Living in accordance with your values

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Living in accordance with your values 

When talking to our clients about personal values within a coaching session, it can be helpful to explain we are not using the term in the same way as it is often used in the media.

Within the media it is normally used to describe a specific type of family, morality, lifestyle or culture. Within coaching, the meaning of Value (although it can also include these elements) can be much broader, because it encompasses the personal values that are specific to an individual, which don’t necessarily always include society’s values.

For some it can seem a little selfish to refocus their whole life on deep-rooted values, but not if their number one value helps them find their one true purpose in life. So if you are asked to help somebody establish a set of value based goals, it can really help them realize a sense of personal achievement.

Benefits of somebody focusing on their values

  • It’s easier for them to identify their goals and achieve them more quickly
  • Their life goal will become clearer
  • They will be less distracted, so their life will be simpler and more fulfilling

 

Coaching Values

Whilst helping somebody get what they want will make them happy, helping them to unlock the insight needed to understand and satisfy their needs is the key. If they are able to learn how to live according to their values, they will have a genuine sense of self-actualization and fulfilment. However, self-actualization is more than just short term joy or satisfaction, but a lasting feeling of being completely oneself.

By using a simple step by step process within your coaching sessions, you can help somebody identify both their professional and personal values. Then the list can cut down and prioritized, so they can work through a range of different questions to better understand what is getting in the way of achieving each value. With your help, your clients can uncover the actions they need to take to recalibrate their whole life around a set of 5 key values.

Key considerations when coaching values

  • Our values are worth discovering
  • Our values are the only solid basis we can build our goals on
  • We are our values
  • Values bring us lasting fulfilment, whilst desires merely bring short term gratification
  • Values are like a tortoise’s head: they only come out when it’s safe

Tip: Selecting values based on honesty and openness is an essential step in order to make sure you client is always working from a solid base. If you plan to coach values, it is important to stress to your client that their values should be chosen regardless of what anyone (including you) will think of them.

 

Further reading:

If you think any of your clients would benefit from a coaching session on values, check our ebook in the online shop:

  • Coaching professional and personal values – Help your clients identify their key values and agree clear goals with this complete toolkit for coaching both personal and professional values. It also includes a simple step by step guide to use in your coaching sessions or for your own personal development as a professional coach.

 

We have published a full range of resources specifically aimed at supporting you as a professional coach and constantly add content to the site, so please check our on-line shop and look at the full range of games, ebooks and kits. Or read some of the other blog posts written by our team of international coaches.

 

 

 

Please note – Our materials can only be copied and distributed, if you include a reference and link to the original source: (cc) MyCoachingToolkit.com – 2023

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