10 Myths About Personal Values and Work
Personal values influence what people consider important, acceptable, meaningful, worthwhile, or worth pursuing. Yet values are often confused with personality, beliefs, goals, or preferences.
Everyone has the same values
People may share broad values but prioritize and express them differently.
Values never change
Core values can be relatively stable while priorities and expressions evolve.
Values are just personal preferences
Values can influence major decisions about work, relationships, responsibility, leadership, and lifestyle.
You can discover your values by choosing from a list
Lists can help, but reflection on real decisions often reveals values more accurately.
Your values automatically guide your behavior
People can act against their values because of pressure, incentives, fear, habits, or circumstances.
A workplace must share all your values
Perfect alignment is unrealistic.
Values conflict is always bad
Healthy disagreement can exist within organizations.
Salary cannot be a value-related consideration
Financial security can genuinely be an important value.
Values are only relevant to personal life
Work decisions frequently expose values.
Knowing your values solves every career decision
Values provide direction but should be considered alongside skills, gifts, interests, opportunities, and practical realities.
Clarify Your Values
Use Penagix to identify your core values and use them as a compass for your next career decision.
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