Your Values Will Guide Your Results
Today’s blog is inspired by a real conversation that I had with a client about her core values.
I’m going to share a bit about our session. Keeping confidentially in mind, I’ll share the logistics of the experience but leave out the personal details. We’re going to talk about why values are important as well as why knowing your values is really important.
I’ve been working with this client for about six weeks. We’re working together one-on-one because she’s had great success with her business since starting it about a year ago, but now she wants to take it to the next level. She’s asking questions like: “How do I make more money? How do I delegate more of my work? How do I feel like I’m more connected to the customer that I’m serving?”
During our session a few weeks ago, I had suggested that we get clear on the milestones that she wants to work on. For example, “What are the results that you want in October? What do you want in November? What do you want in December?” etc.
In our latest session, she shared that when she sat down to create her milestones, she felt really stuck. Even though she’s been at this game for a year, and things like acquiring new clients and creating new programming were familiar to her, she felt entirely stopped when it came to defining the results she wanted and setting due dates.
So, we explored it further. We soon discovered that what was creating her “stop” was the fact that she hadn’t redefined or recommitted to running her business inside of her core values.
She had lost sight of the bigger purpose of having her business, outside of having a livelihood, making money, and working for herself.
That’s where we paused the conversation. I think that the number one mistake people make is not pausing and looking at the vision. Instead, they keep their head down and think, “I know I need X number of dollars or X number of clients, so I’m just going to struggle to figure this out. It’s going to feel hard and miserable and full of effort.”
Instead, we paused and went back to her values. I asked, “What are the 3-5 things that actually light you up? If your life was a reflection of – and aligned with – those 3-5 things, would you be living your best life? Would you be excited to wake up every day? Would you be willing to do whatever it is that you were doing for free?”
We went through an exercise to help her distinguish those values, which I’m not going to get into today. But consider this for yourself: What are the 3-5 things in your life? What are the 3-5 core values that, if your life came from them, your life would be amazing?
If you’re not 100% sure what I mean, I’m going to explain what I mean by “values” by sharing my own. I hope that this will help you get the wheels turning.
My life works when everything I do – running Hear Her Roar, leading at Accomplishment Coaching, having the partnership in my marriage with Paul, raising our puppy, etc. – is coming from these five places:
Appreciating beauty
Expressing joy
Owning and roaring contribution
Feeding curiosity
Creating family
This is my sweet spot, where my life works. I know that I need to create my life from this place. Anytime I take on a new project or continue one I’ve had for a while, before I get to the results or the milestones, I need to make sure I am in alignment with these core values. This includes actions like creating a new spirituality project or reaching the next milestone in my 4.5-year-old business. I ask myself, “How does this project fit into my five values? If those five values were truly, wondrously expressed in this project, what would I see?”
This exercise is incredibly valuable for you, as an individual. Simply look at your own projects that you’ve taken on in your day-to-day life, whether they be around your well-being, your finances, your relationships, or your career. Do they align with your core values?
Now, let’s take it one notch higher.
If you manage or lead people, you might be asking yourself, “Hold on a second. I can create a project at work around my core values, but how can I get my team to buy into that? What if it doesn’t match their own core values?” There are a few things you can do:
1) Practice connecting with your team members and identifying their values. Even if their values are different from your own, you can listen to whether they are performing inside of their values, or if they’re acting based on what it “should” feel like. Listen to their values, and speak to them in your leadership.
To use an example, I have a teammate whose value is “creating from joy.” When he’s not aligned with that value, it’s as obvious as flipping a light switch. As a leader, I can point this out to him. I can tell him if he’s making a process miserable for himself and help him mix things up.
2) Practice speaking to what your values are and why the vision of your values matters. Don’t take the old school approach of “do this because I said so” because that doesn’t work. Instead, think of the leaders that you love and admire. They make sure their teammates are connected to the why behind what they’re doing.
To use myself as an example, my value might be around training and producing the highest quality coaches in the word, but I can’t assume that my team knows that this is my vision. I need to speak to this vision over and over again and invite them into it. I have to say, “Even though this is my vision, what do you see for yourself in playing my game this way?”
If you feel stuck or stopped – or if it’s taking a lot of effort to move a project forward – ask yourself if you’re really clear on how that project aligns with your core values. Here’s your road map:
Step 1: Identify 3-5 core values.
Step 2: Check your projects and milestones against your values.
Step 3: If you’re a leader, practice listening for the core values of your teammates. Be intentional about inviting people into the vision you’ve created instead of just telling them what to do.
Let me know what you think about this week’s blog. Talk to you next week!