Defining Your Values: A Practical Path to Authenticity
By Sophie Hussey, Senior Technology & Service Management Consultant, Lapis Consulting Services Ltd.
Authenticity is often discussed at work—often in vague, fluffy terms.
‘Just be yourself.’ ‘Bring your whole self to work.’ Helpful? Not always.
In my experience, authenticity only becomes meaningful when it’s grounded in something tangible: your values. When you understand what truly matters to you, decision-making gets easier, boundaries become clearer, and how you show up at work feels far more aligned.
What follows is a practical, realistic approach to defining your values, not in one intense sitting, but in manageable, reflective, bite-sized chunks.
Phase 1: Gather Without Judgement (About 2 Hours)
Choose a time when you’re not exhausted or emotionally overloaded. Get comfortable, grab a pen and paper (or notes app), and give yourself permission to explore.
Look at a few value lists online (MindTools, Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead, and similar places are good starting points). This isn’t about precision yet, it’s about noticing what jumps out at you.
Write down every word that resonates. You might end up with 20–30 words. That’s expected. Don’t edit yourself at this stage.
Tip: You don’t need to finish this in one go. Pause when your focus dips.
Phase 2: Start Sifting (About 1 Hour)
Return to your list and begin sorting. Use colours, symbols, or any other system that helps you whittle down your list:
· Definitely a value
· Possibly a value, but not strong
· Not a value for me
Cross out anything that clearly doesn’t belong. Create a second list with the words that remain. You’re aiming for focus, not perfection.
Phase 3: Refine with Intent (About 2 Hours)
Now challenge the ‘maybes’. For each word, ask:
· Do I genuinely value this? And why?
· Is this similar to another word on my list?
· If so, which word best captures what I mean?
Be ruthless but kind. This phase is about prioritising what truly matters to you, not what sounds good or what others value.
Create a clean list again once you’ve finished refining.
Phase 4: Define Your Core Values (2–3 Hours, Split If Needed)
Your goal is five to seven values. Any more than this is too many to manage and remember. Defining your values is supposed to be helpful, not a memory test.
Look for natural groupings (for example, honesty, transparency, and trust). Then, one by one, assess which words have the strongest pull. Keep looping until only your core values remain.
Write them down. Welcome to your values—the cornerstones of your authenticity.
What Happens Next?
Defining your values isn’t a tick-box exercise, it’s the foundation of authenticity. Once you know what matters to you, you can start aligning your leadership, communication, and decision-making.
If you want to go deeper into how values show up (or clash) in the workplace and how to stay authentic under pressure, join me at SDI Spark 26 this March for a practical, honest session on authenticity at work.
