Wheel of Values

When to use:

• The Wheel of Values is a technique that works well when there's a need to examine the level of satisfaction in the most important areas of a mentee's life. By using this visual exercise, the mentee can easily understand what is truly important at a given moment and what serves as a compass for action based on the principles and values ​​that guide the mentee.

Props:

• A4 sheet of paper
• Colored markers/highlighters
• Virtual whiteboard, if working remotely (e.g., Miro, Mural)

Instructions:

Stage 1

Prepare an A4 sheet of paper with a previously drawn circle divided into 8 sections.

You can download the template here.

Stage 2

Ask the mentee to consider what constitutes the most important elements of his or her life and the values ​​that accompany it.

These could be:

• Honesty
• Safety
• Creativity
• Family
• Achievement
• Spirituality
• Growth
• Trust
• Authenticity
• Striving for Excellence
• Collaboration
• Beauty
• Success
• Honesty
• Joy
• Service to Others
• Money
• Health
• Harmony
• Work
• Love
• Recognition
• Independence
• Relationships

Importantly, the above areas are only for inspiration, and if a given area is not important to the Mentee, do not address it. And if an area important to the Mentee is not on the list, feel free to add it. This is the Mentee's circle of life and values, so the Mentee has full decision-making power regarding which elements will be included.

After selecting the 8 elements, write them on the values ​​wheel.

Stage 3

Assuming the center of the circle to be 0% and the outer border to be 100%, ask the Mentee to mark the percentage of his or her satisfaction with each of the eight listed.

The resulting image reflects the situation here and now, as it is, not how the Mentee would like it to be.

Stage 4

In the next step, ask the Mentee to consider what the Mentee would like each of these areas to look like.

The following questions can be helpful:

• What do you see?
• What is most important to you?
• Do any parts of the circle influence each other?
• In which areas would you like to increase your level of satisfaction?
• What can you do to achieve your desired level of satisfaction?
• In which area are you already at your desired level?
• Is there any area that exceeds your expected level of satisfaction?
• Which area do you want to address first so that, in your opinion, the overall picture of the circle will improve?

Note that it's impossible to achieve 100% in every element. This will be impossible and unrealistic.

Stage 5

Encourage the Mentee to decide what they will work on and which area you want to focus on first.

Ask the Mentee to list:

• The first 3 actions they will take to improve the selected area.
• The 3 actions that will lead the Mentee to improve the selected area.

Stage 6

Summarize this exercise together and conclude with the reflections that are most important to you.

Own work based on: "Coaching Questions: A Coach`s Guide to Powerful Asking Skills" by Tony Stoltzfus, personal practice.