional martial arts of Japan, as with the values referred to by the Archbishop in his talk, may have been put aside in the competitive arena, both in sports and in business.

Imagine if all the players in business had to be guided by good principles and values. I think that the world would be a much more pleasant place to be in. Some business persons 'shelve' their values by convenience, under the excuse that business rules are different. As I said, right is right and wrong is wrong. If that person portrays himself as a righteous person, then would it not be hypocracy if he had to tuck away the values of life in a business deal? I like to ask a simple question. If there was an opprtunity to make a million dollars, what would you do. The quickest reply would probably be, "I would grab that opptunity with the quickest agility possible". To my mind, a values-based answer would be more like, "I would in the least time possible assess whether that opportunity fits into my perception of correctness... if yes I would go for it with all my might and energy!"

From my experience, people who reply in the first phraseology more often than not, result to be persons with low morality in fiscal, commercial and personal behaviour. They would evade taxes, skin a person given the opportunity in business and show traits of selfishness in their personal relationships. The other breed of persons who answer in the second way, I normally find them more correct and comfortable to live with.