What are Core Values?
How familiar are you with your core values? How well do you know your organisation’s values or purpose? Have you recently read its mission statement?
How long is, it since you had an opportunity to reflect on your own core values and how you show up in them in your everyday life, both professionally and personally?
What exactly are Core Values?
Core values are our powerful internal instructions that guide us in our decision making. They are a central part of who we are and who we want to be in the world. When the things that we do, the choices and decisions we make, and the way we behave are aligned with our values, life is generally good and in flow, we feel little resistance – we are satisfied and content. But when our actions and decisions do not align with our personal values, that’s when things feel… wrong or out of sync. I am seeing the symptoms of working in conflict with core values more and more in my coaching practice.
What are the consequences of working in an organisation where I am continually compromising on my values?
The stress, resistance, overwhelm, and exhaustion that come from making decisions misaligned with one's core values are immense.
If you value high quality and work in an organisation where standards are not the top priority, this misalignment will persistently trouble you, in fact it could be the reason you are waking up at night ruminating over decisions you made. Similarly, if your highest value is fairness and equity, and you find yourself in an organisation where favouritism and inexplicable decisions are commonplace, it will continually eat away at you at you, driving feelings such as anger, stress and resentment, draining your energy and ultimately leading to overwhelm, exhaustion and burnout.
Through the process of clarifying your core values– and using those values to inspire and guide your ongoing actions and decisions both personally and professionally, you allow yourself to grow, evolve and develop as a human. By aligning what you want to achieve in life and in you career (your priorities) with your values, the path to fulfilment becomes much clearer.
Where do my core values come from?
Core values most often stem from our upbringing, influenced heavily by key influential figures such as parents, teachers, and society, and increasingly by social media. It's crucial to evaluate whether these values are self-chosen or in fact inherited without a second thought, and crucially if they still serve our current needs. If not, it may be necessary to reassess our core values, gaining an understanding of what truly matters to us, and lead a life more in harmony with those values.
Do core values change over the years?
Values may shift subtly over time as we age or undergo significant life changes that deeply affect our relationship with life.
For example, in my early twenties, fresh out of college, financial independence, freedom and adventure topped my list of values. Fast forward twenty years, and with four teenagers now, while adventure still holds a place in my heart, the meaning I attach to it has evolved. Now, love, gratitude, and courage rank highly among my values. Making decisions from a place of love and gratitude in stead of fear has greatly helped my life to flow, and leaning into courage when filled with self-doubt has been a game changer. Coaching has greatly helped me get ruthless in staying aligned with my values.
What then once you know your Core Values?
Once you have clarity about your personal values, it becomes easier to assess how your life and your career measure up to your standards as defined by you. With a little reflection, you can quickly evaluate how well you are living those values in different situations, and where there may be room for improvement.
In an organisation setting, a strong alignment between the company’s values and purpose and your core values will produce satisfaction, a sense of happiness and fulfilment. A misalignment can cause all sorts of internal turmoil. A lack of motivation or connection with your organisation may be an indicator that you are working in a role or organisation that is not a good match for your values. Take some time to read your organisation’s mission statement, guiding principles and values.
Now do a search and have a look at other organisations. Organisations that are serious about their values will have them front and centre of what they do.
What happens if I continue to live a life that is not aligned with my core values?
When we live a life or work in a role that is aligned with who we are or who we want to be in the world, life is very much in flow. Unfortunately for very many people, this is not the case. If you make decisions daily that are not aligned with who you really are, frustration, humiliation and anger begin to set in. The fight or flight or stress reaction is continually triggered because deep down you are not comfortable with the decisions you are making. This then impacts on your sense of self-worth quite simply because you are now living in someone else’s values and your own have been compromised. Mentally you are giving yourself the message that your values are not important, and ultimately you are giving your power away.
Over time this can have a very negative impact on your mindset and your outlook as you begin to feel hopeless and powerless to change anything.
If you are currently feeling a little lost or disconnected, a values re-evaluation may be a very good place to start to get you back on the road to living a more fulfilled life and flourishing in a career where you feel valued, safe in the knowledge that this is something that is aligned with who you really are.
