If your current job is misaligned with your values, you won’t be happy. Knowing your values is an important part of your own personal development plan. It’s worth spending some time cogitating on them. This post will help you sort out what they are.
Elvis On Values
Elvis once said: ‘Your values are like your fingerprints; you leave a trace of them on everything you do‘. So profound (says lifelong Elvis nut who was thrilled to find this quote she could legitimately use).) It’s true though. If your values are at odds with what you do every day you’ll never be content. They’ll be something niggling away at you in the background. You and your employer may have started out on the same page but things change and evolve.
Also, if you’re in an organisation which doesn’t reflect your values, it’s likely that colleagues won’t share your values. That can cause conflict, too.
You can’t think about personal development without spending some time thinking about your own value base.
Women who regularly pay attention to their own personal development feel more in control. They have more understanding of what they want from life. Gift yourself a few moments, read this through and think about what really matters to you in life.
Paying attention to our personal development means knowing quite explicitly what our values are. What actually drives us and motivates us. I’ve uploaded an extract from my book for you to have a look at for this exercise. Highlight it and print it off if you want; this one may be easier to tackle in bite size hunks.
Values
We all differ widely in the things that act as ‘driving forces’ in our lives. You are a unique person. The factors, or values, which we regard as important, have varying degrees of priority for each of us. They are important when it comes to helping in making decisions. Generally speaking, we don’t think too much about what these are; our values are just there.
For this exercise we need to spend some time being specific as to what your value base is. For example, some of what you hold dear will have come from your family or upbringing. Perhaps a strong work ethic?
Often, when we feel uncomfortable in our job it’s because we’re not being true to ourselves. Our values are not being met, or worse, are being violated.
Knowing your values helps you make the best decisions about what you want to do in life.
Values Questionnaire
The following will help you to identify your personal values. Rate each of the driving forces/personal values for its importance to you (high, medium or low). Remember, if this is to be helpful to you, you’ll need to be as frank as you can. Putting down what you think you ‘ought’ to feel or believe is no good. Just answer as honestly as you can. It can feel quite a challenging task so don’t try and do it all at once.
Read it through, fill in what you can and allow other thoughts to come as they will. Once completed, select the three values that are least important to you and five that are most important. Make any notes that you want to and add any that you feel are missing. Remember, no one is judging you; this is for your eyes only.
Value Priority Rate H/M/L (High Medium Low)
Importance Rate 1- 5 (1 = Low – 5 = High)
Achievement…?
- Achievement (sense of accomplishment, doing something really well)
- Advancement (promotion, climbing the ladder)
- Adventure (new and challenging experiences)
- Autonomy (doing your own thing, no boss)
Competitiveness…?
- Charity (doing things with no monetary reward)
- Competitiveness (winning, taking risks, pitting self against others)
- Co-operation (working well with others, teamwork)
- Economic security (steady, adequate income)
- Fame (being well known, big fish/small pool?)
Family Time…?
- Family happiness
- Freedom (independence, autonomy)
- Friendship (close relationships with others)
- Health (being physically and mentally well)
- Helpfulness (assisting others, improving society)
- Inner harmony (being at peace with yourself)
Personal Development…?
- Integrity (honesty, sincerity, standing up for beliefs)
- Involvement (participating with others, belonging)
- Loyalty (duty, respectfulness, obedience)
- Order (tranquility, stability, conformity)
- Personal development (use of potential)
Power…?
- Pleasure (fun, leisurely life-style)
- Power (control, authority, influence over others, politics)
- Recognition (respect from others, acknowledgment)
- Religion/Faith (strong religious beliefs, spiritual life)
- Self-respect (a sense of pride and personal identity)
Wealth…?
- Status (occupying a position that people look up to, admire)
- Wealth (making money, getting rich)
- Wisdom (understanding life, discovering knowledge)
- Others (anything that doesn’t fit anywhere else)
Does your current lifestyle support what’s important to you? Do you need to make any changes?
Coaching or RenewYou?
My RenewYou programme has a section on understanding your values. I am still offering this on line, although numbers are limited. One to one. There’s more information here – RenewYou, Personal Development for Women
Top Photo by Walls.io on Unsplash
RenewYou, My Tried and Tested Career Booster!
RenewYou has helped thousands of women make positive and lasting change in their lives. I deliver it one-to-one as part of a bespoke coaching package for women looking to move into leadership, to progress their career, or who wish to be the absolute best version of themselves.
Posted on August 16th, 2012 by Jane
