What are values?

Values are the unconscious filters that affect your beliefs and behaviours. They determine your decisions and rely on your ability to be connected to your unconscious mind.

At any level, there’s often misalignment in people and their values. This has many effects but incredible results when the area of values are addressed.

Over 20 years ago, I first experienced the power of values. I was running a profitable business that ran smoothly and was also studying an applied psychology degree.

I kept noticing personal development courses promising massive life changes and almost miracle-like work. (As a Yorkshireman I was, to say the least, sceptical).

Nevertheless, I enrolled on a short weekend course with Tony Robbins, convinced the claims were a total con. I planned to write and report on it from a psychological perspective.

Armed with notepad and pen, I was ready to document my findings.

Which I never did.

Why?

One question Robbins asked stopped me in my tracks;

 “If you are not doing what you love every day …. what are you doing? “

It was a true and deep life-changing shift.

I made zero notes after that and went home a changed man.

I kept pondering…What was I doing?

I realised I wasn’t doing what I loved and it had to change.

A pivotal moment in which I realised I was so far removed from what was important to me (my values) and had been for years.

Taking action,(the mantra of the course) I closed my business pretty much overnight, knowing that it was not important to me anymore.

I was passionate about facilitating change for others, so I collaborated with like-minded people. I trained and learned more about the NLP tools and techniques and founded a new coaching business.

I later developed into training and certifying people in advanced communication techniques, focusing deeply on re-connecting people to their values. From that day forward, I’ve worked consistently with values applied to people, businesses and cultures.

Stories are the bastion of values

Individuals, companies and cultures thrive on stories. The values of a business that sustains growth reflect the core values of the founder and it’s the same for an entrepreneur building a business, especially a coaching business.

These values are reinforced in stories relating to experiences – and stories of good and bad change points are usually where values strongly emerge.

In the same way your stories shape you, your clients and the people around you also have stories that have shaped them and show their values. These are perfect for rapport building, leverage, interventions and fostering better relationships.

Reducing decision latency 

Coaching is experiencing an upturn due to decision latency.

Latency is when something exists but is underdeveloped and causes problems. Decisions are linked to our values and when these are unknown, latency presents which results in frustration, stress and limited results.

Values are linked to beliefs, behaviours and decisions so when you are aligned and knows what is important to you, decisions can be made faster with long lasting effects.

We are a culmination of all our decisions and making faster decisions consistently fosters wellbeing and growth.

Life changes and so do your values

Company values can be relevant for years but for an individual, values and the priority of them can change so the process of re-visiting them is vital.

Personal values are more prone to change with time and significant life events. If you are a coach, it is even more important you know your own values and re-visiting your own values should be a regular event in your ‘to do’ list.

Values are pivotal to understand in order to be able to understand yourself and  your clients

When things go right, this will be due to a value being upheld, honoured and embraced.

When things go wrong this will be down to the lack of a value that, if present, would change everything.

Identifying values helps living in the ‘now’ to be positive and fulfilling, makes planning for the future easier and more effective, gives meaning and direction to your life and makes everything you do more rewarding and productive.

Simply put, knowing your values leads you to an ultimately happier life and they are your ultimate key to accessing all you want.

John Thompson is founder of consulting business, Metropolis International and Creator of Agile Coaching for Humans. He is an ICF /AC coaching Certified Trainer, Master Trainer of NLP and Head Coach and evaluator on NLP trainers trainings in UK and Europe.  He consults and coaches internationally helping organisations and people to foster cultures.

John was lead consultant for creating the cultural values for Carnival Cruise and Royal Caribbean rolled out to over 110,000 employees worldwide.  

John’s own values include his wife, two daughters and Leeds United ( sometimes not in this order). 

www.peopleandcultures.com

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