From My Inbox: The Power of Personal Values

Ever find yourself in a networking situation that felt off?

Maybe it was the industry event where everyone was talking about metrics that didn't matter to you, or the committee meeting where the underlying approach conflicted with how you believe the work could really get done. That discomfort? It's your values system sending up flares.

When your networking choices don't align with your core values, the result is rather predictable: energy drain, superficial connections, and a nagging sense of disappointment (because you feel you're in the wrong room talking to the wrong people about the wrong things – which could be very true).

The Research Backs This Up

According to LinkedIn's 2016 Purpose at Work Global Report, 73% of professionals who identify as purpose-driven are satisfied with their jobs. This isn't coincidence—it's what happens when your daily actions align with what matters most to you.

So yes, values alignment transforms not just job or life satisfaction, but here's what the research doesn't capture: your values fundamentally shifts the way you approach building relationships and seeking out opportunities to network from the get-go.

With 52% of employees either watching for or actively seeking new job opportunities, perhaps it is time to take a closer look at our values.

Values as Your Networking Filter

Think back to the Why Filter I’ve been talking about since Build Your Dream Network was first published. The framework of Why helps you cut through calendar clutter and random networking activities. So what happens when you insert an overlay of values? Quite simply, your values take the Why Filter to the next level.

Your values become the compass for every networking choice:

🗝️ Which activities are gateways to deeper understanding or connection?
🗝️ Which conversations are collaborative or energizing versus draining?
🗝️ Which opportunities align with your mission?

When you network from this place of clarity—knowing who you are and what you stand for—you stop trying to force your dreams to fit into someone else’s vision or to stuff them into the wrong job description.

How This Connects to High-Achieving Networks

As I was researching my second book, I discovered that successful women don't just have clear goals—they have crystal-clear values that guide them. In fact, values are an essential component of what I refer to as Focus (goals, opportunities, values).

The values component of Focus helps high-achieving women:

• Say no with confidence to opportunities that look good on paper but feel wrong in practice
• Attract like-minded women who share similar principles and approaches
• Build a sustainable networking routine that energizes rather than exhausts them

As Brené Brown puts it in Dare to Lead: "True belonging and self-worth are not goods; we don't negotiate their value with the world. The truth about who we are lives in our hearts." Goals can be discarded or set-aside, perhaps to be picked up (again) at some later date. Not so with your values. Values are your north star.

Your Values in Action

Here's what values-driven networking looks like practically:

🚷 Instead of: Accepting every invitation because "it could be good for my career"
✅ Try: Ask yourself "Does this align with how I want to show up in the world?"

🚯 Instead of: Staying in networking groups out of obligation
✅ Try: Evaluating whether the group's approach still matches your working style and principles

🚭 Instead of: Networking with anyone who might be "useful"
✅ Try: Seeking out industry peers whose values and approach to work resonate with yours

The Compound Effect

When you network from your values, something remarkable happens: you start attracting opportunities and relationships that don't just advance your career—they enhance your life. The 73% job satisfaction rate among purpose-driven professionals isn't just about finding meaningful work. It’s about reducing the friction between work and life. It's about creating a personal ecosystem where everything connects.

Your networking becomes more efficient because you're not wasting time in misaligned situations. Your relationships deepen because they're built on shared principles, not just shared interests. Your opportunities multiply because people know exactly what you stand for and what you're seeking.

This Week's Networking Challenge

🚀 Take 10 minutes to write down your top 3-5 values. Not what you think you should value, but what actually drives your decisions when you're at your best.

🚀 Then look at your calendar for the next month. Which commitments align with these values? Which ones feel like they're pulling you away from who you really are? How can you reconcile or remove any misaligned choices?

Your values aren't limiting—they're liberating. They give you permission to show up as yourself and find the communities and opportunities that will help you thrive on your own terms.

Need more?

💡 Decluttering can be stressful − a clinical psychologist explains how personal values can make it easier (The Conversation)

💡 Decluttering can be a relief, especially when doing so brings you into alignment with your bigger goals (Visionary Women)

💡 Weaving the Dream: How Opportunity and Personal Agency Can Shape a Common Vision for America (More In Common)