Understanding the characteristics and principles we value can help individuals improve their decision-making and make a significant contribution to the world. This 40-minute exercise is designed to help executives and other leaders clarify their personal values. To complete this exercise, you need a worksheet, available for free at www.cvdl.org/clarify.

1. CLARIFYyour personal values
A 40-minute exercise for executives & leaders

2. Many of us feel like we bring one “self” to work,
another to our families, and yet another to our friends
or community.
Values-driven leaders find that no matter the people around them,
they hold true to certain internal factors of their self.
We think of these as their core values.

3. Developing yourself as a values-driven leader is a
life-long journey.
It starts with clarifying your own personal values.
This 40-minute exercise will help you identify your values; it will
also begin to help you clarify how you want to express those values.

4. Before you get started, prepare for the exercise by:
• Finding a quiet place where you will be undisturbed
• Printing our values sheet, found at www.cvdl.org/growpersonally
• Having a pen and 10 index cards on hand
Follow the steps on each slide, and complete the step before
clicking to the next slide.

5. Consider the list of common values on the provided
worksheet. Take 5-10 minutes to quickly work through
the sheet, circling the 10 values that most answer the question,
What values do I most want to be true of myself?
Consider both the values that represent your true and authentic self,
and also your aspirational self.
When you have narrowed your list to 10 values,
click to the next slide.

6. Do you have your 10 values? Great!
This is a good place to start. However, the human brain is wired to
remember seven or fewer random pieces of information at a time.
So we need to take your 10 values, and reduce them to the 5 most
important.

7. To do this, take your 10 index cards and write one value on
each card. Like this:
Integrity

8. Turn your 10 cards into 5. You can do this by
“force ranking” your cards and selecting the top 5
values. Or combine some values under the umbrella of
another value. (For example, you might decide Creativity is an
umbrella term that includes the value of Innovation.)
Be creative. Feel free to add a new word
if it better represents your value.
Take 10 minutes to do this. Click the next slide when you’re done.

9. So now you have your 5 core values.
Take a look at your 5 remaining cards again. Do they truly represent
who you are and what you believe to be most important? Would
your executive team agree? Your spouse/partner, children, or
closest friends?
If not, take time to rethink your selections. If so, click to the next
slide.

10. Congratulations!
You’ve identified your five core values. We hope this has
been a meaningful experience all ready, but don’t stop now.
Values are meant to be lived out.
Living out your values is easier to do when you know exactly what
you mean by them. So let’s create a values map.

11. For the next 10 minutes, work through your values
one-by-one, and “map your meaning.”
To create your map, take your first value, draw a line out from the
word on your index card, and write in a connected idea that further
explains what you mean by your value and how you see it at work in
your life.
Want an example?

12. Integrity
I keep my word
I value honesty in others and
respect people who tell the
truth, even if I disagree
I don’t make ethical
compromises or
tolerate compromises
on my team
When I make
decisions, I consider
my values
I won’t hurt others in
an effort to get ahead
I know I make
mistakes and want
to be forgiven; I
extend forgiveness
to others

13. When you’ve completed the values map for each
of your five core values, click to the next slide.

14. Our 40 minutes are just about up. But before you go,
let’s talk about what comes next.
This is just the beginning.
On the next slides you’ll find a few suggestions of how you can
continue to explore your core values, and how those values can
develop your leadership capacity.

15. First, you may have noticed that some of the values on
your list (or some of the concepts you “mapped” to your
values) are more aspirational than actual. The first thing
you can do to develop yourself as a values-driven leader is
Mind the gap
Find the ways you’re not living up to your own values, and work to
resolve it.

16. Next, take your values to work. Identify your
organization’s corporate values, and explore how they
relate to your own.
Invite your executive team to do this exercise, and discuss the
results together at your next leadership retreat.
If your company doesn’t have a formal list of values, contact our
team and ask how we can help you identify your corporate values.
(Find contact info on the last page.)
And …

17. Check out our eBook “Making Values Meaningful:
A Menu of Options for Senior Leaders” for dozens
of specific ideas on how to put values in action.
www.cvdl.org/menu

18. Want to continue developing yourself as a values-driven
executive, or need resources for developing your team?
At the Center for Values-Driven Leadership, we help
executives lead boldly at four levels:
1. Personally: Grow as a values-driven leader
2. Interpersonally: Develop great people and teams
3. Organizationally: Build flourishing companies
4. Globally: Transform business and society
Learn More:
www.cvdl.org
info@cvdl.org
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