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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIONLIST

Understanding Your Values
Getting Started
During your working life, its very easy to get so immersed in the day-to-day routine that you forget to think about the larger picture of your life as a whole. You might be very excited to have been offered a new job; you might simply feel grateful that you have a job and a regular income; you might be immensely relieved to be one of the survivors after the latest round of layoffs. Any of these situations can take your eye off the really important question: are you in the right job for you? Often this question can be answered simply by whether or not you feel happy and comfortable at work. At other times though, it can be more difficultyou may feel vaguely dissatisfied and restless; looking through your career history, you may have changed jobs a great many times; perhaps you notice that you start a new job with high enthusiasm, only to lose interest or motivation fairly quickly. All of these scenarios can be the result of a mismatch between your values and your circumstances, so it makes good sense to take a more analytical look at what those values are, and how you can apply them practically to your working life. This actionlist points the way.

FAQs
What are values, exactly? Values are about worth: they are the principles, standards, and beliefs you are committed to and live your life by; you feel unhappy and dissatisfied when they are compromised. Its worth remembering that values are not set in stone, however. Some of your values may remain the same throughout your life; other may change through maturity, particular experiences, or as a result of circumstances. Why is it important to understand my values? In terms of your job, its essential to understand your values, because it is they that motivate you to work. If you think of your career as a journey, there are three vital elements involved in that journeyinterests, abilities, and values. Your interests tell you what direction to pursue, your abilities indicate how long it will take to reach your ultimate goal, and your values dictate whether or not the journey is worth taking in the first place. If, consciously or unconsciously, your values are telling you that a particular direction is not the right one, youre very unlikely to make a success of that journey!

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What is the difference between values and ethics? In this context, values differ from ethics in that there is not necessarily a moral dimension to values. Values, unlike ethics, do not have to be seen by society as right or just or responsible, and so on; they are simply what is right for you. So one of your important values might be a short journey to work, for examplewhich has no moral implications whatever. If we take this thought to its logical extreme, then, even if an organization prides itself on its ethical standards or working practices, it still may not be the right place for you if your own priorities do not happen to be based on moral issues.

Making It Happen
Assess What Is Important to You The easiest way to do this is to adopt a structured approach, otherwise your mind tends to jump around all over the place and things get forgotten or confused. A good method is to create a values scorecard, which helps you identify and prioritize whats important to you. Think carefully about what each of the words or terms below means to you, and then assess how they relate to what you want from work.

Achievement (accomplishing important things) Aesthetics (attractive workspace)

Employee benefits

Location

Public contact

Excitement

Loyalty (high level of reciprocal loyalty with organization)

Pure challenge (work which requires you to overcome impossible obstacles, difficult problems, etc.) Recognition

Affiliation (membership of organization is a source of pride) Alignment with boss Artistic creativity

Fast pace

Make decisions

Friendships

Minimize stress

Risk Security

Lead ceiling (work Mobility (opportunity environment offers to relocate when all groups potential to appropriate) work at highest levels) Global focus (potential to live/work abroad) Moral affiliation (work with people of similar morals, values, and ethics)

Autonomy & independence (most work self-determined, and limited direction by others)

Self-realization (potential for you to realize your best talents)

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Change & variety

Help others

Moral fulfillment (environment that reflects your own moral standards)

Stability

Chaos (loosely defined environment; goals and priorities unclear)

Impact society

Supervision (where Multicultural you are responsible for affiliation planning and managing (environment with work done by others) people from broad range of ages, cultures, etc.) Physical challenge Power & authority Precision work Prestige Time freedom Travel Work alone Work under pressure

Community activity Commute Competition Creativity

Influence people Intellectual status Knowledge Legacy (be remembered for specific achievement by those who follow after)

Dual careers (place also Lifestyle integration offers career (ability to balance opportunities for family, career and partner) self-fulfillment)

Profit & gain

Work with others

Once you have pondered the meaning of each, list the words or phrases under the following headingsbearing in mind that you may change your opinion several times as you go through them. Must haves High wants Must haves Wants Dont minds Dont wants

Check Your Values against the Work You Are Doing Currently Now think about your list of wants and dont wants against your present job. Are your most important requirements being met? If not, is there anything you can do to change the situation? Who might be able to help youyour boss, department head, mentor, HR department? Perhaps you could apply for a different role within the organization to gain more prestige or a higher salary; perhaps you could work flextime to make it easier to fulfill family commitments; perhaps you could move nearer to work to cut down on commuting, or spend more time socializing with colleagues to build up friendships; or maybe a training course would increase your knowledge or give you more intellectual challenge. All of these are just some of the potential options for you, depending on your values.

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Many of these values are fairly practical, and even small adjustments in your working conditions could make the difference between them being met or notwith consequent implications for your happiness in your job. Recognize When You Cant Change Things Sometimes, however hard you try to alter things, you have to face the fact that the differences between your own values and those of your employer are irreconcilable. In fact, one of the top ten reasons that people cite for leaving their jobs is that their values are at odds with the corporate culture. If this is true in your own case, the most sensible option is to start looking for another job that will suit you betterand preferably sooner rather than later, before the mismatch starts to sap your will to live. No matter what the clash is based on, a lack of congruence with the corporate culture will destroy your attitude at work, and it can be difficult to regain your confidence and enthusiasm once things have gone too far.

Common Mistakes
You Ignore Your Inner Voice Many of us are brought up to be good, law-abiding, responsible citizens, and even more of us have an innate fear of rocking the boat. We feel guilty if we cause disruption, and we tend to blame ourselves if were not happyI shouldnt make a fuss, Im being silly, I really must learn to apply myself, and so on being common sentiments. However, if you feel restless at work, or are looking for a job and want to make the right decision, it is really important to put yourself and your own priorities first. After all, if you dont make sure that your values are being satisfied, you will never produce anything inspiring in terms of performancewhich is hardly in your employers best interests either! You Place Too Much Importance on Little Things Having realized the importance of your own values, you do need to exercise judgment in deciding which are essential to you. Nothing is ever perfect, and you are always going to encounter situations where compromise is required. Say, for example, you think you should have a reserved parking spot at work, but your company operates a first-come first-served policy and everyone parks wherever they can. This is probably not worth going to the wall for (unless perhaps you are physically challenged in some way and have a genuine need to be right outside the office building). This is where prioritizing your values into essentials and nice-to-haves is useful, as it helps you decide just how hard you need to push in different situations.

The Best Sources of Help

Web Site: About Human Resources: http://humanresources.about.com

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