Determining Workplace Values

What are values?

Values are the core principles that influence our decision-making, how we prioritize and how we deal with difficulties. Simply put, values are the ideas and beliefs that are important to us. Your values could include things like strong relationships, self-respect, peace, success or creativity. 

The importance of defining values of the workplace.

It is helpful to take time to reflect on what is important to you so that you can feel satisfaction in your life. Asking yourself some of the following questions can help you determine what is truly important to you:

• What are my most meaningful moments?
• When have I felt most proud?
• Who do I admire most and why?
• What change would I like to see in the world?
• How would I like to be remembered?

Once you have answered these questions, a next step that can be helpful is to do a value sort. The Good Project Value Sort will assist you in identifying the specific values that are most important to you.

Identifying the values that are most significant to you will help you prioritize different aspects of jobs or careers, things like flexible work schedules, opportunities to be creative, opportunities for advance/salary increases, etc. 

Defining your workplace and life values can help you to broaden or narrow down your career goals and are instrumental to the career exploration process. Below are three examples of how values can influence a career decision.

• I find purpose and meaning in helping others, so I want to purposefully look for a career where I feel like I am making an impactful difference in others’ lives.
• It’s important to me that I be able to travel with my friends and family. I will purposefully look for positions that pay a salary that fits my lifestyle and offers a lot of flexibility with work schedules. 
• Being autonomous is how I prefer to work; I will consider entrepreneurship as a career goal and seek out positions where I have the flexibility to make my own schedule and decisions. Working on a commission-based structure may make sense for me.

Examining the connection between your strengths and values can be a particularly useful tool in developing and adjusting your career goals. Take a few moments to brainstorm some ways your CliftonStrengths themes are connected to your values using the Values and CliftonStrengths (PDF) worksheet.