What Drives You?

I've been thinking a lot lately about what motivates people. It is different for every person but once we understand what someone values, we can have greater understanding about why they do what they do.

A few years back I helped my father (a Professor at Utah State University) with a Values Assessment Test for his students. It was a quiz which helped students identify what they actually valued most. There is a list of over 30 values which can drive a person in life and in business. It is important to understand what you value the most because it may help determine which direction to take in business.

You should also take into account that what you value may be different in business vs. in family life. Your values may not necessarily be opposing but should be considered. I value freedom highly, however, I also value commitment -- so I look for relationships which are fully committed, but do not stifle my individuality. But in work, although I value my freedom, I do recognize that at times I will make commitments which will take priority for a time.

For example: Some of my top values are honesty, respect, unselfishness, love and charity, relationships, continuous improvement, creativity and cooperation (not necessarily in order). I also value freedom. So when I look at my past work experience, the jobs I've had in the corporate world where it was all about business and money -- I hated! I love working more in a caring environment with people who work together as a team effort to make a difference in the world. Because I value my freedom so much, I love being an entrepreneur, defining my own jobs and moving the direction I want to move, rather than moving in the direction I am expected to move. I have friends who value security above all else. They love having a 8-5 job. They love going to an office every day, and bringing home a paycheck every 2 weeks. They like knowing what to expect at work each day and have fairly strict and static lifestyles.

If you can define what you value the most, it may help you recognize why you are happy or unhappy in your life or career. If your top values are not being met, you will never be satisfied or content. But if you can find a way to respect your top values (not to the detriment of anyone else), you will feel much more happy with the direction of your life.

This is a great family activity, or dating activity -- plus works well when trying to understand your employees or work environment. If you can take 5 minutes and rate the values in terms of what is the most important to you. Then you can compare your answers and it is a great way to open up communication and get greater understanding for each other.

Here is a short list of values to get you started.

1. Honesty
2. Creativity
3. Courage
4. Self-discipline
5. Moderation
6. Loyalty
7. Dependability
8. Cleanliness
9. Self-reliance
10. Problem solving
11. Respect for self and others
12. Initiative
13. Unselfishness
14. Kindness
15. Responsibility
16. Good example
17. Perseverance
18. Forgiveness and Mercy
19. Love and Charity
20. Gratitude / Humility
21. Optimism
22. Continuous Improvement
23. Work hard, Keep it fun
24. Lean production
25. Operational excellence
26. Quality, safety, reliability, service
27. Cost reduction
28. Ethical business practices
29. Cooperation
30. Improve quality of life
31. Commitment
32. Security
33. Freedom / Independence
34. Family / Relationships
35. Other

The best way to rate your values is to starting listing the values in importance. Start with number one and two (Honesty and Creativity). Which of these two is more important to you? If you could only choose one which would it be? Mine would be Honesty.

So, write down Honesty at the top and Creativity under it. (This works well on a computer because you can easily rearrange items.)

Then take number 3 -- Courage. Is courage more important to you than honesty? No. Is it more important than creativity? No. So it will be written down under creativity. Etc. Simply go through the list and compare each value until you have your list. Then review and see if you would switch anything around. Once you have this picture of what drives you -- it is then easier to see how you can find greater satisfaction in life -- just by finding ways to live with your higher values as top priorities.

Anyway, I'll be happy to add other values to the list if you can think of others you would like me to add.