In preparation for the Communication Workshop, we would expect
you to complete the exercise below in order to take part fully in the
session. You may be surprised just how interesting you find the
process!
What are our Core Values?
- A BELIEF IS SOMETHING YOU ACCEPT AS TRUE
- A VALUE IS SOMETHING THAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU
As a general rule our values will determine how we behave and the
choices we make in our personal life and in our work life. When our
behavior and our choices line up with our values life is generally good;
when they don’t, that’s when we can often feel frustrated and can be a
major source of unhappiness.
Allow yourself a good 45 minutes to carry out the following exercise:
• Defining our own values. Consider the following in relation to
your personal life and your career.
- Identify a time when you were happiest. Ask yourself the
following:
- What were you doing?
- Were you with other people?
- What other factors contributed to your happiness?
- Identify the times when you were most proud. Ask yourself
the following:
- Why were you proud?
- Did other people share your pride? Who?
- What other factors contributed to your feelings of pride?
- Identify the times when you were most fulfilled and satisfied.
Ask yourself the following:
- What need or desire was fulfilled?
- How and why did the experience give your life meaning?
- What other factors contributed to your feelings of fulfillment?
Examples of Values
Advancement - Growth, professional advancement, personal maturity
Caring – Putting the needs of others first
Cooperation - Communication, team effort and working together
Creativity - Freedom, imagination, and the desire for new ideas
Dedication - A passionate belief in something
Excellence – Aiming to be the best we can be
Faith - Believing in yourself, a higher power, the goodness of life, or the
goals of your organization
Freedom - Absence of necessity or coercion; liberation
Health - Physical and mental well-being
Helpfulness - Sense of concern for and outreach to the needs of others
Honesty - Fairness, straightforwardness, sincerity, truthfulness
Integrity - Moral and intellectual honesty
Justice - Fairness, balance, moral equality
Knowledge - Seeking and learning new insights
Life - Principle or force distinctive of animate beings
Love - Personal warm feelings of caring and affection
Loyalty - Faithfulness to another person
Morality - Ethical standards, conscience, sense of right and wrong
Openness - Willingness to try new things
Patience - Bearing pains or trials calmly, steadfastness in suffering or
crisis
Pleasure - What you enjoy; what delights you
Power - Ability to lead, direct, persuade, control
Professionalism - Commitment to quality, pride in your work
Recognition - To receive special attention, to feel "important"
Religion - Belief in a supreme Being; a spiritual relationship
Responsibility - Accountability, maturity, ability to respond
Safety – Always seeking to improve what we do
Sensitivity - Awareness, responsiveness, approachability
Social - Lots of fun, friends, companionship
Success - Attainment of wealth, favor or eminence, achieving your goals
Trustworthiness - Dependability deserving of confidence
Vitality - Spirit, life, intuition
Wealth - Material income
Wisdom - Mature understanding of life
Work - Feeling good about your job as challenging and rewarding
Worthwhileness - Acceptance and appreciation as a person not a thing
Based on your experience of happiness, pride and fulfillment, using the
list above (this is not exhaustive and you are free to add in some of your
own), determine your top 10 values.
• Prioritising your values
o Write down your top 10 values in no particular order
o Look at the first two values and ask yourself, "If I could
satisfy only one of these, which would I choose?" It might
help to visualize a situation in which you would have to
make that choice.
o Keep working through the list, by comparing each value
with each other value, until your list is in the correct order.
• Now take a few moments to consider what blocks you from
fulfilling these values?