Clarifying Personal Values and Goals

Drifting without clarity is dangerous for leaders. When you’re unclear about your values and goals, it’s easy to get pulled into external pressures, people-pleasing, or chasing someone else’s definition of success.

In this episode, we’ll explore:

• The power of values-driven leadership
• Why women often lose clarity in seasons of pressure or transition
• A practical exercise to identify your top five values and see how they shape your goals
• How to align your daily actions with your long-term values

Clear values create clear leadership. And when you know what you stand for, you lead with focus, purpose, and strength.

Transcript

Welcome back to the podcast where we talk about leadership that lasts—not just through skills and strategies, but through clarity and character.

Today’s topic is one of the most important foundations of leadership, and honestly, of life itself: clarifying your personal values and goals.

Here’s why this matters: drifting without clarity is dangerous for leaders.

Because when you don’t know what matters most to you, it’s really easy to get pulled in a hundred different directions—chasing other people’s definitions of success, reacting to pressures around you, and ending up burned out, unfulfilled, and unsure of who you are.

So in this episode, we’re going to unpack:

• The power of values-driven leadership.
  
  
  
• The common reasons leaders—especially women—lose clarity.
  
  
  
• A practical exercise to identify your top five values and see how they shape your goals.
  
  
  
• And how to align your daily actions with those long-term values.
  
  
  

By the end, I want you to walk away with a framework that helps you live and lead with intentionality, not just momentum.

Segment 1: The Power of Values-Driven Leadership

Let’s start with why values matter.

Values are your internal compass. They’re the principles that guide your decisions, shape your goals, and determine the kind of leader—and person—you become.

Without values, you drift. You end up chasing success metrics that may look impressive, but don’t feel fulfilling. You say yes to opportunities that don’t actually align with what matters most. You spend years climbing a ladder only to realize it was leaning against the wrong wall.

But when you lead from your values, everything changes.

You make clearer decisions. You have a filter for what to say yes to and what to say no to. You communicate more authentically because you’re leading from a place of alignment. And you inspire trust—because people can sense when a leader is consistent and grounded in something deeper than personal ambition.

Here’s the truth: people don’t just follow your vision. They follow your values.

Segment 2: Common Reasons Women Lose Clarity

So if values are so important, why do so many leaders lose clarity about them?

There are two big reasons I see most often—especially with women in leadership.

Reason #1: External pressure.
 From the time we’re young, we’re bombarded with voices telling us what “success” should look like. Get the degree. Land the job. Hit the metrics. Keep climbing. The pressure is constant, and it can drown out our inner voice.

Reason #2: People-pleasing.
 This one hits hard. So many women leaders are wired to support others, to nurture, to help. And while those are strengths, they can become traps. You start making decisions based on what makes others happy instead of what aligns with your values. Over time, you lose sight of what you actually want.

The result? You wake up one day and realize your goals don’t reflect your heart. You’ve been living out someone else’s priorities instead of your own.

But the good news is—you can recalibrate. You can come back to clarity at any time.

Segment 3: Practical Exercise — Your Top 5 Values

Now let’s get practical. One of the most powerful exercises you can do is to identify your top five values.

Here’s how it works:

1. Start with a list of common values—things like integrity, family, growth, creativity, excellence, service, freedom, generosity, faith, health, adventure, security, impact.
   
   
   
2. Circle any that resonate with you. Don’t overthink it. Just go with your gut.
   
   
   
3. Narrow the list down to five. Yes, just five. Because clarity requires focus.
   
   
   
4. Once you have your five, ask yourself: How do these values shape my goals?
   
   
   

For example:

• If family is one of your top values, your career goals need to make room for presence at home.
  
  
  
• If growth is a top value, you’ll naturally prioritize professional development, education, and stretching assignments.
  
  
  
• If impact is a top value, you’ll set goals that go beyond personal achievement and into serving others.
  
  
  

This exercise might sound simple, but it can be life-changing. Because once you know your values, your goals stop being random. They start being intentional.

Segment 4: Aligning Daily Actions With Long-Term Values

Now here’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s not enough to know your values—you have to live them.

And that means aligning your daily actions with your long-term values.

Ask yourself: Do my calendar and my habits reflect my values?

If you say health is a value, but you never make time for rest or exercise, there’s a misalignment.
 If you say relationships are a value, but your schedule is so packed you can’t connect with people you love, there’s a misalignment.
 If you say impact is a value, but you’re only focused on personal success, there’s a misalignment.

Living your values requires daily choices:

• Choosing to say no to opportunities that don’t fit.
  
  
  
• Choosing to spend time on things that actually matter.
  
  
  
• Choosing to let your values—not pressure, not people-pleasing—set the direction for your life.
  
  
  

The alignment may not happen overnight, but small consistent choices will reshape your trajectory over time.

Takeaway: Clear Values Create Clear Leadership

So here’s the big idea for today: clear values create clear leadership.

When you know what you stand for, you lead with strength. You stop drifting. You stop chasing everyone else’s definition of success. You set goals that align with your deepest priorities.

And you model for your team, your family, and your community what it looks like to live with integrity and purpose.

So here’s my challenge for you this week: take 20 minutes to do the values exercise. Identify your top five. Write them down. Put them somewhere visible. And then ask: Do my goals reflect these values? Do my daily actions align with them?

Clarity isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a daily practice. But the clearer you are, the stronger your leadership will be.

Because drifting is dangerous. But values-driven leadership? That’s powerful, sustainable, and unforgettable.

Thanks for joining me today. If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone else who’s navigating leadership or transition and needs the reminder to anchor in values.

And if you’re ready to go deeper, I’d love to connect with you through coaching, resources, or our leadership community.

Until next time—lead well, live well, and remember: clear values create clear leadership.