Whysebird

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I'd like to start our Whysebird blog with a topic which is really close to my heart, our values. There are multiple ways we can interpret our values in the context of life, of work, in our relationships, with our friends etc...

 

Values are our driver, they are a hot button that trigger high or low emotions and are linked both to our heart and our head. Aligning what we do with our values is the recipe for happiness! This is why identifying values is one of the first discussions I have with my business coaching clients, as understanding our values is fundamental in helping us improve our self awareness and setting our goals. 

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As a business coach, we are trained to help our client identify their true values and drivers and use models to help them prioritize and incorporate these into their lives. 

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In the context of organisations, values can help you to deal with conflicts, build a team, manage your team (reviews, objectives) and manage change (such as in a new job).

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In order to find your values, it is important to ask yourself what you are looking for, what is important, what do you want in the context of work, personal life and any other topic.

 

When you have clarity of your values, it may also result in challenging your current position in a company, in a relationship: is my job fulfilling my inner values? What makes me feel not aligned or implicated in my company, or in my relationship.

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It is an eye opener and it has been for me! I realised that in the context of work, what I value the most, what I love is to learn, to work with people and to be independent. In my last position, the independent component was challenged and I struggled during this time.

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Dr. John DEMARTINI in his book 'The Values Factor' (2013), defined what our true values are (what you like and what you love ) and the social idealism (what you should do versus you have to do). Of course with your true value it is easier to achieve your goals than with the social idealism. Above all, he defined highest values (HV) that define who you are, your identity. Ask someone, a simple question like “who are you?”, you will have different answers like: I'm a mother of 2 children (HV - family) , I'm a salesman  (HV - work), I'm record collector (HV - Hobby). It is crucial to align your goals with your values and of course your values will evolve with your age and your stage of life. 

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You want to go beyond, nothing more simple:

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