How can you use your personal values to build resilience?

1 Why personal values matter

Your personal values are your inner compass, your source of motivation, and your sense of purpose. They help you align your behavior with your goals and aspirations, and they give you a sense of direction and meaning. When you're facing culture change, whether it's in your organization, your community, or your society, your personal values can help you navigate the uncertainty and complexity that comes with it. They can also help you cope with the emotions and stress that may arise from the change.

2 How to identify your personal values

Before you can use your personal values to build resilience, you need to first identify them. To do this, reflect on questions such as: what matters most to you in life? What are you passionate about? What are you proud of? What are you willing to stand up for? What are you not willing to compromise on? Writing down your answers and looking for the common themes and patterns will help you uncover your core values - the ones that define who you are and what you stand for.

3 How to align your personal values with culture change

Once you have identified your core values, you can use them to align yourself with the culture change that you're facing. This means finding ways to connect your values with the vision, goals, and benefits of the change, and to express them in your actions and interactions. For example, if one of your core values is integrity, you can align yourself with the culture change by being honest, transparent, and accountable for your role and impact in the change process. If one of your core values is creativity, you can align yourself with the culture change by seeking new opportunities, ideas, and solutions that support the change.

4 How to use your personal values to overcome challenges

Even if you align yourself with the culture change, you may still encounter challenges and difficulties along the way. These can be external, such as resistance, conflict, or setbacks, or internal, such as fear, doubt, or frustration. When you face these challenges, you can use your personal values to overcome them by reminding yourself of why the change matters to you, and how it aligns with your values. You can also use your personal values to inspire yourself and others, by sharing your stories, insights, and feedback that demonstrate how your values have helped you cope and thrive in the change.