What is a Personal Value Statement?
Now that we’ve discussed the process of creating a mission and vision it’s time to build on those principles to create a Personal Value Statement.
We define values as your core set of guiding principles, a statement of what is so important to you that it cannot be compromised for profits or financial gain in any way — no matter what. “What do I stand for?” “What is most important to me?” are the key questions that values answer.
Knowing your values helps you make better decisions. Knowing what’s really important assists you in assessing alternatives choosing those that are the best “fit” for you.
Getting clarity on your own values is a critical step in becoming a leader. Studies on leadership show that those seen as the best and most inspiring leaders have consistent values that they display everyday. In other words, leaders do what they say is important – they model what they stand for.
Your personal values should align with that of your team’s and your organization’s for you to feel like you belong there. Sometimes your personal values align well with your organization’s; in some cases they don’t. If your personal values are in conflict with the culture at work, you won’t be happy and may stop feeling passionate about what you are doing. For example, one of your personal values may be about quality and achieving a certain standard of excellence in all that you do. If you take a job with a company that values speed and doing the bare minimum to get the product out the door faster, you will get frustrated. Your personal values and the company’s are not aligned — they’re in conflict.
Getting clarity on your personal values involves examining the relevant importance of the things you hold dear. Some examples of values commonly expressed include:
- Creativity
- Achievement
- Learning & Growth
- Opportunities to Advance
- Defining Wealth
- Life Balance
- Recognition
- Competition
- Power
- Status
- Family
- Freedom
Defining Personal Values
The following exercise can help you prioritize your personal values and gain insight into which are essential. Read more: https://drmarykey.com/clarifying-your-values-now-have-they-changed/