What do we mean by values? People’s values are formed through a combination of their beliefs, behaviours, principles and personality. Your ‘values’ will show up when you have to act in a way that feels uncomfortable: for instance, if you are asked to fire someone at work who you feel deserves to stay. ‘Values’ might Figure 8.3 The OK Corral
be the ‘still, small voice’ referred to in the Bible – the voice of conscience which might speak to you if you are tempted to pocket that £5 note the person ahead of you has dropped. Alternatively, your values may show up in the way that you run forward to return the note to its owner without any hesitation, or risk putting your head above the parapet to speak out for the one in line to be fired.
On a simpler level, your values represent the things in life that you value: if you like keeping healthy by playing tennis, then exercise might be a value for you. If you like to laugh, then a sense of humour would be one of your values.
You might enjoy being tidy and financially secure, or living the life of a chaotic gambler. All of these qualities can be termed ‘values’, and the ones you live by now may not always be those you aspire to.
Organizations have values too: for example, caring for staff, maintaining ethical practices, bureaucracy and internal backstabbing are all values that may be exhibited by companies. Clearly, not all values are positive ones. Most indi-viduals and organizations have a set of values, declared or instinctive, that they would like to practise, but it is rare to see these achieved 100 per cent.
Set out in Figure 8.4 is a list of values which you may find useful both to complete yourself and to give to coachees. The first step is to pick out 10 personal values – not the ones you aspire to, but those you (or your coachee) are actually exhibiting in your life at the moment. Then mark the 10 values most often exhib-ited by your organization at the moment. Finally, choose 10 values that you would like your organization to exhibit. Mark each set with a different symbol – for instance a ‘P’ for personal, ‘C’ for current organizational and ‘D’ for desired orga-nizational. You can add new values which apply to you if they are not listed.
Seeing which values coincide between two or three of the sections enables coachees to discover new insights, such as how much of themselves they have to leave behind when they come to work in the morning. The exercise may prompt them to consider how they can change their work environment for the better. In some cases, the new insight may be that their workplace is so incom-patible that they need to start looking for another job; then again, the survey might make them appreciate their organization all the more.
On an organizational level, this exercise can pinpoint what culture is desired and what changes need to be made to achieve that culture. Identification of common values provides a map of where the organization or the individual is now (R of the GROW model referred to in Chapter 3) and helps the coach and coachee to create a pathway towards successful change.
Whether working with private or corporate coachees, the time to hand out these sheets is either before or after the first session. They will bring clarity and insight for both the coach and the coachee. If completed at regular intervals, they will provide a measuring tool for the effectiveness of coaching.
This model was developed from Richard Barrett’s Cultural Transformation Tools surveys, described in the next section.
Accountability Creativity Hierarchy Personal fulfilment
Achievement Diversity Human rights Personal growth
Ambition Ease with uncertainty Humility Philanthropy
Balance (home/work) Efficiency Humour/fun Positive feedback
Being liked Empathy Image Power
Being the best Empire building Independence Pride
Bureaucracy Employee health Information hoarding Professional growth
Caution Employee safety Information sharing Profit
Clarity Environmental awareness Innovation Reliability
Commitment Excellence Integrity Respect
Community activity Exploitation Intuition Risk-taking
Compassion Family Leadership development Self-belief
Competition Financial stability Logic Self-discipline
Confidence Flat structure Long-term perspective Short-term orientation
Conflict resolution Forgiveness Making a difference Skills training
Conformity Friendships Manipulation Status
Continuous learning Future generations Mentoring Strategic alliances
Control Generosity Mission focus Teamwork
Cooperation Global perspective Openness Tradition
Courage Health and fitness Perseverance Vision
Select values from the following list and mark them in the margins. Add more values if you wish.
10 personal values (mark with a P). These are not the values you aspire to, but those you currently live by.
10 values that represent the current culture of your organisation (mark with a C).
10 values that represent the desired culture of your organisation (mark with a D).
How many matching values do you have?
P-C P-D C-D P-C-D
Ask these questions:
What have you learnt about yourself? What is the impact of not changing?
What new insights do you have? How would you like it to be?
What impact is this having on your life? What would you would like to do about it?
What impact on your work? When/where/how?
Figure 8.4 Values questionnaire