Welcome. This is the first episode in a five-part series of creating clarity and designing action steps that really work. Today we’re starting with the foundation, which is values.
More specifically, how clarifying your values gives you traction in your decisions, your habits, and your relationships. The coaching profession was built to solve a central challenge, which is unclear values. Goals and productivity are secondary.
At the heart of meaningful action is knowing what matters to you most. This video looks at what values are from a life coaching perspective and why they matter. The second part looks at the three most common missed opportunities, and the third part looks at next steps.
What Are Values and Why They Matter
Let’s start by talking about the difference between a topic value and a process value. A topic value is what you say you care about. A process value is how you actually experience that in real life. This distinction is where the clarity begins.
For example, a topic value might be family. That’s a good start, but it doesn’t tell you how that value actually plays out in your life. A process value would be that moment when everyone’s together, when they’re laughing and relaxed. Another aspect might be the bonds you feel and being committed to the people you love.
Coaching truly excels at helping people put into words what matters to them most. If your values are feeling vague or undefined, professional coach training is one of the most effective paths to finding that clarity. When your values are clear, everything else aligns.
When you get really clear on the specific aspects of a process value that you truly enjoy and live, this is where things start to gain traction.
Three Common Missed Opportunities in Values Work
After 20 years of coaching, these are the three most common missed opportunities I see when people explore their values.
1. Not Distinguishing Between Topic and Process Values
The same applies to strengths. For example, love of learning is one of my top five strengths. I love reading nonfiction books. I feel almost compelled to share what I learned. It’s almost like a compulsion to learn things and share.
The topic value might be love of learning, but the process value for me is that moment when insight happens. That awe feeling of, this is amazing. Coaching is essentially a front row seat watching someone else learn and have those deep, meaningful insights about themselves in real time. Knowing that clearly is a strategic advantage.
2. Not Looking at Values Through the Lens of Others
When people do values work, it can quickly become centered on the self. What do you like? What do you enjoy? That’s natural. But especially if you’re starting a coaching business or leading a team, your values need to connect with others.
Useful questions to ask: What do others gain by working with you? What strengths do you consistently bring to relationships, teams, and clients? What value does your work provide to the world? These questions are especially important from an empathetic standpoint.
3. Not Translating Values into Other Areas of Your Life
Once you have identified values, not applying them further is a missed opportunity. Values are not just for a vision board or a piece of paper. Having them written down is a useful start. But that tool becomes even more powerful when you start to apply values to other areas of your life.
Adding this sense of mindfulness gives your actions more texture. This awareness serves as a foundation for the next steps in the series: vision, mission, strategy, and process. Mindfulness around values, having them written down, having them permeate many areas of your life. That is the pathway to fulfillment.
Next Steps
Start by asking yourself: When have you felt most fulfilled during your day or week? What were you doing, and why did it matter to you? Think of a time when you felt truly alive and ask what specifically about that experience mattered most.
If you want to get serious about values work, this is life coaching bread and butter. This is what coaching was designed for. If you want to explore coaching for yourself as a client, you can request on-demand coaching sessions at app.coachtheory.com.
The next video in this series looks at how you can apply values to other areas of your life and how they can inform your vision. In the meantime, you can explore ICF-accredited coach training at CTEDU to learn how values-based coaching is taught in a structured program.
