I’ve invited many groups to have conversations in pairs about a couple of core strengths they use to do their job and then discuss a couple of core values that helps them to do their job.
While there are always individual differences, one clear pattern emerges for many people: strengths are easier to name but harder to own, while values are harder to name but easier to own.
When people talk about their strengths, it can feel empowering. But people also often describe a self-conscious discomfort that someone could question their choice or disagree. Or there’s a concern that they might be seen as boasting or arrogant.
When people talk about their values, they sometimes have difficulty pinning them down. But once they do, there is a feeling of connection with something both deeply personal and bigger than them.
And when people share their values they tend to feel more connection with each other. The exercise dissolves, the self consciousness fades, and they slip into a conversation that can be hard to rein in.
Strengths are resources – they help with how we do things. Values are forces – they drive why we do things.
Helen Mentha 