How Much of the Real You Do You Bring to Work?

How much of the real you do you bring to work? Here’s an exercise that can help you answer that:

Read the list of personal values listed here, and mark the 10 most important to you. Now, imagine you have $1,000 to “buy” some values. Write out the dollar amount next to each of the 10 statements. What this reveals is a rank ordering of your personal values, and will be extremely useful as you begin to evaluate future work opportunities. What you learn here will be helpful in the companion exercise: Values Inventory II.

_______ Achievement — Accomplishment, results brought about by persistence.

_______ Advancement — Opportunity to make rapid moves upward.

_______ Adventure — Excitement, action, fast pace, taking business risks.

_______ Affiliation — Close relationships; cooperation, friendship.

_______ Autonomy — Doing things on my own without a lot of rules or direction.

_______ Balance — More time time for pursuits outside of work.

_______ Community — Involvement in community affairs and activities.

_______ Creativity — Greater opportunity to express my own ideas.

_______ Decisions/Power — The power to decide a course of action, direction.

_______ Economic security — Freedom from money worries.

_______ Emotional well-being — Peace of mind, quickly resolving inner conflicts.

_______ Help Society — Doing something that makes a contribution.

_______ High earning — Need for greater monetary rewards in the future.

_______ Honesty/Authenticity — A need to open and honest with others.

_______ Humor/Fun — Freedom to be spontaneous, playful, humorous.

_______ Independence — Need greater solitude; time to do things by myself.

_______ Influence people — Want to change attitudes or actions of others.

_______ Intellectual Challenge — Learning new things, stimulating the mind.

_______ Justice/Fairness — Want equity for others and myself.

_______ Location — Living somewhere conducive to my lifestyle.

_______ Love/Family — Affection, intimacy, caring, attachment to a family.

_______ Physical challenge — Need physical risk-taking.

_______ Physical Environment — Clean, comfortable, pleasant space.

_______ Project identity — Want to produce tangibles and see the results.

_______ Recognition/Respect — Having others acknowledge me for what I do.

_______ Religious/Spiritual Conviction — Being in service to God or higher power.

_______ Service — Be involved in helping others, individually or in small groups.

_______ Stability — Need certainty, a slower pace of change.

_______ Structure — Need a defined set of expectations from others.

_______ Tranquility — Serenity; freedom from pressures and “the rat race.”

_______ Variety — New and challenging experiences.

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