UNDERSTANDING YOUR VALUES AND INFLUENCE

Assignment 1:  Understanding Your Values

Due week 3 and worth 100 points.

“If you’re going to build a great career, you had better have a strong foundation. It all comes back to the priorities and the values that you have in life. – Coach Gibbs

Understanding Your Values Worksheet

PART 1 IDENTIFY YOUR VALUES & GROUPS OF INFLUENCE

In the article What Self-Awareness Really Is (And How to Cultivate It) author Tasha Eurich states that “Research suggests that when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative. We make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively.” This worksheet will help you do just that.

In the table below, each row represents a group (past or present) that has influenced your values. Examples of these groups are your family, church, sports teams, profession, groups sharing common interests, etc. Select five of these groups and list them in the first column of the table.

For each of the groups, identify the following:

1. Three (3) positive behaviors that were learned and/or encouraged by the group. For example your teacher would always expect that you were on time or that you were assertive during class presentations.2. Three (3) values that you learned from the group. For example someone could have learned from a church group to be compassionate or to speak up when one sees injustices.a. Choose your values from the list provided in the Your Values Matter table. Scroll to the end of this assignment to find this table.

GROUP NAME

3 POSITIVE BEHAVIORS

3 VALUES LEARNED

Ex: Church

Volunteering, Working on a team, Being on time

Accountability, respect, teamwork

(choose from the Your Values Matter table below)

(Type Group 1 here)

(Type Group 2 here)

(Type Group 3 here)

(Type Group 4 here)

(Type Group 5 here)

PART 2: RANK YOUR VALUES

How important is each value in your life? Using the “Understanding Your Values” table, choose 10 of your values and put each value in priority order – #1 matters most, #10 matters least. Be HONEST! It doesn’t matter how someone else would rank these values; it only matters how important they are to you! Remember, this is about SELF-awareness. Your goal is to identify the things that matter most to YOU!

In the article How to Live With Purpose, Identify Your Values and Improve Your Leadership, author Ann Loehr explains how your values give you a sense of purpose. The exercise below will help you focus on those values. Please complete the following in the table below:

1. List the values according to what matters most to you. 2. Provide a brief definition of what that values means to you in your own words. 3. Write a short sentence about the meaning of each value in the “why does this matter to me” column. (Ex: If “friendship” is one of your higher values, you might understand it [and yourself!] better by identifying WHYfriendship is such a high priority for you.)

VALUES

(most important to least important)

DEFINITION

(what does it mean to me?)

WHY?

(why does this value matter to me?)

Ex: Friendship

A special bond/connection between myself and another person.

Friends are valuable to me because we provide each other with support during the positive and difficult times in our lives. Friends also provide companionship.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

PART 3: UNDERSTANDING YOUR VALUES AND INFLUENCE

Now, review both tables. Write a reflection on how you think the groups in your life have helped you define your own values. Be sure to reference the material from class to support your response. What can you conclude?

Be sure to address the following:

1. How has this activity provided insight into the effect your groups of influence have on your personal values?  Were you aware of the relationship between the two before doing this activity? Were you surprised by the amount of influence each group has? Explain why or why not.

2. Why is self-awareness so important in the journey to finding your purpose?

3. How did you determine your top three (3) values overall? Was it difficult to narrow it down? Explain your reasoning.