Although most people couldn’t define exactly what values are, most understand that our ‘values’ represent ‘what we value’ – or in other words what we believe is truly important, or worth pursuing in life.
It’s a fact that our value systems shape our world and define our choices in practically every aspect of our lives, from big choices e.g. of a career or life partner, to everyday choices e.g. of the brands we use or buy.
Milton Rokeach, the renowned social psychologist, defined values as sets of “centrally held, enduring beliefs which guide actions and judgments across specific situations and beyond immediate goals to more ultimate end states of existence.”
At Qi we understand that while values do manifest as beliefs, they are considerably more than just belief systems – they are powered and underpinned by our emotions and emotional needs, shaped by our self perceptions, and guided by our archetypal predispositions.
Qi’s work demonstrates that our deepest feelings and emotional needs are not embellishments of our beliefs, but are the bedrock of our value systems.
Q. Why are Values important?
A. They are important because …
What you value determines who you are, how you perceive the world, what you do or pursue, and why you do it.
Values are 2 to 5 times more influential than demographics in determining consumer behavior. Because brands and organizations are literally “Value Systems”.
Because businesses function most effectively when the Values they embody are perfectly aligned throughout an organization, and across every organ and individual expression of the brand value system.
Are we conscious of our values?
Most people, unfortunately, are barely conscious of the underlying value systems that shape their lives. With help however, it is possible to understand and articulate what is most important and valuable in one’s life. It is possible to “see” how one’s values manifest in one’s likes and dislikes, in desires, needs and hopes, goals, beliefs and affirmations.
Value systems manifest on a gradient from barely conscious drives like prejudices and emotional needs, to consciously articulated beliefs that include, for example, corporate goals and affirmations – like vision, mission, and values statements.
