What have I learnt from my own Values Index? As you can see from the above executive summary of my Values, my top 2 pairs of values are “Individualistic-Theoretical” and “Individualistic-Altruist”. These combinations yield the following characteristics of values and motivation:

Individualistic – Theoretical: “The more I know, the more I stand apart from the rest”; someone who seeks to possess a rare level of expertise or skill. (The Specialist)

Altruistic – Individualistic: Thinks, “When I give to others, I am benefited; I like to help others in my own unique way.” (The Freelance Humanitarian)

Altruistic – Theoretical: A person who prefers to use knowledge to help others; teaching others to fish. (The Mentor)

The highest two dimensions are the most inspirational. These are the ones that I should focus on making a connection to my work and life. On the other hand, it is important to understand my lowest two dimensions to make very sure that I am not being motivated by either of these two means. If present in the environment, the bottom two could actually represent something that is de-motivating me.

For example, my “Economic” dimension (the drive for money, practical results and return) is far below the norm. This explains why I am not interested in taking care of the financial side of my own business, being cost conscious or seeing short-term results. To bridge my “preference” or “motivation” gaps, I have invited a finance professional to partner with us in taking care the money side of our business. Interestingly, her Values Index scores are quite different from mine. While my “Economic” is 22, hers is 71! Wonderful team synergy but terrible conflicts sometimes!

Looking forward to hearing your stories. If you want to try Innermetrix’s The Values Index or have a better understanding of your own values, drives, career and entrepreneurial potentials, contact us at info@LRT.com.hk or call (852) 2890 9887.

(This article was also posted on LinkedIn by Stanley CHAK on March 23, 2017)