Work values determine which characteristics feel essential or important for you to have in the day-to-day activities you perform in your work. People are happier at work when their work values are aligned with their career/job.
The first steps in evaluating your work values are to name them and to prioritize them. It is unlikely that you will get everything you want all at once, so you have to be willing to decide what is MOST important to you.
Some values are mutually exclusive, meaning if you have one, you are unlikely to have another, at least during the same period of time. Examples of mutually exclusive value pairs are Fast Pace vs. Leisurely Pace, Privacy vs. Recognition, and Change vs. Predictability.
Here’s how to use this list.
– Skim the list once through.
– Quickly choose the FIVE values most important to you.
– Look for any contradictions between the values and reflect on what it means if you want two things that usually don’t go together.
– Of the five you chose, rank them from most important to least important.
– Notice which value is MOST important to you.
– Keep these values in mind when you evaluate work opportunities.
Achievement
A definite feeling of accomplishment about the outcome
Advancement
Ability to continually move ahead in your career, gaining income, power, and/or status as you go
Adventure
Have unusual, exciting, and potentially risky experiences, usually in various geographic locations
Affiliation / Belonging
Membership with a group of people with similar mission, values, and goals
Art
Involvement in artistic endeavors in some way
Authenticity
The ability to be yourself
Autonomy / Freedom
The freedom to do work in your own way
Authority
Being in a position to command
Beauty
Work involving attractive people, places, or things
Camaraderie / Friendship
Spend lots of time making friends and socializing with co-workers
Challenge
Lots of difficult demands in terms of time, results, etc.
Change
Participating in frequently evolving and dynamic situations
Community Service
Making the world a better place by helping individuals, groups, and/or the larger society
Competition
Situations in which you compare yourself with others in ways that result in clear wins and losses
Creative Self-Expression
Ample opportunity to express yourself via new communication, programs, processes, etc.
Employee Development
A culture that values people and is committed to developing their talents
Expertise
Be viewed as a person who is on the cutting edge of knowledge in some area
Fame
Being known to large numbers of people
Fast Pace
Circumstances in which work must be done rapidly
Flexible Schedule
Choosing your own work hours
Focus
Ability to concentrate highly on one specific thing or area at a time
Glamour
Being around attractive, exciting people or events
Global Focus
Work that has a global impact
Hands On
Using manual dexterity
Helping
Providing assistance directly to individual persons or groups
High Income
Earning a significant amount of money
Influence
Changing and/or persuading people
Innovation
Being on the cutting edge of methods, ideas, products, etc.
Integrity
Honesty and upholding your moral/ethical principles
Initiative
Using self-motivation and drive
Justice
Ensuring fairness for people and situations
Knowledge
Acquiring information and wisdom
Leadership
Leading people or projects at the strategic visionary level
Learning
Continually mastering new information or skills
Leisurely Pace
Circumstances in which work can be done slowly
Location Independence (Portability)
Working from any geographic location of your choice
Management of People
Directing the work of others
Mastery
Knowing most of what there is to know about a subject
Meaning
Doing work that feels like it matters
Order
Arranging or maintaining things in a particular sequence, pattern, or method
Outdoors / Nature
Opportunity to be outdoors or in nature
Peacefulness / Harmony
Serene settings w/ an absence or minimum amount of conflict
Physicality
Work that involves physical strength, speed, skill, etc.
Power
Official authority and/or strength to enforce policies, laws, etc.
Precision
Requiring detail and has measurable right-or-wrong components
Predictability
Certainty and reliability about what is coming next
Privacy
Being relatively anonymous
Problem-Solving
Solving complex problems
Project-Based
Sequence of tasks with a definite beginning and end
Recognition
Getting positive feedback and credit for doing a good job
Routine
Predictable work with few surprises
Scientific Pursuit
Work that uses the scientific method to advances the knowledge in a particular field
Security
Stable, steady work that is relatively guaranteed to continue
Simplicity
Having straightforward tasks that are easy to understand
Socializing
Being highly interactive with other people
Solitude
Being alone a lot
Status
Impressing other people because of high prestige
Structure
Having highly systematized work
Teamwork
Working in groups rather than alone
Technology
Using computers or other types of technology
Transparency
Open communication throughout an organization, from the top on down
Travel
Going to varying geographic locations
Trust
Being able to trust managers, peers, and subordinates (and being trusted in return)
Usefulness
Accomplishing something necessary and valuable
Variety
Doing different things on an hourly, daily, weekly, or other basis
Wealth
Building financial well-being beyond an annual income
Work-Life Integration
Having a personally optimal blend of personal and work pursuits
Did I miss any values that are important to you? Please share them with me in the comments below.
Trust
Being able to trust your management, your peers and your subordinates.
Thanks, Leslie! I added your suggestion.
A number of them seem to roll together. Authenticity, Integrity, Trust and Transparency seem linked inexorably, Usefulness and Meaning are thoroughly entwined as well.