The Junto: A Powerful Force for Mutual Improvement

Junto: The power of a good team

How much more could you achieve with a good team around you? Who out there could inspire you to new thinking and levels of success? Which individuals could support you in your self-improvement? Who could you support in their self-development? How can a junto help?

These are all excellent questions to consider under the ‘who’ section of The Right Questions Framework. If we want the best chance of fulfilling our dreams, then we are going to need help. This can come in many forms but having a specific group to assist you is invaluable. This is where a junto comes in.

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” – Oprah Winfrey

What is a Junto and what do they do?

A Junto is a group of people who unite for a common purpose. This makes them like a team, but a junto often sits outside formal working arrangements and may span various occupations or sectors.

Benjamin Franklin’s Junto – The Leather Apron Club

The most famous example of a junto is the Leather Apron Club, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1727 and based in Philadelphia. Franklin’s junto was all about improvement; the group sought to develop themselves and their community. They did this by meeting regularly, but informally, over a drink to debate important matters of the day. Every member also produced an essay (which could be on any subject) every three months to read to the company for further discussion.

The Junto had around twelve members of diverse backgrounds and professions. For example, Franklin’s Junto included merchants, surveyors, poets, mathematicians and master craftsmen. This provided a rich cognitive diversity; a catalytic combination for thinking innovatively.

The evening debates were of a Socratic nature, where there was a genuine desire to find truth, rather than win an argument. The junto had rules to enforce the positive nature of the dialogue and used poignant questions to start the discussions.

Questions for mutual betterment

The meetings centred around a specific question that gave a topic focus for the event. Here are some examples taken from Franklin’s autobiography:

  1. Have you met with anything in the author you last read, remarkable, or suitable to be communicated to the Junto? particularly in history, morality, poetry, physic, travels, mechanic arts, or other parts of knowledge.
  2. Have you lately heard of any citizen’s thriving well, and by what means?
  3. Do you know of any fellow citizen, who has lately done a worthy action, deserving praise and imitation? or who has committed an error proper for us to be warned against and avoid?
  4. Is there any man whose friendship you want, and which the Junto or any of them, can procure for you?
  5. In what manner can the Junto, or any of them, assist you in any of your honourable designs?

These questions give a feel for the breadth of topics that Franklin’s Junto considered. In my experience, similar, open questions are a great way to spark lively conversation when working in a group coaching, workshop or junto environment.

What is the right number of people for a junto or mutual improvement group?

There is no perfect number of people for a junto, but when forming any mutual improvement group, it is worth considering the mechanics of communication. In essence, if you want meaningful conversation, you must limit the number of people involved.

Consider this: How many interactions would it take, if you wanted every individual in a group to speak to every other team member? Any guesses for a group of 4, 8 or 12 people? The answer can be surprising, as the attached diagram illustrates.

Diagram 1: The number of connections needed between people in a group

We might not easily calculate these exponential increases in connections, but we feel them intuitively. Think about the last group dinner you attended. How many people were there, around the table, and how well could they interact?

There is a reason why weddings and conferences often use circular tables for eight people. It is a manageable number. Next time you are at a function, party or networking event do a little experiment. Count the number of people who are in each huddle. Then watch count the number in the group when it has to divide to carry on meaningful conversation.

In my experience, discussion groups – whether at a party or in a group coaching context – generally peak at eight people. You might have more in a junto but that can take account of not everyone being present on every occasion, or that you might need to split into smaller groups to have a meaningful discussion.

How do you pick the right people for your team?

When picking the people for your junto or team consider these questions:

  1. What is the key purpose or themes of the junto and why would someone want to join the group?
  2. Bearing in mind your answer to the first question, who do you know in your network who would be most interested in joining?
  3. Who could help you most with your self-improvement?
  4. If you could pick, two, four or eight people to meet with regularly and discuss interesting matters, who would you go for and why?
  5. How can you ensure the team is cognitively diverse? Which different characters, perspectives and interests could or should be represented?

You might also want to use the 4Cs from the section on picking a life coach or guide. You can consider:

  • Character. When forming a junto, you want people of good character. Members need to want to genuinely support each other.
  • Competence. The junto should be diverse and represent several different skills and competencies, but everyone should be competent in their communication skills and have good emotional intelligence.
  • Chemistry. People don’t all need to be best friends but there should be mutual respect. Quality interactions rely on the ability to meet comfortably and the trust to share intimately.
  • Confidentiality. Discussions, especially when people share personal information, should remain confidential. Members should not share anything without another’s consent. At the very least meetings should be held in accordance with the Chatham House Rule. Namely that:

“When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.”

Master the tool: picking the people for your Junto

Take some time now to consider who you might invite to your junto. Take at least ten minutes to go through the 5 steps listed above, giving you a couple of minutes per step.

Do you want further help finding and joining a Junto?

Coaching groups often form the basis of a successful junto. This is because they form around a common purpose with all members being interested in self-improvement. Coaching groups are rarely from the same work team or organisation so there is often good cognitive and experiential diversity present in such groups.

If you would be interested in joining a coaching group or junto, please do send me a message via the contact page.

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

Find The Best Life Coach and Guide for You

Who can best help you achieve your goals? Which person can guide you to where you need to go? Who can help you develop beyond what you can accomplish on your own?

The mountain guide

A wide snow-covered glacier flowed down the mountain in front of me. It was a tableau of almost pure white, only blemished by the occasional blue-grey streaks that hinted at crevasses. It did not look like a ski run. There was no piste, no markers, no other skiers. A single cable car had taken us to the top, and that was the only thing indicating this was a ski area.

We were in La Grave in the French Alps, a mecca for off-piste snow sports. I was with Chris, a mountain guide. He was helping me achieve my dream of making some first ski ascents and descents of mountains in Greenland. But we both knew that before I got anywhere near Greenland, I needed to build my ski touring skills and my ability to negotiate glaciers.

How on earth do we get down there? That was the unspoken question in my mind. There were no tracks, let alone coloured runs to follow. Chris looked over, smiled and coolly said, “Just follow my line, and if I stop, then halt above me.” There was no chance to reply, let alone question this statement, as he had already set off, making his first turn in the virgin powder.

I took a deep breath, told myself, “Just do as he said” and then turned into Chris’ tracks. As I started to move and focussed on pursuing Chris down the hill, my anxiety subsided.

I had faith in Chris. His qualifications, experience and visible competence all inspired trust, but what’s more he had a character of contagious calm. So, I followed.

By the time I was at the bottom of the glacier, my confidence had reached new levels. Hell! I had just skied down a glacier; I could do anything!

As we mounted the lift to take us up again Chris said, “Right, now it’s your turn to lead.” My self-assurance melted faster than the snow on my boots. Chris smiled and added, “I will be right behind you.”

What is a guide or life coach and what do they do?

A good guide or coach does many things. As illustrated in my story, a guide can lead the way and provide instruction. Similarly, a coach helps people towards their goals and helps them to push their boundaries.

The role of the guide was introduced in the last section. In The Right Questions Framework, the context of a guide is similar to that of expeditions. A guide is an experienced practitioner who can lead, instruct and coach people to assist them in reaching their destination. Similarly, a life coach helps someone improve their life, often through supporting them in progressing towards specific targets.

I love adventure and am a qualified mountain leader and a certified coach. Therefore, it is no surprise that I see the roles as complementary and largely synonymous. Both a guide and coach support people in getting where they want to go. Returning to the beginning of The Right Questions Framework, and the analogy of life as a journey, we can see how these roles interplay.

What is a mentor (or sage)?

At this point, it is worth clarifying the difference between the roles of a coach (or guide) and that of a mentor (what we referred to as a Sage in the last section).

A mentor is usually someone who has more seniority and experience within a specific field, shared with the person being mentored. For example, a more senior business person might mentor a more junior manager, within a given industry. It is therefore a narrower focus than that of coaching. The roles are different but complementary. In my experience, it is good to have both.

This outlines the differences in simple terms but, if interested, you can read a more detailed account in my article What is the Difference Between Coaching and Mentoring?

Who needs a life coach or guide?

Anyone can benefit from a coach or guide. Unfortunately for me, it took me a long time to appreciate this. In my mountaineering, for many years I avoided the services of a mountain guide, choosing to learn things on my own, or muddling through with similarly inexperienced friends. I did improve, but slowly, and I picked up some bad habits.

Equally, in my professional life, it was many years before I had my own coach or mentor. I made progress but struggled to achieve my larger goals. Ironically, one of these goals was to become a professional executive coach, and it was not until I employed my own coach that I successfully made the transition.

Therefore, a coach or guide is for anyone who wants to accelerate their progression and improve their chances of success. If you want evidence for this, then I recommend watching the excellent TED talk by Atul Gawande, who provides compelling evidence for the effectiveness of coaching.

“Coaching helps you take stock of where you are now in all aspects of your life, and how that compares to where you would like to be.” Elaine MacDonald

How does a coaching relationship work and how should coaching be conducted?

Coaching can take many forms, but most life coaching is structured around regular sessions. These are usually about 30-90 minutes long, either one-to-one or in small groups. They can be in-person or online.

A coach leads the coachee but mostly in a non-directive manner. In other words, a coach doesn’t tell someone what to do; they ask questions, listen, and probe assumptions. This creates a good thinking environment and allows the person being coached to come up with their own solutions.

How to choose a life coach or guide

When finding someone who can be your guide or life coach there are various things to consider. First and foremost, picking a coach is choosing a key member of your team. It is an important relationship and therefore I recommend thinking through the 4 Cs of:

  • Character
  • Competence
  • Chemistry
  • Confidentiality

Character – picking someone you respect

Character is perhaps the most important thing. If you want someone to be your guide or coach, you want them to be a person who you can trust and respect.

Competence – certification, qualification and experience

Secondly, you want someone who is competent. This is usually a mixture of qualifications, skills and experience. Most coaches have certification to one of the larger professional coaching bodies such as the Association of Coaching or International Coaching Federation.

For example, as well as having over a decade of experience in life and executive coaching, I studied Coaching and Mentoring at Warwick University and am a Member of the Association of Coaching.

Chemistry – making sure the relationship works

Relationships are easier if there is chemistry. It’s a fact of life that there are some people we naturally get along with. This is not essential in this type of relationship – as a guide or coach is there to challenge us – but it does make things more enjoyable.

Confidentiality – ensuring trust and openness

Confidentiality is essential in a coaching relationship. When being coached we need to know that the person we are talking to is not going to share any details of what is discussed, or at least not without prior consent. There are of course a few exceptions to this rule (for example if a coachee shared something illegal or potentially harmful) but in the main, what is discussed between a coach and coachee stays just between them.

Other factors to consider

There are other things to consider such as proximity to the coach (if you want to meet in person), the affordability of the sessions and the particular approach that the coach favours, but in my experience the 4Cs are the priority factors for a successful coaching relationship.

“Each person holds so much power within themselves that needs to be let out. Sometimes they just need a little nudge, a little direction, a little support, a little coaching, and the greatest things can happen.” – Pete Carroll

Master the tool: finding a life coach and guide for your goals

It is no surprise that I recommend finding a personal guide or life coach. It is down to my experience. I am a highly motivated person but I have only been able to achieve my biggest goals and truly achieve my maximum potential with the assistance of a coach.

Even though life coaching and sports coaching are different in some respects, it is worth remembering that no one expects an athlete to compete at the top level without coaching. The same goes for our work, our lives, our dreams. If we want to achieve our maximum, we need help. That is why now – even though I am a qualified coach – I still have an executive coach and a mentor.

Therefore, take some time now to think about who could coach you. Follow these steps:

  1. First, specify the key thing you want to be coached in. The skill you want to develop or the goal you want to achieve will affect who you might choose. Even though coaching is a generalist skill, there are coaches and trainers who specialise in certain areas (for example human performance, leadership, communication etc).
  2. Think about who you can think of who exemplifies what you want to achieve. Who is the world’s best or leading authority? Could they help?
  3. Who in your network could either help directly or make coach/guide recommendations?
  4. Use the 4Cs to make a list of questions or guidelines that you can use to narrow your search and focus your discussion with any potential coach.
  5. Make some introductions to some coaches, either from the ones you have already come up with or any others you find with further research. Aim for at least three and then assess them against the 4Cs.

And, if you are interested in finding out more about the coaching I offer, be that life coaching, executive coaching or leadership coaching, send me a message via the contact page. I look forward to hearing from you.

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

Ensuring You Have The Essential Tools You Need to Succeed

Have you got everything you need for your journey? What are the essential conceptual tools that you need to succeed? Do you have a checklist of everything you need?

Having gone through all seven questions in The Right Questions Framework we can now review all the tools. This acts as a checklist, ensuring that we have considered each tool and have the answers we need to proceed.

The Packing Checklist Tool: ensuring we have the kit we need for the journey

This is also why we have tools within the framework. On our journey, we can bring out the tools we need at any point to help us and update our plans. So, we can think of this stage as a bit like packing our bags ready for the journey.

” Be Prepared” – the Scouting Motto

Every time I set out on a journey, I carefully pack beforehand. To aid me in this I employ a kit list and check off each item as I go. The first time I was required to use a kit list was as a Scout. We were given a list of equipment and then we had to lay out each item smartly in front of us, ready for inspection.

The lesson I learnt in Scouts was reinforced in my military service and employed on my various adventures. I have found checklists so useful that I even create checklists for my family when we go on holiday. It might sound excessive, but it does work!

So now we are going to do something similar. We will follow a checklist of The Right Questions framework to ensure we have answered all the questions, to remind ourselves of the tools, and to reflect upon our answers. This will then allow us to bring everything together into one place and develop our action plan.

In summary, the questions and sections are:

  1. Why – passions, priorities, personal stories and principles
  2. Where – where from, now, going to, and the whole journey
  3. What – mission, purpose, goal and success
  4. Which – option, risk, fear, course of action
  5. How – tasks, steps, resources
  6. When – time, practice, prioritising
  7. Who – self, network, guide and junto

So now let’s review each section and the related tool used to explore our answers.

Master the Tool:

  • Make sure you have your workbook or notes to hand
  • Follow through the list below and click on the hyperlinks to the tools if you want to refresh yourself on how to use the tool
  • Review your previous answers for each tool. Edit, amend or supplement your work as you go as this iteration of thinking prompts deeper and layered insights.

The Right Questions Framework Checklist

The Right Questions

The first tool is actually the framework itself that acts like a backpack that encompasses all the other tools.

Why?

Passions

What are your passions? The Spark Tool helped us look at the idea of vocation. To identify our vocation, we look for the overlap between what we love to do, what people need help with and what we can get paid for.

Priorities

To understand our priorities, we use The Magnifying Glass Tool and analyse how we spend our time and money.

Personal story

Our personal stories give us insights into what shapes and motivates us. We examine our past using The Hero’s Journey Tool and think about:

  • Departure. What were we like when we started?
  • Initiation. What adversity did we overcome and how did it shape us?
  • Return. How did we learn and grow through our experience?

Principles

We look at principles to identify that core values that inform our decisions. To do this we use The Moral Compass Tool. This tool helps us consider common principles and then work out our top 3-5 personal values.

Where?

From

When considering our situation the first question we ask is where have we come from? We do this using The Logbook Tool. By using our CV or resume we identify the key milestones in our life and work.

Now

To consider our present situation we use The GPS Tool and conduct a personal SWOT analysis. We identify our strengths and weaknesses and reflect upon the opportunities and threats that we face.

Going

To think about the future and where we are going we use The Picture Photo Tool to create a vision statement. To do this look at a snapshot of 1 day, 1 year and 1 life.

The big picture

We then assemble all the aspects of ‘where’ with The Map Tool, to capture our journey’s past, present and future.

What?

Mission

To create our personal mission statement we use The Binoculars Tool and craft something memorable and measurable.

Purpose

To think about our life purpose, we use The T-Shirt Tool to come up with a slogan that summarises what we are about.

Target/goal

To explore and decide upon our life goals we use The Torch Tool, asking illuminating questions to focus on what is important.

Success

Success is about achieving the right balance and to do this we use The Activity Monitor Tool to manage our heart, mind, body and soul.

Which?

Options

To consider the different possible options available to achieve our goals we use The Multi-Tool to help us brainstorm ideas.

Risk

To think about risk we use the Emergency Spare and Repairs Kit Tool and identify the critical risks and how we mitigate them.

Worst case/fear

To address our fears, we use The First Aid Kit Tool to consider what a worst-case scenario could be and remember to breathethink and do.

Courses of Action (CoA)

Next, pulling all the facets of the ‘which’ question together, we use The Guidebook Tool and develop our best courses of action (CoAs).

How?

Tasks

The next step is to develop our outline course of action into a plan and we start doing this by using The Route Card Tool to identify the milestones, tasks and activities needed to achieve our goal.

Steps

We break down the plan even further to make it actionable. To do this we identify the next small but important action using The STEP Tool.

Resources

Now we can go back to The Route Card Tool and consider the resources needed for each task and activity. This gives us an idea of the money, muscle and material needed to succeed.

When?

Time

To think about when we act, we use The Watch Tool and start to turn actions into habits. This ensures that we make steady progress towards our goal.

Practice

Then we use The Sunglasses Tool to help us elevate our habits into deliberate practice and maximise the effectiveness of our time.

Schedule/programme

We can now use The Calendar Tool to prioritise our tasks, assess how much time they will take and schedule them into our diary or calendar.

Who?

Self

The passport or ID Card Tool helps us to understand ourselves better by utilising personal reflection, input from people who know us and personality tests.

Network

The Team List Tool highlights the key roles that a high-performing team needs and helps us consider who in our network can fulfil these functions.

Guide

The Guide is one of the most important roles to consider.  They act as a life coach, directly supporting us in achieving our goals, and the 4Cs help us to select the right person.

Junto

The Junto is a group of people who provide mutual support as they strive to develop themselves and their situations. Having a Junto can further accelerate your progress and improve your chances of success.

The Action Plan Checklist: The Complete Workbook

Having listed all the tools and the related answers in a workbook, we have created an action plan. This plan gives us the big picture and the immediate details. It has the vision of what we want to achieve and the steps we need to take.

Mastering the tool: reviewing your answers to The Right Questions

Remember, the action plan does not have to be fixed. The Right Questions approach is designed to be cyclical and iterative. In other words, we periodically review, amend and update our answers, taking into account changes in the situation or more information as it comes to light.

Therefore, the best thing to do now is to plan a 30 and 90 day review into your diary. Put aside at least an hour (and longer if you can manage it) when you can take some proper time out, without distractions, to reflect on your answers, your plan and your progress.

But before we don’t want to procrastinate and endlessly plan. We want action. And that is why it is time to take your next step forward. So, what are you waiting for? You know what you need to do; seize the day!

Good luck with your adventure! You can do it!

“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Winnie the Pooh (A. A. Milne)

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

The Right Questions: A Video Introduction

Here is a short introductory video about The Right Questions.

“Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.” Tony Robbins

 

Ask the right questions, get the right answers and become more effective at decision making, strategic planning and achieving goals.

“A prudent question is one half of wisdom.” Francis Bacon

To make a good decision, whether, in a personal or business context, the first step is to correctly frame the challenge. Asking questions does this. ‘The Right Questions’ is a simple and memorable method to make good decisions and to create effective plans.

Philosophers identified the most important questions over two thousand years ago. But this first-principles approach has been somewhat lost in formal education today, partly due to the level of detail that is pursued in an increasingly complex world.

The information available via the Internet is seemingly endless but this has a downside. It is easy to become overloaded with data or miss out on important factors when making a decision. And there is a problem with some decision-making processes too; a lot of systems rely on jargon that is not memorable or straightforward to apply.

Interrogative Open Questions

Therefore we need an easy to access tool to deal with complex and evolving situations. The good news is that the core questions are actually embedded in language.  The seven basic interrogative questions of whatwherewhywhenwhohow and which are the triggers needed to unlock any problem. It is then just a case of understanding their application.

The Right Questions methodology uses the seven core interrogatives and applies them to strategic planning, implement projects and achieving goals. It is a creative process, described as “deeply motivational”.

The Right Questions approach is used in coaching and consultancy as well as being a decision-making tool. Simon Ash developed the framework from his experience as a Bomb Disposal Officer.

“Ask the right questions, get the right answers, and be more effective.”

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

The Right Questions Framework Guide

The Right Questions framework is a process and set of tools to help people who want to:

  • Lead themselves and others well
  • Think analytically and critically
  • Develop effective strategic plans and achieve goals
  • Set priorities and make better decisions

The Right Questions framework is based upon the main interrogative words in the English language, linking each to a key theme and further questions:

Interrogative Use Application
Why Reason Values, principles, priorities, passions
Where Place Situation (past and present), vision
What Thing Mission, end-state, success, USP
Which Selection Options, courses of action, risks, reflection
How Manner Plan, route, tasks, resources
Who Person Self, team, network, relationships
When Time Timing, programming, prioritisation

Navigating The Right Questions Website

To help you navigate the posts that explain the framework, follow the links under the headings below that correspond to the individual posts.

Beside each post, on the right sidebar, you will see the main categories that relate to the posts below. These are:

  • The Right Questions (Background and Overview)
  • Why (Values)
  • What (Mission)
  • Where (Situation and Vision)
  • Which (Options, Risk and Opportunity)
  • Who (Individual, Team and Network)
  • How (Goals, Planning and Resources)
  • When (Timing and Programming)

Introduction to The Right Questions Concept

Overview of The Right Questions Framework

Stage 1: Strategic Framing

The initial questions of why (principles, priorities and passions) where (situation and vision) and what (mission, success criteria) provide the strategic framing for any plans we make. The quality of the options we develop to achieve success and the effectiveness of our planning depends largely on the development of the overall strategy.

Why? Values

Principles, purpose, passions, priorities

Where? Situation and Vision

Situational Analysis – where am I now?

Vision – where am I going?

 

What? Mission, success and end-state

Stage 2: The Reflection Point

The second part or stage is called the ‘reflection point’. In every decision making cycle you consider your options in the light of the situation, the risks and opportunities. This reflection point either takes you back to Stage 1, and a further iteration of refining the Strategic Framing, or onto Stage 3, Developing a Plan, where an actionable plan can be created for the chosen course of action, fulfilling the strategy.

Which: Route, risk, review, reflections

Stage 3: Developing a Plan

The third section on planning uses the questions how, who and when to explore the detail needed to deliver on your desired course of action in alignment with your overall strategy.

How? Planning, Resources

When? Timing, programming and prioritisation

Who? Self, team and network

Case studies, examples and application of The Right Questions

The Right Questions in Organisations

The Right Questions in Coaching Individuals

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

Free Life Goals Workbook and Personal Action Plan Template

What are your personal values and life goals? Do you have a personal action plan to help you succeed? Would you like a template to help you?

Look no further!

Over the past 10 years, thousands of people have used The Right Questions approach to discover their personal principles and then to live them out in order to thrive and succeed in life.

Now, in 2021, on the ten-year anniversary of The Right Questions, the workbook has been updated and re-published. You can get your free PDF copy – just sign up for the newsletter and download the e-book.

The Right Questions approach

The Right Questions is a planning and decision-making framework based upon asking interrogative questions. The idea for the approach is rooted in Simon Ash’s experience as a bomb disposal officer. The framework has been developed through research, application in management roles, and coaching of senior leaders.

How to use the Right Questions workbook

The Right Questions workbook will help you explore your life purpose, to set and achieve your personal goals.

The book is interactive and will build into a personal action plan that you can keep. You can either print off the book and fill it in by hand, write out the exercises in a notebook, or use the template electronically. The workbook structure allows you to complete the exercises as you go along. The action plan naturally builds as you follow through the steps.

To help you there is introductory information for each step but you will also find hyperlinks to more in-depth advice and further exercises that can help you along the way.

How to get your free e-book

All you need to do to start is sign up to the newsletter; you are only a couple of clicks away! So, just fill in your name and email address then check your inbox to confirm your subscription and receive your free ebook.

Click here to sign up now

Enjoy the adventure!

“Happy is he who acts the Columbus to his own soul!”

Anonymous

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

How Do You Find a Job That You Love?

What are your passions? What motivates and drives you? How about your job? Do you do what you love?

Work isn’t always fun, but most people want to do a job that they are passionate about, something they can enjoy, where they feel they can make a difference, all while earning some money.

We all have a unique blend of skills, passions, and strengths. When these are expressed in our work then we have a vocation. Having a vocation can be described in this way:

“If you have a vocation, you have a strong feeling that you are especially suited to do a particular job or to fulfil a particular role in life, especially one which involves helping other people.” – Collins Dictionary

Or, as author Robert Louis Stevenson puts it:

“If a man loves the labour of his trade, apart from any question of success or fame, the gods have called him”. Robert Louis Stevenson.

It is possible to achieve this, and here I can speak from personal experience. My background in leadership, my skills in coaching and facilitation, together with my love of adventure and the outdoors, have been combined to become my career. I now get to do what I love, serving and helping people, all while earning a good income.

Passions: What lights your fire?

One bit of kit I take on every adventure is a fire-starter. A fire-starter is a magnesium ferrocium rod, that can be struck with a steel implement to create a spark. The fire-starter usually comes with a steel striker but you can also use the edge of a knife to generate the sparks.

Although a fire-starter does not create a flame on its own (as a lighter does) it has the advantage of being very long-lasting and works even when wet. So, whether you need to light a fire in the backwoods or just start your gas camping stove, the fire-starter is an essential bit of kit.

I like to think of our vocation like a fire. Our passions are like the spark that can start the fire, people’s need for that service or product are like the fuel to keep the fire going, and the income we receive is like the beneficial warmth that the fire provides.

Therefore, in terms of The Right Questions Toolkit, the idea of passions and vocation are represented by a fire-starter. We can then use the Spark Tool as a conceptual model to explore how we can find a job that we truly love.

The Spark Tool: How to find your vocation

The Spark Tool is a way to identify your vocation. This is work that combines what you are passionate about, with fulfilling some market need, and creates an income. The Spark Tool can be visualised as a Venn diagram where the three interlocking circles are:

  • Thing you love
  • Things that people need
  • Things that can earn money

The potential vocation can be found at the intersection of the three circles, as seen in the picture below.

The SPARK conceptual tool – TheRightQuestions

Using the Spark Tool to find work you are passionate about

Here is how to use the Spark Tool to find a vocation or job you will love:

  1. First take a large, plain bit of paper a draw three interlocking circles as per the picture above (or download the picture and use it as a free template).
  2. Brainstorm as many things as possible to go into each circle.
  3. Examine the relationships between the items in each circle and explore how they might meet in the middle to fulfil all three elements (passion, need and income).

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer

Questions to help you find the job you love

To assist you in using the Spark Tool to find your vocation, here are some further questions to help you brainstorm things to go in each circle:

Passions: What do you love?

  • What are your pastimes?
  • What would you do if you didn’t have to work for money?
  • Which activities give you the most pleasure?
  • What stories (in books, films or other media) do you love most and how does that reflect what you want to be?
  • Which activities get you into a state of flow (where you concentrate deeply, work with focus and forget the feeling of time)?

Service: What can you help with?

  • What market need can you fulfil?
  • What product or service can you provide?
  • How can your strengths create a Unique Selling Point (USP)?
  • What help do people need that your skills can solve?
  • Which gap in the market might you serve?

Income: What can you get paid for?

  • Which different things have you done for work?
  • How have you earned (or could you earn) an income?
  • Who might pay for your work?
  • What level of income is enough? What do you need?
  • Which of your skills or qualifications are the most profitable?

How Jeff Bezos quit his job to do something he was passionate about

Jeff Bezos already had a successful career at age 30. He was the Senior Vice President of a hedge fund and in most people’s views, he was set for life. And yet in 1994, he quit that job to start an online bookstore, at a time when most people hadn’t even heard of the internet. Anyone advising him on his career at the time would have pointed out that this was a huge risk in many ways.

But Bezos had been exploring his passions and finding out what worked for him. As he puts it:

“One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you.”- Jeff Bezos

Bezos had studied engineering and computer science and then worked in various roles in technology and finance. All these experiences came together in 1994 when Jeff Bezos saw an opening with the internet where his passions, a growing market and a potential income could be met.

Jeff Bezos discovered his passions and then took action to maximise them in his work, even when it meant making a risky career decision. That prospect and online bookstore of course became Amazon, which would grow into the hugely successful behemoth that it is today. So, in hindsight, we can certainly say that the risk was worth it!

The cost of following (or not following) your passions

Not all chances pay off, and every risk we take must be measured. But it is worth asking yourself, what could you achieve if you followed your passions, not just your expected career path? And also, what would be the cost to your life and happiness if you don’t discover and pursue your passions?

“Choose a job that you like, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

What Are Your Life Priorities? The Way You Spend Your Time and Money Will Reveal The Truth

What are your priorities in life? How do you prioritise things you spend your time, money, and energy on? Which prioritisation method do you employ to make decisions and plan your schedule?

What is prioritisation and what does it mean?

Prioritisation (or prioritization) is about how we order things according to perceived worth. The Oxford Dictionary definition is:

“The action or process of deciding the relative importance or urgency of a thing or things.”

We all have priorities, whether we recognise them or not. If when we do think we know what our priorities are it is good to reflect on our actions to see how well what we think we value, and our behaviours, align. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi:

“Action expresses priorities” – Gandhi

Most revealing of all is when we choose one thing over another as competing priorities demonstrate what we value the most. In other words, our decisions are influenced by our principles.

The challenge of competing priorities: an example of prioritisation

I started playing the guitar in my teens, but I had never really improved beyond a certain level.  Why? Quite simply it was because I never practised enough.  It was not that I did not like playing the guitar; it was just that I enjoyed other things more.

In my dreams, I could play like Jimi Hendrix.  In my mind’s eye, I could see myself saving the day at a gig, strolling onto the stage to replace an injured lead guitarist, and stunning my friends with amazing solos, my fingers a blur on the fretboard!  But there was a big difference between successful guitarists and me. That difference went beyond just raw talent (of which I had very little).

Guitar legends such as Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton would pick a guitar up at the beginning of the day and would hardly put it down until they went to bed; it is like an extension of their body.  I rarely picked mine up at all.  When practising I got frustrated or bored quickly. If I had the choice between practising for an hour or going to the gym, I would generally choose the latter.

I realised that even though I loved the guitar, I loved other things more. It was an important lesson in understanding priorities. I am now at peace with my guitar playing (and feel less guilty about my lack of practice) because I understand that my values mean that I will often prioritise other activities. This is not a bad thing, it is just a reflection of my principles.

Values and Priorities: The Magnifying Glass Tool

I think of examining priorities like using a magnifying glass. I tend to carry a magnifying glass on my travels, even if it is just a small one as part of my compass. The magnifying glass helps to enlarge our vision to reveal hidden details. It also amplifies the light we shine on something, so much so that we can even use it to create heat, even fire.

When considering the ‘Why’ question (as part of The Right Questions framework) and exploring our values (our compass) we can see how the examination of priorities (using the magnifying glass) relates to the exploration of our passions (the fire-starter) as discussed previously.

Understanding your priorities by using the Magnifying Glass Tool

The best way to examine our priorities is to look at the evidence of how we spend our time and money. The Magnifying Glass tool does just that. It is effectively an audit of our schedule and finances. This is because, as journalist and author Germany Kent points out:

“A person’s actions will ALWAYS tell you what their priorities are. People spend their time, money, and energy on what’s important to them.” – Germany Kent

To do the analysis effectively you want to examine at least three months. This helps to even out any anomalies in your usual habits. If you can choose an even longer period then so much the better; the more data you use, the more accurate your conclusions are likely to be.

Examining financial choices

Look at your bank and credit card statements and answer the following questions:

  • What are the main areas of spending?
  • What proportion goes to each category of spend?
  • For the ‘essentials’ (for example spending on housing, food, utilities, tax etc) how does your spending compare with average spending in your location or demographic? If there is a difference, what might this infer about your values?
  • Of the money left over, what do you choose to spend your discretionary income on? What do these things (travel, eating out, fashion, music etc) reveal in terms of your prioritisation?
  • How much do you save versus spending on pleasures and pastimes? How does this reflect your priorities?
  • Is there anything you think you should change to better reflect your principles?

Life hack tip: Money Management

Examining how you spend your money is much easier with the help of some software. Fortunately, many online banking apps can help you easily identify where your money goes and can even create helpful reports. Alternatively, you can download financial information in .csv (or similar file types) for further analysis using a spreadsheet or other application.

Analysing the use of time

Look at your diary, schedule or calendar and answer these questions:

  • What are the main uses of your time?
  • What proportion goes to each use of time?
  • For the ‘essentials’ (for example sleeping, eating etc) how does your time compare with the average time spent in your location or demographic? If there is a difference, what might this infer about your values?
  • Of the time left over, what do you do with your spare time? What do these things (watching screens, social media, sports, vacations etc) reveal in terms of your prioritisation?
  • How much do you work versus spending time with friends, family or on pastimes? How does this reflect your priorities?
  • Is there anything you think you should change to better reflect your principles?

Life hack tip: Time Management

As with money, analysing time is often easier with the use of an online tool. I use my online calendar with colour coding that represents different categories of activity that reflect my life priorities. I use a weekly calendar view and block time out each day, usually in segments of thirty minutes or more. This is my main time management system and it helps me to effectively plan forward, according to my priorities, as well as make it easy to review how I have spent my time.

“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage – pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically – to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside.” – Stephen Covey, First Things First (1994)

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

How to Better Understand Your Character Using the Hero’s Journey

What are the circumstances that forged your character? What challenges have you faced that make you the person you are today? If you were a hero, what would be your origins story?

“People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

A hero’s origins story?

I heard the crack as my collarbone gave way. Surely this should not happen to a superhero. Where had I gone wrong?

Scroll back 30 seconds.

My cape billowed behind me. This was mainly because my Superman suit was too big and there was a draft in the hall. But the steely look on my face; that was 100% genuine.

The family was watching television, but not me.  I laughed at their weakness. Mortals! They would watch greatness on the screen, but I would achieve greatness, right here in the hallway of our home.

This was no time for sitting around, I had committed myself to the rigours of disciplined training.  I knew that if I was going to make an impact on the world – especially aged 6 – I needed to stand out.  But I had to admit, that learning to fly was hard.

I had a method.  In the hall was a big antique chair with strong arms and a soft leather seat.  From the arms, I could launch myself to the stairs.  Then I could turn on the stairs and leap back to the safety of the leather cushion.  All I needed to do was inch the chair further away from the stairs after each successful flight. At some point, surely, I would be released from the habit of falling to earth.

Do you dream of being a hero?

Back and forth I went, time and again.  My confidence rose. I felt the superpowers burgeoning within me; indisputably all they needed was some great need, a challenge, a crisis for them to burst forth.

I moved the chair a whole foot away from the stairs and mounted the launch platform once again.  I surveyed the distant stairs with my steely gaze and set my sights on the third step.  My expression hardened, my mouth set, and my teeth clenched. My muscles bunched in anticipation as I crouched and, with an incredible force, leapt into the void.

I felt the blood (or was that superpower?) rushing through my veins as I flew, my body outstretched.  I could feel the air rushing past my cheek; had I reached escape velocity?

Building character through challenges, obstacles, and adversity

The horizon started to fall away.  My speed was ebbing.  The steps seemed so distant. My confident gaze was replaced by wide-eyed panic. My lofty dreams were about to crash into the unforgiving floor of reality.

Above the sound of the television, there was a large thump followed by a high-pitched yowl.  The rest of the family burst through the door and into the hall to gape at the terrible sight of the fallen hero.  There I lay; a diminutive blue and red heap at the base of the stairs, one arm held at an unexpected angle.

Hot tears of frustration and humiliation burnt my (noble) cheeks.  To maintain my dignity and protect my battered pride I removed my hero cape for the journey to hospital.  But as I sat there, quietly sobbing, I started to plan my return to my training.

I had failed to fly but I had proven my focus and determination. Deep down I wanted to be a hero to help people, I wanted to serve them, but I knew I needed more power (influence) to achieve this. And I also wanted adventure, so this was certainly not the last chapter in my trying to develop superpowers!

This light-hearted story holds some deeper insights. My core values are leadership (which is in essence influence), service (to others) and adventure (a love of challenge, exploration and risk-taking).

If you look at your own stories you can discover similar revelations about your own character and values.

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” – Helen Keller

The Adventure Journal or Notebook

Wherever I go, be that for work or on an adventure, I take a notebook. I prefer a plain hardback notepad that I can sketch in as well as take notes. I have filled many such books over the years, and they act as a journal of my travels, ideas and experiences. I enjoy taking them off the shelf and browsing through them, remembering places, or re-discovering my thoughts while exploring.

Therefore, when it comes to the idea of considering personal stories it is the picture of a notebook that comes to mind. In the Right Questions Toolkit, it is the journal that we take with us, to remind us of our story, and to allow us to record the next chapter of our adventure. It is the book where you are the hero of the story.

The Hero’s Journey: The 12-Step Story Arc

The Hero’s Journey (or monomyth) is a structured story arc, and common template, used by storytellers over the years, from authors of ancient mythology through to Hollywood screenwriters. If you think of tales of heroes, be that Odysseus or Luke Skywalker, Perseus or Katniss Everdeen, you can see the underlying similarities.

A 17-step structure was proposed by Joseph Campbell in The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949) and this was refined into a 12-step process by Christopher Vogler in The Writers Journey (2007). But both templates are based on a three-act structure of:

  1. Departure. The beginning, where the hero leaves their ordinary life.
  2. Initiation. The middle, where the hero overcomes adversity to get a prize.
  3. Return. The end, where the hero returns home but with new wisdom.

Tool: The Hero’s Journal

This template can be used to examine our own stories. Our character and values can be revealed through reflecting upon how we dealt with adversity in our past.

So, think about your story and the adventures (and misadventures) you have had to date. Which circumstances and choices have shaped you the most? You may have an actual journal or diary that you can refer to and remind yourself of some of these key times. I also find photos a good prompt for these important life stages.

Once you have identified a few significant moments in your life, times when you had to overcome obstacles and were shaped by this process, you can then use the following questions and 12-step structure of the Hero’s Journey to further analyse the experience:

Departure.

  • What was your ‘ordinary life’ before your journey?
  • What was your ‘call to adventure’?
  • How did you initially resist or ‘refuse the call’?
  • Who influenced you (which ‘mentor’ or advisor) to change your mind?
  • What marked the ‘crossing of the threshold’ to start the adventure?

Initiation.

  • Which ‘tests and enemies’ did you face along the way?
  • What led to the greatest challenge (the ‘inmost cave’)?
  • How did you overcome your ‘ordeal’ or struggle?
  • What was the ‘reward’ or payoff?

Return.

  • How was the onward journey, ‘the road back’, after the ordeal?
  • How had you changed (as the new ‘resurrected’ self)?
  • What did take from the experience and what wisdom (‘elixir’) did you gain?

Once you have worked through these twelve steps and questions, now consider:

  • What does this story say about my character?
  • Which tenets or principles guided my decisions through the journey?
  • What is the most important value or lesson you can take with you into the future?

There is further to go on our journey and each obstacle we overcome gives us more character, resilience and wisdom for the adventures ahead. There will be further challenges in your life but you can choose how to deal with them. As adventurer, author and entrepreneur Yossi Ghinsberg puts it:

“Be the hero of your journey” – Yossi Ghinsberg

So, what adventure will you write with your life?

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

How to Identify and Use Your Core Values to Guide You

Our core values and principles act as a moral compass, helping to inform our thinking, guide our decisions and drive our actions.

What is the definition of a core value or principle?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a core value is:

“A principle or belief that a person or organization views as being of central importance.”

Whether we can articulate them or not, we all have such beliefs that shape our thoughts, decisions and actions.

Core values remain true. As Jim Collins and Jerry Porras stated in their book Built To Last(1994), core values are inherent and sacrosanct; they can never be compromised, either for convenience or short-term economic gain.

If we do compromise our principles, it is likely to lead to pain in the long run. Conversely, we are more likely to he happy and fulfilled if we know and follow our core values. As Stephen Covey notes:

“Peace of mind comes when your life is in harmony with true principles and values and in no other way.” – Stephen R Covey

One of the most important aspects of core principles is that they help us make decisions. This is why we often compare values and principles to fixed navigation aids such as the North Star or magnetic north, as displayed on a compass. We use our values to guide our way, especially when we are finding it hard to see an obvious route forward.

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” – Roy Disney

The Moral Compass Tool

Have you ever been lost, not knowing which way to go?

There have been many times in the mountains when I have suddenly found myself in fog, hardly able to see. It is very easy to make a mistake in these moments and wander off in the wrong direction. The cloud can be disorientating. Sometimes you can be sure you are heading the right way until you establish your true heading.

At times like these you must rely on your compass rather than what you can see or even what you feel is the right way to go. The compass, used properly, can help guide the way. And it is the same for our moral compass. When we have to make challenging decisions, where the way ahead may not be obvious, we have to rely on that inner compass.

Therefore, when it comes to The Right Questions toolkit, our core values are represented by the compass. This is a fitting metaphor as many people talk about their moral compass. This is effectively the set of principles that aid us in making choices, be those ethical or everyday decisions.

“I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values – and follow my own moral compass – then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own.” – Michelle Obama

As with a real compass, to be able to use our moral compass effectively, we need to understand the forces that pull on the compass needle. In this case, we need to identify the core values – the hidden forces – that push us in certain directions.

As discussed previously, examining our passions, priorities and personal stories can all give us insights into our core principles. But sometimes finding a word to describe these tenets is a challenge, and that is why a couple of other exercises can help identify and name our values.

 The common work and life principles list exercise

A good exercise to identify your core principles is to use a list of example values. Once you have the list of values you can:

  1. Score each word in terms of how important you think that principle is to you.
  2. Then score each word in terms of how closely your behaviours and actions match that principle (1 hardly at all through to 10 being always).
  3. Add the importance and action scores together for each value.
  4. Identify the highest-scoring (most important) core values.
  5. If you have more than 3-5 principles scoring equally highly, score them again. This time using fractions, or putting them into priority order.
  6. Once you have identified your top 3-5 values, write out a personal definition of why the word is important. Also, describe the actions that reflect that principle.

Here is an example table and a list of common values and principles for reference. You can use the template either by copying it into a spreadsheet or printing it out:

Value Importance  (1-10) Action (1-10) Combined Score
1 Accountability
2 Accuracy
3 Achievement
4 Adventure
5 Altruism
6 Appearance
7 Ambition
8 Autonomy
9 Assertiveness
10 Balance
11 Beauty
12 Being the best
13 Belonging
14 Boldness
15 Calmness
16 Carefulness
17 Challenge
18 Cheerfulness
19 Clarity
20 Commitment
21 Community
22 Communication
23 Compassion
24 Competitiveness
25 Connectivity
26 Consistency
27 Contentment
28 Continuous Improvement
29 Contribution
30 Control
31 Cooperation
32 Correctness
33 Courtesy
34 Creativity
35 Curiosity
36 Decisiveness
37 Democraticness
38 Dependability
39 Determination
40 Devoutness
41 Diligence
42 Discipline
43 Discretion
44 Diversity
45 Dynamism
46 Economy
47 Effectiveness
48 Efficiency
49 Elegance
50 Empathy
51 Enjoyment
52 Enthusiasm
53 Environment
54 Equality
55 Excellence
56 Excitement
57 Expertise
58 Exploration
59 Expressiveness
60 Fairness
61 Faith
62 Family
63 Flexibility
64 Fidelity
65 Fitness
66 Fluency
67 Focus
68 Freedom
69 Friendship
70 Fulfilment
71 Fun
72 Generosity
73 Goodness
74 Grace
75 Growth
76 Happiness
77 Hard Work
78 Health
79 Helping Society
80 Holiness
81 Honesty
82 Honor
83 Humour
84 Humility
85 Independence
86 Ingenuity
87 Inner Harmony
88 Inquisitiveness
89 Insightfulness
90 Integrity
91 Intelligence
92 Intimacy
93 Intuition
94 Joy
95 Justice
96 Leadership
97 Legacy
98 Love
99 Loyalty
100 Making a difference
101 Mastery
102 Merit
103 Nature
104 Obedience
105 Openness
106 Order
107 Originality
108 Partnership
109 Patriotism
110 Perfection
111 Personal growth
112 Piety
113 Positivity
114 Power
115 Practicality
116 Privacy
117 Preparedness
118 Professionalism
119 Prudence
120 Quality-orientation
121 Recognition
122 Reliability
123 Resourcefulness
124 Respect
125 Restraint
126 Results-oriented
127 Rigor
128 Romance
129 Security
130 Self-actualization
131 Self-control
132 Self-expression
133 Selflessness
134 Self-reliance
135 Sensitivity
136 Serenity
137 Service
138 Shrewdness
139 Simplicity
140 Soundness
141 Speed
142 Spirituality
143 Spontaneity
144 Stability
145 Status
146 Strategic
147 Strength
148 Structure
149 Success
150 Support
151 Teamwork
152 Temperance
153 Thankfulness
154 Thoroughness
155 Thoughtfulness
156 Timeliness
157 Tolerance
158 Traditionalism
159 Trustworthiness
160 Truth
161 Understanding
162 Uniqueness
163 Unity
164 Usefulness
165 Vision
166 Vitality
167 Vulnerability
A list of common core values for you can use as a free template

“Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behaviour that gets you what you want out of life. They can be applied again and again in similar situations to help you achieve your goals.” – Ray Dalio

The values cards exercise

Another great way to work out your core values is to use a deck of cards which have example words printed on each card, one principle per card. You can either purchase these decks or create your own. For example, you could write out or print the list of principles given above to do this exercise. Once you have a values card deck you can follow the steps below to get to your top three core values.

“If you have more than three priorities, you have no priorities” – Brené Brown

Values card deck instructions:

  1. If there are any blank cards separate these out first.
  2. Think of some values or principles that you think are important to you. You can write these (one word per card) on the blank cards.
  3. Now sort the pack of cards into three columns of roughly equal size. One column has the most important values to you personally. Another has those of middling importance, and the third contains the principles that are of lesser importance to you.
  4. When trying to choose between values with similar meanings, pick the word that resonates the most with you.
  5. Take away the columns of cards containing the values of middling and lesser importance.
  6. With the remaining cards, now separate them again into three columns. Again, reflecting what you believe are your highest, middling, and lowest-importance principles.
  7. Keep the most important cards, once again stacking the others to one side
  8. With this final selection now put them into priority order, aiming to select your top three personal values.
  9. Now, for these top three values, write your own definition of what they mean to you. Describe the sorts of behaviours that are reflected in this principle.

Using and refining your core values

Once you have identified your top 3 core values it is worth spending some time analysing how you use them. Here are some simple ways to do this:

  • When you have to make a choice in the coming days, think about how those values impact the decision.
  • Set some time in the diary, a week or month from now so you can reflect upon your chosen values. Ask yourself, do they still feel right? How have your actions over that period reflected your values?
  • In another 3-6 months go through the list of principles or values card exercise again and compare your results. Did you come up with the same three core values?

It is worth doing this as it is quite hard to identify your top three values in your first go. Also, our present circumstances influence our priorities at any given moment. Therefore, it is important to examine our values over time. This ensures we have identified the right ones and can properly express what they mean to us.

Most importantly, this reflection allows us to highlight the behaviours that embody those values that are most important to us. We can then make sure that our core values become verbs that drive action, not just nouns that remain conceptual.

When you have properly identified your core values you can see how they impact your everyday life. Don’t just react to circumstances, use your inner compass to direct your behaviours, your decisions and your life direction. As Stephen Covey encourages us:

“Live your life by a compass, not a clock.” – Stephen R. Covey

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!