How To Find Out My Professional Values
by Katie Demain of Persona-Ltd.
What are values?
You enforce them. You put energy into upholding them. They are the guidelines between which you operate. They are moral or professional standards of behaviour. Your principles.
Your personal values are held deep within your subconscious. Rarely do you focus on them, so you may be surprised to find out that they help you form every decision you ever make. They also guide your behaviours and they inform you of what ‘feels right’ and what doesn’t.
Values: –
- Reveal what is important to you
- Reflect conscious choices
- Help you make decisions
Do my values ever change?
You’ve heard the quote “Give me a boy til the age of 7 and I’ll show you the man”. What that means is that our core values are set in stone by the age of 7 or earlier and do not change for the rest of our lives. They are deeply embedded into the core of our being.
We then add adaptive values as we progress through the years that are developed from experiences throughout life. These are values that we adopt because we recognise how they can benefit us as we tackle different challenges and projects. Adaptive values change. Core values do not.
About integrity
People often cite integrity as one of their core values. I absolutely agree. Yet, if we are to start from the assumption that all people are whole (integral) and act in accordance with their set of values at all times, then we could say that integrity is everybody’s ‘umbrella value’; the glue that bonds the other values together into our subconscious instruction manual.
How do I find out what my values are?
This requires some quiet time on your own (or with your coach) to do some focussed thinking. If you don’t know what your values are, then be assured that making time for this exercise will be very rewarding. The introspective knowledge you are about to acquire will help you make sense of all sorts of things for the rest of your life!
It’s a process of elimination
If you’re doing this on your own rather than with your coach, here’s what to do: -
I would like you to be able to articulate what your five core professional values are. These may be different to your personal values by which you are guided in your life in general. By process of elimination, choose your top values from the list below. Don’t feel constrained by this list. If you’d like to add some other values, then please do!
Remember that a value is a moral code of conduct / a way of being that you abide by and that you strive to uphold in everything you do. Don’t confuse your values with your motives i.e. what drives you.
µ reliability
µ thoroughness
µ creativity
µ status
µ independence
µ honesty
µ transparency
µ positivity
µ knowledge
µ professionalism
µ trust
µ diversity
µ equality
µ community
µ life balance
µ accountability
µ fairness
µ charity
Which others would you add? (Remember we all have integrity).
How have you demonstrated these values in the past?
Very importantly, when you’re looking for a job, you need to know how you’ve demonstrated your values in professional settings or in appropriate personal situations. Against each of the five values you’ve listed, start stacking up your evidence of how they have guided your behaviour in the past. The best anecdotes to tell are those that indicate your ability to add value to any organisation you work or have worked for.
Organisational ‘fit’
Your ‘fit’ with your current employer or with a prospective employer is really important to your happiness at work. If any one of your personal values is not being met at work, you will not be happy there. But, if you’re aware of your personal values, you’ll find it easier to pinpoint why you are feeling unhappy (with a work relationship, with your boss, etc.) and be able to communicate what’s wrong or do something to remedy the situation.
If the clash of values is beween your personal values and the organisational values, then you’d be well advised to start looking for a role in another organisation that better matches your personal values.
If you’d like to work with one of Persona Ltd.’s career coaches or consultants, please: -
call 0800 9774033
or email findoutmore@persona-ltd.co.uk
Katie Demain of Persona-Ltd.
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Persona-Ltd. is a Careers & Outplacement Consultancy based in Buckinghamshire, but with coaches and consultants operating throughout the south of England.
