Understanding Values and Group Influence

Assignment 1: Understanding Your Values
Due week 3 and worth 100 points.
“If you're going to build a great career, you had better have a strong foundation. It all comes back to the priorities and the values that you have in life. - Coach Gibbs
Understanding Your Values Worksheet
PART 1 IDENTIFY YOUR VALUES & GROUPS OF INFLUENCE
In the article What Self-Awareness Really Is (And How to Cultivate It) author Tasha Eurich states that “Research suggests that when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative. We make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively.” This worksheet will help you do just that.
In the table below, each row represents a group (past or present) that has influenced your values. Examples of these groups are your family, church, sports teams, profession, groups sharing common interests, etc. Select five of these groups and list them in the first column of the table.
For each of the groups, identify the following:
Three (3) positive behaviors that were learned and/or encouraged by the group. For example your teacher would always expect that you were on time or that you were assertive during class presentations.
Three (3) values that you learned from the group. For example someone could have learned from a church group to be compassionate or to speak up when one sees injustices.
1 Choose your values from the list provided in the Your Values Matter table. Scroll to the end of this assignment to find this table.
GROUP NAME

3 POSITIVE BEHAVIORS

3 VALUES LEARNED

Ex: Church

Volunteering, Working on a team, Being on time

Accountability, respect, teamwork
(choose from the Your Values Matter table below)

Family

1. Avoiding quarrels with siblings
2. Waking up early
3. Doing the assigned chores properly

1. Forgiveness
2. Self-discipline
3. reliability

School

1. Being participative during class
2. Wearing appropriate attire in school
3. Submitting requirements on time

1. Education
2. Accountability
3. Achievement

Friends

1. Helping each other when in need
2. Supporting and cheering for each other’s achievements
3. Respecting each other’s boundaries and privacy

1. Caring
2. Trust
3. compassion

Clubs

1. Being an active member
2. Sharing of ideas and interests
3. Present in meetings and events

1. Initiative
2. Commitment
3. Creativity

Fandom

1. Respecting other member’s opinion
2. Knowing the limits of admiring and idolizing
3. Knowing the difference between being funny and being rude

1. Respect
2. Humour/fun
3. Openness

PART 2: RANK YOUR VALUES
How important is each value in your life? Using the “Understanding Your Values” table, choose 10 of your values and put each value in priority order - #1 matters most, #10 matters least. Be HONEST! It doesn’t matter how someone else would rank these values; it only matters how important they are to you! Remember, this is about SELF-awareness. Your goal is to identify the things that matter most to YOU!
In the article How to Live With Purpose, Identify Your Values and Improve Your Leadership, author Ann Loehr explains how your values give you a sense of purpose. The exercise below will help you focus on those values. Please complete the following in the table below:
1 List the values according to what matters most to you.
2 Provide a brief definition of what that values means to you in your own words.
3 Write a short sentence about the meaning of each value in the “why does this matter to me” column. (Ex: If “friendship” is one of your higher values, you might understand it [and yourself!] better by identifying WHY friendship is such a high priority for you.)
VALUES
(most important to least important)

DEFINITION
(what does it mean to me?)

WHY?
(why does this value matter to me?)

Ex: Friendship

A special bond/connection between myself and another person.

Friends are valuable to me because we provide each other with support during the positive and difficult times in our lives. Friends also provide companionship.

1 Education

Education is the area of my life in which I learn and apply information about my personal values, skills, and development and information about the world around me.

Education is important to me because it fosters the development of our intellect, skills, and rationality, all of which are necessary for making sound decisions in our lives. Indeed, it has emerged as one of the most important predictors of the type of adult life we will lead and our ability to make a positive contribution to society as a whole in the years to come.

2 Respect

Respect is how I treat others in an honorable manner, regardless of how different they are from myself.

I consider respect to be the second most important value in my life because, without it, my relationships and social connections will be fraught with disappointments and difficulties.

3 Self-discipline

Self-discipline is the process by which I train myself to adhere to a set of rules that I have specifically chosen, intending to become a better person overall.

Self-discipline is an important value in my life because it is the foundation of my ability to control my impulsive tendencies. Furthermore, my self-esteem would be significantly lower without self-discipline, as my discipline directly impacts my self-assurance.

4 Accountability

Accepting responsibility for my actions and decisions is the act of taking ownership of one's actions and decisions.

Accounting for my actions is essential in my life because I consider it to be the most desirable characteristic to possess when participating in an organization that entails duties and responsibilities, such as jobs, clubs, and universities. Because these organizations are an important part of our lives, having the desirable characteristic of being accountable for one's actions is an absolute requirement.

5 Commitment

In this undertaking, I am bound to act not out of my desires but rather out of the necessity to fulfill my responsibilities.

When it comes to achieving goals, commitment is a fundamental value for me because it allows me to remain focused on the important and practical aspects of the task at hand despite the numerous distractions. Creating excuses is simple, but getting back on track after making room for them is much more difficult. As a result, my commitment to my objectives is extremely important.

6 Initiative

It is when I take the initiative and act without being directed to do so. It is typically characterized by resourcefulness, adaptability, and determination.

Taking the initiative is considered a self-management skill, one of the most important life and work skills for individuals who want to be successful in their endeavors. In addition, taking the initiative means that I should do things without being asked, solve problems that others may have overlooked, and go out of my way to learn and grow in my profession.

7 Openness

Openness is my quality when it comes to being receptive and flexible to new ideas that differ from my initial ideas.

Being open is essential because it provides me with numerous opportunities to learn about new concepts. As I learn about new concepts, I gain new insights into furthering my own personal development.

8 Creativity

The ability to generate and recognize new possibilities that may be necessary to find a solution to a specific problem is what I call this tendency.

Being creative is beneficial to me because it allows me to see things in a different light, which allows me to become a more effective problem-solver in all areas of my life, including work. As a result, it broadens my perspective and assists me in overcoming prejudices.

9 Compassion

When I am confronted with suffering, I feel compelled to alleviate it on behalf of those around me.

It is important in my life that I have compassion for others because it allows me to form meaningful connections with them. It forces me to recognize the inequality, cruelty, and struggles of the oppressed in our society, allowing me to see the wider picture of what is going on.

10 Humour/fun

It is considered humorous when I can elicit laughter and provide amusement for those i...