It’s Time to Author Your Personal Core Values

It’s Time to Author Your Personal Core Values

Have the first nine months of 2020 brought you clarity? A leader I used to work with would often say, “clarity gives energy.” Perhaps that explains why so many people are feeling exhausted – 2020 has created more questions than answers. It’s difficult to see clearly when you’re in a storm, and the unforgettable turbulence this year has brought both businesses and individuals has most people feeling less and less clear about everything. But there’s good news for anyone determined to weather the storm and come out stronger on the other side; the dark clouds of 2020 have a silver lining.

Have you heard of being shaken or challenged to your core? Facing tremendous obstacles has a way of returning us to our foundation which is exactly where we need to go to gain clarity. Clarity begins with knowing who you are and what matters most – these are your core values – and they are necessary for safe navigation in all conditions, especially when the world around you is upside down.

The events of 2020 have exposed the core value pretenders. Consider the decisions businesses have had to make: How do we keep employees and customers safe and our doors open? How do we support a more equitable society? How do we care for the ongoing well-being of our employees? The way businesses have answered these questions has revealed whether the core values they post on their website are a true reflection of who they are, or just words on a page. Yet throughout 2020, businesses that have remained true to their core values have found the clarity needed to navigate “unprecedented” times. The same is true for individual people.

Like a business, people gain clarity during challenging times by returning to the firm foundation of their personal values. However, unlike a business, most people do not write down their values or share them with others. Imagine what would happen if they did? When a business publishes their core values, they are telling the world who they are and what they believe matters most. They are explaining how they make decisions, what will be at the foundation of their relationships and what the world can expect from them. They are differentiating themselves, defining the way they operate and inviting anyone who reads those values to hold them accountable. When individuals author personal core value statements and share them, they are doing the same. It’s time for you to put your personal core values to work and navigate with clarity despite the storm.

Here’s a way to get started:

Do you want to develop values language you can use at work or in a job search to build connections, make decisions or strengthen your personal brand? The humanworks team hosted two interactive Authoring Personal Core Values workshops this fall. Session attendees learned best practices, saw examples and participated in a core values writing activity. To be informed about upcoming workshops, sign up for our e-mail newsletter.