Today I want to introduce you to an important part of team performance that doesn’t get enough attention: Personal values.
“Personal values” are the things that matter most to you and act as your compass to help you make choices and live with purpose.
By understanding your personal values and those of your team, you create an environment where people feel respected and motivated.
This leads to higher performance, stronger collaboration, and a more resilient and effective team.
When values are respected and aligned, the team is more likely to achieve its goals and sustain long-term success.
But how do you help a team understand each other’s personal values?
With a workshop, of course!
Let me show you how with this full workshop plan…
Workshop Objective
To help your team understand themselves better, identify their values and motivators, and create a concrete action plan.
Agenda
Duration: Half-day (4 hours, including breaks)
1. Welcome and Introduction (15 minutes)
- Icebreaker Activity: Participants write down and share 1 personal and 1 professional goal.
- Workshop Overview: Objectives and agenda.
2. Understanding Personal Values & Motivators (1 hour)
Activity: Values Identification Exercise
- Introduction to Values and Motivators: Explanation of the importance of values in personal and professional life.
- Values Card Sort: Participants use value cards to identify and prioritise their top 10 values.
- Reflection and Discussion: How do these values align with their current life and career choices?
Tool: Personal Values Questionnaire
- Completion of Questionnaire: Participants complete a questionnaire to help identify their core values.
- Pair Discussion: Participants pair up and discuss their values and how they influence their decisions.
Break (30 mins)
3. Developing a Vision Board (45 minutes)
Activity: Vision Board Creation
- Introduction to Vision Boards: Explanation of how vision boards can help visualise goals.
- Materials: Magazines, scissors, glue, markers, and poster boards.
- Creation: Participants create their vision boards reflecting their personal and professional goals.
- Presentation: Participants present their vision boards in small groups.
Tool: SMART Goals Framework
- Explanation of SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
- Workshop: Setting SMART Goals: Participants write down their top 3-5 goals using the SMART framework.
4. Developing an Action Plan (1 hour)
Activity: Creating a 1-year Action Plan
- Template Introduction: Simple format for the action plan including sections for goals, steps, resources needed, and timeline.
- Individual Work: Participants complete their action plans to help them achieve their 3-5 SMART goals from the previous step.
- Peer Review: Participants exchange plans with a partner for feedback.
- Group Discussion: Share insights and discussing potential challenges and solutions.
5. Wrap-Up and Next Steps (30 minutes)
- Summary of the workshop: Key takeaways and reflections. Check to see if objectives were reached.
- Next steps: Encourage participants to review and update their action plans regularly.
- Closing remarks: Motivational send-off and encouragement to stay connected.
Conclusion & Summary
Understanding both your own and your team's personal values is essential for improving team performance because it fosters alignment, trust, motivation, and collaboration.
By using this workshop, I never have to worry about creating a safe space for a team to discover and share its values.
Instead, all I need is 4 hours to create many years worth of improved results and performance.