Core values help to guide leaders, allowing them to effectively navigate decisions. So, it is important for leaders to be able to identify what matters most to them.
Harvard Business Review shares the following prompts to help you identify your core values.
- Consider your high-energy moments. Think about moments outside of work that fully engage you, such as volunteering, building community and solving complex problems.
- Remember your best work. Which jobs or roles produced your strongest performance, and what values were honored in those environments?
- Listen to what others ask of you. What advice or support do people seek from you most often? This can help reveal strengths tied to your deeper principles.
- Imagine your legacy. What do you want people to say in your eulogy? How do you want those closest to you to remember you?
- Identify your dealbreakers. Think about moments when you have felt the most disengaged or frustrated, which can reflect a violation of your values.
- Name what you do not like to see in others. Consider behaviors that bother you deeply to help define what is nonnegotiable for you.
