Archive for May, 2009

Identifying your values tool

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

A tip for establishing what your values are

Write a list of 10 aspects of yourself that you really like – special talents, qualities, behaviours, no matter how small or insignificant some of them may seem. Then, in

the second column, think a little bit deeper – what does each one stem from, what is the deeper value that your behaviour is allowing others to gain an inkling of? For example, you may feel you have a special talent for bringing people together and getting them to agree a way forward. Is the value behind that talent a desire to work in a happy, consensual environment (“Harmony”) or is it based on your wish to have an impact and persuade others (“Influence”)? Below the chart is a possible list of some values you might choose. You might like to start with a work or social situation where you felt were adding value, where your qualities, effort, insights made a difference.

The situation where I made a difference…

My special talents, qualities. behaviours

 The  values behind them
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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10.

Some possible values:

Achievement, adventure, challenge, love, cooperation, community, creativity, decisiveness, fairness, family, friendships, growth, happiness, harmony, honesty, independence, influence, intellectual stimulation, knowledge, loyalty, Nature, physical challenge, power,  quality, respect, responsibility, status, supporting others, variety, wealth, wisdom…

Once you have identified the values you think are important you will be in a much better position to live those values. And the people you work with will experience that consistency in a positive way.

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Personal Branding – why bother?

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Personal branding is a familiar topic, now that the world has been graced with the Beckham brand, the Brangelina brand, the Alan Sugar brand. It’s very easy to think that there’s no place for it in the real business world and yet each of these brands is incredibly successful, so isn’t it worth looking at whether personal branding could help you differentiate yourself, especially in this tough market?

Last month I was preparing a talk to a corporate women’s network and comparing notes with the other speaker for the evening. My topic was “Personal Branding” and hers “Public Relations” and we found a fascinating set of parallels between our two worlds. Where I’m concerned to ensure my coaching clients establish their reputation as leaders, her job is to help companies establish their corporate reputation. We set ourselves the challenge of answering the question “Why bother?” anticipating that both topics would meet with a certain degree of scepticism: aren’t reputations built on what you deliver, so don’t they take care of themselves?
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