Blog Post: Aim Ahead - Match Work with Your Values

Today is July 31, 2009. We are all doing our best to hang on until the end of an economic recession that has leveled thousands of businesses, careers, and households throughout the world. There is virtually no one who doesn't feel the damaging effects of this downturn in one way or another.

I know many people who are looking for a job - ANY job to pay the rent. That's the way it is today, and that is our immediate challenge.

But that's not the way it will be down the road, once we're in a fast growing NEW economy. There will be opportunities that we cannot fully anticipate right now when businesses and organizations rethink and reorganize to meet challenges we have never faced before: new legislation, new environmental priorities, shrunken budgets, population growth demands, increased diversity, new products, new technology services, etc. All this will drive an accelerated need for new thinking, new solutions – and NEW work for us!

When the new economy emerges, as you know it must, YOU can emerge even better prepared to participate in it. We can all use some of our "downtime" positively to take better aim at what kind of work will be most valuable and satisfying to us moving forward, and how we can leverage our personal values to fully contribute our talents in reshaping the world.

Here’s a way to begin taking aim at work that matches your values. Begin to contemplate what really drives you as an individual. Understand that behind what drives you is a firmly held “value.” Each of the following paragraphs describes a different personal value. Which of the following 5 paragraphs appeals to you most?

1)  I value work that uses my focused analytical thinking ability. I am good at delving into theories, learning how things work, evaluating how the parts fit together, discovering logic and patterns, and continually building on my knowledge base. I want to be recognized for my knowledge and expertise.

2) I value work that uses my ability to meet deadlines, produce results, and get things done. I am good at figuring out how to get the most leverage out of limited resources, and continually outperform others’ expectations. I want to be recognized for achieving results through my own abilities.

3) I value work that allows me the independence to be creative in my own right. I am good at envisioning unconventional ways to address challenges, and prefer solutions that lead to increased harmony, beauty and balance in society and the environment. I want to be recognized for my unique creativity and ingenuity.

4) I value work that allows me to support and develop others for the achievement of common objectives. I am good at understanding the “people” side of situations and seek solutions that I believe are in society’s best interest. I want to be recognized for contributing to the betterment of people and society as a whole.

5) I value work in which I can apply proven methods for addressing problems and producing results. I am good at working within a firmly established framework of principles and traditions that I support. I want to be recognized for upholding standards and doing things right.

Now, which of the above 5 values are most important to you? Whatever they are, have your past and/or present jobs matched your values? If not, what affect did that have on you?

Most importantly, how can your values lead you to the most suitable work in the future? I leave that question for your contemplation and discovery. If you need to, you can contact me to assist you through coaching services.

A Personal Note to Our ICF Blog Audience:

Whatever your career situation is at this time, please know that the many coaches in the International Coach Federation-Arizona Chapter here in the Phoenix area empathize with what you are going through. We want to help you come out the other end of this recession with renewed energy and confidence in your personal strengths.

If the only way you can invest in coaching today is taking TIME TO READ OUR BLOG POSTS, that's great!  We hope our posts contribute to helping you determine how to take positive action toward advancing your career and personal success.

Author Gayla Doucet - A Certified Creative Life and Talent Management Coach (International Coach Federation) and a member of the Phoenix Chapter of the ICF in Arizona. Find her at People Powered Solutions LLC (www.pplpowered.com), and LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/gayladoucet). 

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