Values-Based Coaching

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Explain why values misalignment is the root cause of most "stuck" feelings in clients.
• Guide clients through a values clarification process using tools like the Values Card Sort.
• Help clients set values-aligned goals that create genuine fulfillment.
• Use the VIA Character Strengths framework as a complementary tool.

Why Values Matter in Coaching

Values are the deeply held principles that guide our decisions, shape our identity, and determine what we find meaningful. They operate below the surface — most clients have never explicitly articulated their values, yet their values drive every major life choice they make.

When a client's actions are aligned with their values, they experience a sense of purpose, energy, and authenticity. When their actions conflict with their values — even if those actions appear "successful" by external metrics — they feel stuck, restless, empty, or confused.

This is the core insight of values-based coaching: the feeling of being "stuck" is almost always a values misalignment in disguise.

Common presentations of values misalignment:

• "I have a great job, good salary, nice colleagues... but I feel empty."
• "I know I should be grateful, but I feel restless and dissatisfied."
• "I achieved everything I set out to achieve, and now I do not know what to do."
• "I keep sabotaging myself when things go well."

In each case, the client's current life context is out of sync with one or more core values. The coach's job is to help them discover which values are being compromised and coach them toward realignment.

Values Clarification Process

Values clarification is not about telling clients what their values should be. It is a discovery process.

Step 1: Broad Exploration

Ask questions that surface the client's implicit values:

• "When have you felt most fulfilled? What was present in that moment?"
• "What do you admire most in others? What does that say about what you value?"
• "What makes you angry or frustrated? Anger is often a values violation."
• "If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?"
• "What did you love doing as a child, before you cared what others thought?"

Step 2: Structured Sorting

Use a Values Card Sort (available in CoachSheets) or a written list of common values. There are hundreds of values; the goal is to narrow to 5–10 core values.

Suggested process:

1. Review a list of 50+ values (e.g., authenticity, belonging, creativity, discipline, family, freedom, growth, health, honesty, independence, integrity, leadership, learning, love, stability, security, service, spontaneity).
2. Sort into three piles: "Very important to me," "Somewhat important," "Not important."
3. From the "Very important" pile, select the top 10.
4. From the top 10, select the top 5.
5. For each of the top 5, write one sentence: "For me, [value] means [definition]."
6. Rank them in order of priority.

The key question: "If you had to choose between Value A and Value B, which would you choose?" This forced-choice process reveals the true hierarchy. Stated values and enacted values are often different.

Step 3: Gap Analysis

Once the top values are identified, assess alignment:

• "On a scale of 0–10, how much is this value being lived in your life right now?"
• "Where is the biggest gap between what you value and how you are living?"
• "What would a 10 on this value look like in practice?"
• "What is one thing you could change this week to close the gap?"

The gap analysis often reveals the precise source of the client's stuck feeling. A client who values "creativity" but works in a compliance-heavy role will feel restless. A client who values "family" but works 70-hour weeks will feel conflicted.

Values-Aligned Goal Setting

Once values are clarified, goals become much easier to set — and much more likely to generate genuine fulfillment.

Traditional goal setting: "I want to earn $200,000 per year." Values-aligned goal setting: "I value freedom and security. Earning $200,000 per year would give me the financial freedom to travel and the security to feel stable. The goal serves the values."

The Values-Goals Alignment Check

For any goal the client sets, run it through this check:

1. Which value does this goal serve? (If you cannot name a value, the goal may not be meaningful.)
2. Does this goal compromise any other value? (A promotion that requires 70-hour weeks may conflict with the value of "family.")
3. Is the goal worth the cost? (Every choice has an opportunity cost. Does the value gained outweigh the value sacrificed?)
4. How will you maintain your values while pursuing this goal? (What boundaries, practices, or non-negotiables will protect your values?)

The VIA Character Strengths Framework

The VIA (Values in Action) framework, developed by psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, identifies 24 universal character strengths organized under six virtues. While values are about what we prize and prioritize, character strengths are about what is strongest in us as individuals.

The VIA framework complements values-based coaching by helping clients identify their natural strengths and use them more intentionally. Clients who use their top character strengths report higher well-being, engagement, and meaning.

The 24 VIA Character Strengths (by virtue):

• Wisdom: Creativity, Curiosity, Judgment, Love of Learning, Perspective
• Courage: Bravery, Perseverance, Honesty, Zest
• Humanity: Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence
• Justice: Teamwork, Fairness, Leadership
• Temperance: Forgiveness, Humility, Prudence, Self-Regulation
• Transcendence: Appreciation of Beauty, Gratitude, Hope, Humor, Spirituality

How to use VIA in coaching:

1. Ask the client to complete the free VIA survey at VIA Character Strengths.
2. Review the top 5 signature strengths together.
3. Ask: "How are you currently using these strengths? Where could you use them more?"
4. Design goals that leverage the client's strengths rather than compensating for weaknesses.

Common Values Conflicts in Coaching

Assignment

1. Complete a values clarification process for yourself. Identify your top 5 values and write a one-sentence definition for each. Conduct a gap analysis: on a scale of 0–10, how aligned is your current life with each value?
2. Complete the free VIA survey at https://www.viacharacter.org/. Write down your top 5 signature strengths. Reflect: are these strengths reflected in your daily life?
3. Practice a values clarification session with a peer. Use the forced-choice method: help them choose between two competing values and observe what they learn.
4. Use the CoachSheets Values Card Sort tool (under Worksheets) to conduct a digital values sort with a practice client.

Knowledge Check

• Why do clients often feel "stuck" despite outward success?
• What is the difference between a value and a goal?
• Describe the three steps of values clarification (exploration, sorting, gap analysis).
• What is the forced-choice method and why is it important?
• How does the VIA Character Strengths framework complement values-based coaching?
• A client says: "I got the promotion I wanted, but I feel empty." What values-based coaching questions would you ask?