Ep. 39 – Finding Your Values—and Why They Matter at Work, with Suzy Welch

In this thought-provoking episode, employment and business attorney Kristen Prinz speaks with NYU Stern School of Business professor, bestselling author, and podcast host Suzy Welch to discuss her book Becoming You: The Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life and Career. An outgrowth of years of research into human values, Becoming You clarifies what values really are—and what they’re not—and helps readers better understand themselves and what makes them more authentically happy by finding their “area of transcendence.” 

Our values influence countless aspects of our lives, from the relationships we form with others to how we approach our work. But when our work is out of sync with our values, it can lead not only to personal distress, but to toxic team dynamics, misunderstanding, and all-around negativity. So how does one get back on track? 

Suzy suggests the difficult task of identifying an overarching purpose, or “area of transcendence.” It isn’t necessarily simple work—in fact, it can be downright intimidating. But by making it easier to identify our values, Suzy’s work aims to give readers the understanding and agency they need to craft a life that truly fulfills them.  

In this episode, Kristen and Suzy explore: 

·        How Suzy’s career path influenced the creation of the Becoming You methodology 

·        Telling the difference between values and virtues or personality traits 

·        The development of the Values Bridge, Suzy’s test for determining one’s core values 

·        Reasons why we might not be living our values 

·        What it means to live an “A+ life” and why so many people settle for a “B+ life” 

·        How an authentic life impacts team dynamics at work 

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