Never in jest....?

I recently re-discovered this little gem in 'The Little Book of Management Bollocks' by Alistair Beaton (Pub. Pocket Books):

"The core values of an effective manager always reflect the core values of his or her employer.  Should your own core values be different from your employer's, ask yourself, 'whose core values are more important, mine or my employer's?'  If your answer is, 'well mine of course', then you urgently need to upgrade your core values."

Although obviously written to make us smile, do find an element of truth in this?  Have you ever worked in a company where you were required to do things that didn't 'sit well' or 'feel right' with you?  Much of the coaching work we do, when people are experiencing stress, has at its core a mis-match between personal and organisational values.  It never ceases to amaze me how something so intangible and invisible can have such an effect on behaviour.  Of course, the opposite is also true - getting a complementary match between organisational and individual values can lead to real engagement.